THE PRISONERS
A Taste Of Pink (Big Beat)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Big Beat's recent reissuing of the Prisoners and other Mod-ish bands from the '80s continues with this sweet release. First up are the Prisoners and their 1982 album that launched the band, pressed up originally on their own Own-Up label. The first Prisoners album I ever bought was actually their second LP, Thewizermizerdemelza, but after loving that so much I immediately set out to find the first one. Thinner in sound that any of their subsequent albums, this one captures all the energy and youthfulness of a band finding their sound and is perhaps their most "mod" in a strict sense. Graham Day's throaty vocals and slashing guitar play perfectly off of James Taylor's organ work, especially on instro songs like "Creepy Crawlies" and "Come To The Mushroom." Hints of psych emerge in the title track and "Coming Home" is a garage rock classic. Also really cool is the hip-shakin' "Say Your Prayers," dominated by a simple yet effective '60s-style beat and riff. The liner notes to this expanded edition are most interesting, especially to find out that despite what I, and I assume many others, had assumed was a cheap Farfisa organ played by James Taylor was in fact, a Casio synth played through a valve amp to give it its distinctive sound! Check out the pics that show the band playing a gig, all dressed entirely in original series Star Trek uniforms! See Graham Day's huge Marshall stack - no wonder these guys had a heavier guitar sound than a lot of other "mod" bands. This edition also adds a slew of outtakes, demos and live recordings, among them the great "Baby Come Alive." There are lo-fi demo versions of "Pretend," "Don't Call My Name," "Say Your Prayers, and the-never- recorded- again "Lilac Reflections" recorded by the band when they were still a trio.

© 2003 - Alan Wright