4AD presents a trifecta of special 30th Anniversary Editions of classic releases from stand-out artists across our catalogue, available on digital platforms and CD on 23 May. This includes the following:
Pale Saints – Slow Buildings (30th Anniversary Re:Masters)
Pale Saints complete their series of 30th anniversary reissues with the release of an expanded edition of their third and final album, Slow Buildings.
By 1994, they were the quartet of Meriel Barham (vocals / guitar), Chris Cooper (drums), Graeme Naysmith (guitar) and Colleen Browne (bass guitar/vocals), who having just left The Heart Throbs replaced founding member Ian Masters who had departed the band to form Spoonfed Hybrid with AC Temple’s Chris Trout.
Primed by the brilliant single ‘Fine Friend’ (a song adapted from 1981’s ‘Poison in the Airwaves’ by Scottish band Persian Rugs), third album Slow Buildings shows the band still venturing forward – this time, keeping the experimentation and guitar fuzz of their early records whilst opening-up their songs so Meriel’s vocals could hit new, pop heights.
A record that stands the test of time 30 years on, Slow Buildings is well worthy of reappraisal. This reissue is being released in the memory of Graeme Naysmith.
Lisa Germano – Geek the Girl (30th Anniversary Special Edition)
“A bold investigation of a woman’s journey through self-acceptance and the systemic issues fuelling her personal struggles.” – PopMatters
Lisa Germano’s landmark 1994 album, Geek The Girl, is a prescient yet unsettling listen. A record that explores themes of stalking, sexual harassment, anxiety and the female experience, word of mouth has only grown since its release and despite now widely being seen as a classic of its time.
A record that is as vital a statement today as when first released, Lisa is unflinching and unbowed throughout Geek The Girl, giving a platform to the silenced, or as she says, “people who are stuck but want to go somewhere else.” Writing with a raw, emotional honesty – sometimes from a kowtowing perspective – she holds little back. An incredible body of work, the atmosphere is heightened by a jaunting violin sound and her use of (with permission and after much deliberation) of a real 911 call in which a woman confronts an intruder in her own home. Her recurring use of Sicilian folk tune ‘Frascilita’ as an interlude jars too, even though she intended for it to give the album some needed “comic relief.”
Ranked in SPIN Magazine’s Top 100 albums of the 90s, Geek The Girl is unlike most music of the period and a testament to both Lisa’s artistry and courage. Working with Abbey Road Studios in London, the album has been remastered for its 30th anniversary and has had both ‘Cry Wolf’ b-side ‘The Mirror Is Gone’ and 5 track pre-cursor EP, Inconsiderate Bitch, added to deliver the complete package.
Belly – King (30th Anniversary Edition)
Belly found themselves at something of a crossroads when it came to following up their 1993 debut album Star – a wildly successful record that earned the band two GRAMMY nominations including the coveted Best New Artist award. With bassist Gail Greenwood having joined the ranks in between, she plus the trio of Tanya Donelly and brothers Chris and Tom Gorman rented a house in rural Rhode Island to write collaboratively before heading to Nassau in the Bahamas to record in Island Records founder Chris Blackwell’s legendary studio Compass Point (a place famed for where AC/DC, Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, and countless others recorded major works). Away from industry pressure and guided by veteran producer Glyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who), they made the most of the relaxed surroundings, recording live in the room and minimising overdubs so to capture as much of the band’s chemistry on tape as they could.
Featuring singles ‘Now They’ll Sleep’, ‘Seal My Fate’, and ‘Super-Connected’, the resultant King was a step on, a deceptively complex album where the quartet had chosen artistic growth over commerciality. Their lyrics took more of a political and personal bent, while musically it was heavier, in part due to Gail’s muscular playing style and more deft guitar interplay between Tanya and Tom. SPIN Magazine said at the time that it marked their evolution from “indie darlings to rock contenders”.
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