THE PRISONERS
In From The Cold (Big Beat)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Here's a little history: perhaps you are familiar with the brilliance of a British band called the Solar Flares, whose latest release is also on this label, Big Beat. Previous to the Solar Flares, two members of that band were in the Prime Movers, and before that, all three Solar Flares spent a few years making music in the Prisoners with James Taylor, later of the rather successful James Taylor Quartet. I remember a lot of Prisoners fans being down on this album when it first came out, back in 1986. "Too produced," "too many horns," "they've sold out" were some of the criticisms. I never subscribed to that, and have always loved this album. Yes, Troy Tate (ex-Teardrop Explodes) produced this, and added more of a pop sheen to it than any of their three previous LPs, but he also brought in some great horn players, plus harpsichords, Mellotron, and marimbas for keyboardist James Taylor to use. Sure, Graham Day's guitar sound could've been crunchier, but there were three LPs of that sound already. What is most apparent is that the songs were great. There's not a bad song on here, they all shine with a sort of garage-mod-soul sound and a groove that put bands like the Style Council and that ilk to shame.

"The More That I Teach You," with its great Wurlitzer electric piano solo, simply kicks butt. "Mourn My Health" is hands-down one of the best "depression" songs ever, with an eerie atmosphere and cool string section break that is rarely equaled. Their cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Ain't No Telling" pulls out all the stops and shows how a Hendrix cover should be played. The title track, with its Brit-psych "underwater" vocals is still really cool. "Wish The Rain," with its bouncy horns and backing vocals courtesy of then-Makin' Time vocalist (and future wife of Mr. Day) Fay Hallam find the band in full-on garage-soul vein, and this tune really cooks. The original album ended off with the cool instro "The Lesser Evil," which sounds like something from a late '60s "groovy" film soundtrack, right down to the flute solo! This remastered edition also adds on five bonus tracks: the 12" single version of "Wherever I'm Gone" (replete with horns, unlike the version from The Last Fourfathers LP), plus its two b-sides, "Promised Land" and the cool instro "Gravedigger." Also included are two songs from the now-deleted Rare and Unissued LP on Hangman, and for the first time from the mastertapes no less: "Happiness For Once," and the cynically great rant against commercial music, "Pop Star Party," without the annoying tape defect (a loud "pop" and sound dropout) that was on the LP version. Apparently due out soon are reissues of The Last Fourfathers and their first LP, A Taste Of Pink, which will sit nicely next to this and Big Beat's previous expanded reissue of their classic second LP, Thewisermiserdemelza.

© 2003 - Alan Wright