The Morrisons - Songs From The South Of England

  by Chris Jones

published: 9 / 2 / 2005

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One good thing that came from the advent of CDs has been the ability to neatly and cheaply collect the releases of bands whose records were hard to find even when they were new and that have been long out of print.  Firestation Records and Egg Records are just two of the labels that have released several such compilation CDs focusing primarily on somewhat obscure, UK, jangly guitar pop bands who released records in the late 80's.  I'm not quite sure how many people were longing for compilation CDs for bands like the Desert Wolves or the Submarines, but I for one am glad these labels went ahead and put them out. Firestation Records seems to have done quite well with their 'The Sound of Leamington Spa' series and this compilation of songs by the Morrisons is the label's latest (re)offerring.  I can't say I knew who the Morrisons were prior to hearing the song 'Listen to Your Heart' on 'The Sound of Leamington Spa Vol. 3' and now this CD.  Nor do I know what role this band played in developing the now familiar style of UK guitar pop that can be found on this CD.  Were they merely following the path laid out by the likes of Orange Juice, Mighty Mighty, a touch of the Jazz Butcher Conspiracy , and a host of others now lumped under the C86 tag or were they a vital part of that then burgeoning scene?  It would be interesting to know the answer to that question, but sometimes it's just better to listen to the music. The songs on this CD are primarily demo versions of songs that appeared on flexis and EPs and because of that the production isn't always spot on. In some ways. however, it adds to the sense of nostalgia and (re)discovery. Instead of some digitally remastered, reprocessed, rethought facsimile, these songs are the raw, legitimate, real deal and as such they capture the band in possibly their truest form.  Quickly strummed guitars, horns, bouncy basslines, and an upbeat tempo propel each song along.  The vocals have more of a pleading quality than a whining one and for me that's a good thing. There's no melodrama and the lyrics are engaging and catchy.  And maybe "catchy" is one of those words that sums up a lot of what was so good about the bands of the late 80's. You can throw this CD in the stereo and quickly find yourself bouncing along to the beat or doing a little shuffle as you walk around the room.  Hell, maybe even throw a little spin in there while you're at it. While the 80's have been the target of both mockery and detest, there was a great variety of things going on musically if one managed to avoid the mainstream outlets.  And actually, looking back now, even things in the mainstream seem like they were a bit more diverse than they have been recently. While the Morrisons represent just one of the sounds of the time, it's a pretty nice sound.  It's hard to say how many other Morrisons or Desert Wolves or Submarines are out there waiting to be (re)discovered, but something tells me the folks at Firestation Records will keep digging through the archives and maybe they'll release the best album of the 80's some 25 years later.  Stay tuned!

Track Listing:-

1 Listen To Your Heart (Flexi Version)
2 Everytime I Open The Bootle (Flexi Version)
3 Ask The Lord (Demo)
4 On A Valentine (Demo)
5 Heaven Help Us Now (Demo)
6 This Blue Day (Demo)
7 Ramona (Demo)
8 Storm (EP Version)
9 Lament (EP Version)
10 Travellin' Boy (EP Version)
11 Made In Heaven (Demo)
12 Vagabond Blues (Demo)
13 When A Man Cries (Demo)
14 God Bless (Demo)
15 Brighter Days (Demo)
16 Anything It Takes (Demo)

Label Links:-

http://www.firestation-records.de/
https://www.facebook.com/firestationrecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/FirestationRecords/videos

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