A Certain Ratio : Early (Soul & Jazz Records 2002) one thing, that was really great about the end of the seventies : suddenly it was not neccessary anymore to be a master on your instrument, the pure fun of playing was more important. In the booklett of the 2 CD set there is a long interview with the ACR members and at one moment Martin Hannett the producer asked in a session one of the guitar players : "Can You Play an 'A'? getting the answer "What's an 'A'? Well you don't have to know what's a scale to play good music.
ACR was formed in 1978 and tried to produce intelligent dance music with a harder edge similar to bands like 'Cabaret Voltaire ' or 'Throbbing Gristle'. 'Early' presents on a double CD material that ranges from 1978 to 1985 (Factory period) a mixture of tracks, outtakes and BBC (John Peel Sessions) + a Bonus DVD with 1980 New York concert and loft footings. I prefer the BBC recordings with a clearer sound to the Factory/Hannett produced tracks sounding sometimes too muddy ( Simon Topping's voice is drowned in echo and the band sounds sometimes like Joy Division) The compilation gives a good overview about their output and the b/W footings give a good idea of the New York loft scene in the beginning of the 80's. The typical ACR music is mainly rhythm based,(even so most of the members were beginners the drummer Donald Johnson was a professional musician giving the band a solid foundation) a mixture of Soul, Jazz, Funk with a harder edge,( razor edge guitars and funk bass), that sounds still fresh today.
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