Peel Sessions releases have classically served a purpose only for thecollectors or die-hard fans but I can safely say that this release isan essential key to anybody's Galaxie 500 collection and should not be missed.20|20|20/Ba Da Bing!
I'm not trying to make an enemy of anybody in this review but I have to be completely honest with my feelings.
First off: Kramer's production can't hold a candle to the fantastic jobthe BBC engineers did in capturing Galaxie 500 live in thestudio. The band here sound much more like seasoned veterans thanon the original Rough Trade albums. The instrumets areappropriatelytreated, spaced, and the band seems far more comfortable with theirinstruments and comfortable with each other rather than thesometimes awkward and distant sounds and borderline clumsy productionof the albums. The charm isn't lost, however, which bringsme to my second point. Although every member of Galaxie 500 I havemet have been the sweetest, nicest people, nobody's post-Galaxie 500project has the charm, magic, or relevance that Galaxie 500 hadtogether.
Out of eight songs contained, four are cover tunes: Sex Pistols'"Submission," Young Marble Giants' "Final Day," Buffy Saint Marie's"Moonshot," and their classic show ending "Don't Let Our Youth Go toWaste," originally by fellow Bostonian indie rock legends, Jonathan Richman/ModernLovers.
Recorded at two sessions in 1989 and 1990, this release is a fantasticdocument of how well they could actually play together, and not someinappropriately romanticized notions of a young band faced with thechallenges of evolution and improvement. Dean's guitarbreaks, Naomi's melodic bass lines, and Damon's drum fills on a songlike "Flowers" is all the evidence needed to know that there wassomething special going on, and that the band seemed to perfect theirsongsafter recording them in the studio, once they were on the road.
With all due respect to James Murphy, "I was there," being fortunate tohave seen Galaxie 500 before they split. While I am still in lovewith their music I can accept that they remain in the past: I'm notlistening to unearthed gems like this and the double DVD anxiouslyawaiting a reunion tour.
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