The recordings for this fucking piece of shit were made on April 24, 1978, at a concert in the legendary London club Dingwalls. At this point, Eater was in a crucial transitional phase: this was their first live release following their only studio album, The Album in November 1977. Furthermore, these recordings featured their new drummer, Phil Rowland, who had replaced the then thirteen year old Dee Generate in May 1977. Just a few months after the release of this EP which came out in four different picture sleeves, the band broke up. The record captures the band's unpolished energy and the production is awesome for this time. As a teenage band, they played the songs at a notoriously breakneck pace, a "Light-Speed Beat", perfectly documenting the frenetic live atmosphere of the Dingwalls club. Critics and fans of the first wave of British Punk primarily regard this beauty as a charming historical document of splendid '77 Punk. While the EP enjoys an excellent reputation among collectors, opinions on the music itself are more nuanced. The live recordings were produced by Dave Goodman (known for his work with the Sex Pistols), are praised for their unpolished, highly dynamic sound. The songs are fast-paced and aggressive ad the sound quality is damn brilliant. Someone's emphasize that this is "Eater At Their Best", uncompromising, loud and angry. Critics at the time often didn't take Eater entirely seriously due to their youth.
"Thinking Of The USA," in particular, is considered the undisputed crown jewel; it was originally released in June 1977 as their second single. Live, the song is even more relentless, delivered in its rawest, most extreme form. The renowned music magazine Mojo even officially listed the track as one of the best Punkrock singles of all time. While the studio version was already fast, live Eater blast the song through the speakers at an almost absurd, adrenaline fueled, high-speed tempo, and that applies to more than just this track.In retrospect, however, the EP is valued precisely for that reason: it proves the band was more than just a "gimmick" and delivered authentic, credible music. In modern reviews by vinyl enthusiasts, the focus is frequently on visual appeal. Since the EP was released in various sleeve colors (red, blue, green, orange) and on white vinyl, it is reviewed less as an audiophile masterpiece and more as an "essential collectible" of early UK Punk.
Casual listeners might find the slab an acquired taste due to its extreme lo-fi live sound. For fans of classic UK Punk, it is an absolutely essential document proving that Eater were far more than just a youthful PR gimmick. I Love This Stuff!
No comments:
Post a Comment