The subtitle of this new collection from Mute, A Beginner's Guide to the Music of Throbbing Gristle,is a fairly accurate description of what the disc provides. The problemwith a group as culturally significant and influential as ThrobbingGristle is that the music is only half the story, and that other halfis what this disc can't provide. Released to coincide with the glut ofThrobbing Gristle reissues and reformations surrounding the cancelledRE~TG event, this disc showed up in bins at the same time as Mutant TG,Mute's pointless collection of tepid remixes. I suppose this disc wascreated for the legions of curious who have read the enthusiastic,worshipful praise heaped on TG in various publications, but have noobvious entry point into the daunting discography of the so-called"wreckers of civilization." To that end, the compiler of this disc (thesuspiciously named Olivier Cormier Ota?o), has done a fairly decent jobof putting together a wide cross-section of TG's recorded output. Allof the major phases of the TG sound are present; the ominous industrialsoundscapes of "Industrial Introduction" and "Cabaret Voltaire;" theagitated, screamed provocations of "We Hate You (Little Girls)" and"Zyklon B Zombie;" the jagged psychedelic mutations of "Dead onArrival" and "Hamburger Lady;" and the proto-techno experimentation of"Distant Dreams, Pt. 2" and "Hot on the Heels of Love." There is adecided emphasis on more-or-less "accessible" material, although with aband as abrasive and uncommercial as TG, accessible is truly a relativeterm. Taken together, the tracks present a good argument for TG asmusical innovators, with a few well-chosen live recordings thatevidences their legendary talent for provocative live performance. Mymain complaint with the CD lies with the packaging. The total lack ofany historical notes or perspectives on TG is strange, especially for arelease purporting to be a Beginner's Guide. It is impossibleto separate TG from their historical and social context; to do so is tomisunderstand the scope of their significance. Further, the band'svisual presentation—in costuming, symbolism, record sleeves and thevarious "reports" and missives—is at least as important as their soundon record. I suppose beginners could seek out this material elsewhere,but would it have killed Mute to reproduce some of it along with thedisc? Adding to the problem is the cover art by Peter Christopherson.While I appreciate its powerfully grotesque, Salo-esquebrutality, it doesn't mesh with the visual strategies of early TGartwork, with its clinical style relating the activities of the bandlike some classified document from the KGB, slyly satirizing andattacking the status quo of music and culture. I can guardedlyrecommend The Taste of TG for its musical content, but for beginners, further study will be required. Read More
