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Furyo
Complete
cdmgoth28
Cherry
Red Records
Goth series
Furyo - Furyo
(EP) & Furioso (EP)I
n 1In
1983 after the demise of UK Decay, Abbo (Vocals), Eddie Branch
(Bass & Vocals) and Steve Harle (Drums), rebuilt the core
band eventually completing the line-up with Gene Loves Jezebel’s,
Albie De Luca on Guitar. This new CD release merges the two
former vinyl EP’s, the Furyo - Furyo (EP) & the Furioso
(EP) into a historical first for UK Decay and the spin-offs,
In Excelsis and Furyo. Apart from the odd compilation track
inclusion on various CD compilation albums and of course UK
Decay Communities limited releases, this is the first time that
any of the three bands have had any of their formal earlier
albums released on CD.
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the words of Paul Rabjohn..
Yes
, finally , those guys at Cherry Red have raided the vaults and
put out a Furyo CD. Released on 23rd July , it’s great to
see an “official” release of some of the post-UK Decay
material for the first time. |
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So,
what have Cherry Red come up with? Well, it’s a lovely package
using the cover art of the mini-LP , with great sleevenotes and
some fabulous rare photos. Sadly its just the 9 tracks from the
2 1984 releases and no bonus material ; plenty of other stuff exists
but the label couldn’t get anyone from the band to agree to
including it. Such a shame , as the unreleased album would have
rounded off this package beautifully. Still, mustn’t complain
too much as it’s still a great release. |
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thing to say is that the CD sounds great. Apparently it’s
mastered from vinyl as the original tapes have degraded , but full
credit to whoever transferred it to CD as it sounds wonderful to
my ears. The acoustic tracks like the opening “Gold of Our
Lives” are crystal clear compared to my scratchy old vinyl.
I can still recall being extremely surprised (concerned?) when I
first heard this back in 83, even though I’d seen the band
live I wasn’t quite expecting something so…….gentle
on the record. But it’s a great opener as the rhythm section
join in halfway through and the song steps up a gear , setting up
the album perfectly. It still doesn’t really sound like anything
else ; it is “Gothic” I guess , but really not “Goth”
as most people would know it. |
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The
second track is the “difficult” one, “Vultures”
is very slow and has big sections of unaccompanied vocals together
with some “challenging” lyrics. Remembering this was
written maybe 3 years after “For My Country” , it was
a big , big step for some UK Decay fans to get to grips with. It’s
still probably my least favourite Furyo track , it’s not “bad”
but I think they moved on to much better material than this. Next
up is “Into the Arena”, another more uptempo track which
is a big improvement. Like most of the album , the lyrics are all
about the joys and frustrations of performance. |
| Next
up come the 2 tracks which formed the second side of the original
mini-LP , the slow and brooding “Monster of 1000 Heads”
leading into the climax of “The Opera in the Air” .
This medley worked really well live, “Opera” being definitely
the most commercial track on the original release. I guess Abbo
was aiming at some sort of updated Berlin cabaret , Brecht-for-the-80’s
maybe , and by the end of the mini-LP you started to see his point.
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The
second EP (“Furioso”) was released 6 months later and
the 4 tracks from it form the second half of the new CD. It was
a much more commercial , “brighter” release and seemed
to be much better received. The lead track “Legacy”
is quite close to a commercial single , and still sounds excellent.
“Chorus” is an extended coda to it , massed Albie vocals
forming an unheavenly choir. Just when you wonder if Furyo were
going to maybe be a rock band again , up comes “King of Hearts”
which is like an updated take on “Greensleeves” with
Albie getting out what sounds like a madrigal. Again , you can just
imagine the reaction from the Oi-boys. But then the best track comes
last, as Steve Harle lets rip on the fabulous “Cavalcade”,
all Spaghetti Western guitars and a wonderful Abbo vocal. Great
stuff , which hints at how good they could be live.
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Respect
to Cherry Red for doing a really good job of this re-issue , they’ve
put a lot of work into this (including big efforts to get hold
of the unreleased album , which came to nothing). Hopefully it
sells well and maybe they’ll get their heads round some
more UK Decay related releases , it’s lovely to see stuff
like this back on the shelves. Have a look at this link if you’re
interested in buying one from their website.
P
August 2007
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Written by Paulrabjohn, Pics
courtesy of Cherry Red
Web layout 'Shplonko'
Presented by UK Decay Communities
also thanks to SDZ web services
& Level-one
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