Some artists churn out records for decades and leave behind little of significance.
Others record little and leave a substantial legacy.
The Pop Group belongs in that second category, releasing two studio albums and the odds-and-ends collection We Are Time during a three-year life span.
When it becomes de rigueur to call an obscure band "seminal," it's worth reiterating why that band is important and reinvesting the cliché with some meaning.
The Pop Group was among a handful of acts that harnessed the energy of punk, truly recognized the possibilities it opened up, and took music in exciting directions.
The band used punk's back-to-basics ethos as a springboard for experimentation with funk, dub, and jazz, blending dance rhythms and rock in ways that continue to inspire artists.
They also politicized rock with an intensity and urgency that put rebel poseurs like the Clash to shame.
In addition to different versions of already available tracks, We Are Time features previously unreleased live, studio, and radio-session material.
Demos from 1978 like "Trap" and "Sense of Purpose" display the frenetic rhythms, jagged guitars, and free jazz inclinations that would be further explored on the 1979 debut album.
Taken to the brink by Mark Stewart's wailing vocals and Gareth Sager's squalling sax, the searing "We Are Time" and the staccato punk-funk rush of "Thief of Fire" show the band was as strong live as in the studio.
The unlikely standout is "Amnesty Report" -- an alternate version of a 1979 B-side -- featuring Stewart's shouted recitation of an "Amnesty International Report on British Army Torture of Irish Prisoners" set to a fierce, heavily funky soundtrack.
The Pop Group's official studio releases alone contained a wealth of musical ideas that still resonate.
We Are Time simply confirms that the "seminal band" clichés are justified.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TrapGareth Sager, Bruce Smith, Mark Stewart, Simon Underwood, John Waddington | The Pop Group | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | Thief of FireGareth Sager, Bruce Smith, Mark Stewart, Simon Underwood, John Waddington | The Pop Group | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | Colour BlindGareth Sager, Bruce Smith, Mark Stewart, Simon Underwood, John Waddington | The Pop Group | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | Spanish InquisitionDan Catsis, Gareth Sager, Bruce Smith, Mark Stewart, John Waddington | The Pop Group | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Amnesty ReportDan Catsis, Gareth Sager, Bruce Smith, Mark Stewart, John Waddington | The Pop Group | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | SpringerMark Springer | The Pop Group | Play | 01:09 | 2 MB | 6 MB |
| 7 | Sense of PurposeGareth Sager, Bruce Smith, Mark Stewart, Simon Underwood, John Waddington | The Pop Group | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 8 | Genius Of Lunatic | The Pop Group | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | Kiss The Book (BBC John Peel Session 1978) | The Pop Group | Play | 02:47 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | . We Are Time (Live Glastonbury 1979) | The Pop Group | Play | 07:14 | 16 MB | 47 MB |
| 37 mins | 87 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 251 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Aitken | Engineer |
| 2 | Dan Catsis | Composer, Group Member, Guitar (Bass) |
| 3 | Mike Coles | Artwork |
| 4 | The Pop Group | Primary Artist |
| 5 | Gareth Sager | Clarinet, Composer, Group Member, Guitar, Organ, Piano, Remastering, Saxophone |
| 6 | Bruce Smith | Composer, Drums, Group Member, Percussion |
| 7 | Mark Springer | Composer, Piano |
| 8 | Mark Stewart | Artwork, Composer, Group Member, Vocals |
| 9 | Simon Underwood | Composer, Group Member, Guitar (Bass) |
| 10 | John Waddington | Composer, Group Member, Guitar, Guitar (Bass) |
| 11 | Nick Watson | Remastering |
| 12 | Tony Wilson | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |