Prisoners - Wisermiserdemelza

  by Denzil Watson

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

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Review

It has been well documented that the band were less than happy with what they considered to be the over-produced and slightly thin sound of (their second album) Wisermiserdemelza. However, the 1990 CD reissue, to date, represents the only of the band's quartet of LPs still readily available. While it doesn't have the rawness and urgency of 'A Taste of Pink' it still represents a move forward from their first album. The inclusion of seven extra tracks provides an added attraction. First up (if you ignore the Go-go intro) is 'Hurricane', the album's only single and arguably the strongest of the ten songs from the original LP. An epic tale of the ravages of love, it provides an all to clear example of where the likes of the Inspiral Carpets acquired their sound from.'Somewhere' with its intertwining guitar and keyboard riffs shows the Prisoners moving forward when compared to the simple song construction of 'A Taste of Pink'. The slower 'Think of me' with its bittersweet hook "Just think of me and the pain will come cos I won't be there"sees Day grappling with the subject of love now lost. 'Love me lies', still a live favourite with Day and Crockford's current incarnation The Solarflares, sees Day's tortured soul in a similar vein: "But when you leave me I'll know where I stand" he laments before unleashing his guitar. The austere 'Tonight', an incredibly accomplished song for a band still in their teens, is a high point with its trumpet motif and piano accompaniment. 'Here come the misunderstood', one of the weaker tracks on show, is followed by the drifting melody and creeping organ riff of the excellent 'A Dream is Gone', a highly reflective song that allows Day to demonstrate the full range and textures of his voice. 'For Now and Forever' with its up-tempo beat and swirling organ again makes it is not too hard to imagine where certain bands from the nineties filched their sound from. 'Unbeliever' is the original albums only instrumental and, compared to those that would follow on the 'Last Fourfathers' LP(which would follow 'Wisermiserdemelaza'), is fairly unextraordinary. The final cut, 'Far away', is the Prisoners at their most textural and Doorsy, the organ drifting over Crockford's snaking base and Symon's driving rhythm. It also contains what must be the band's longest ever middle eight. The first of the bonus tracks is 'Tomorrow she said', the B-side of the 'Hurricane' single and a track more accomplished than many band's A-sides. The next four songs previously appeared on the seminal (and long since deleted) 'Electric Fit' EP. Released post-Wisermiser, the songs represent a more back-to-basics approach and capture a vitality that was missing from the previous LP. 'Melanie', the EP's lead track, is still many Prisoners fans favourite track, while 'All I want' sees the band firmly back in the garage with Day's guitar hook reminiscent of the Cramps. The piano laden 'The Last Thing on Your Mind' is the gentlest of the four songs and provides a respite before the breakneck instrumental 'Revenge of the Cybermen' fizzes in. The bonus cuts are completed by a re-recorded version of 'Coming home', one of the best tracks on their first LP and another Prisoner's classic, 'Reaching my head', a live version from their now legendary Tube appearance, where the band decked themselves out in full Star-track gear. For anyone wanting further information on The Prisoners, Denzil runs a Prisoners website which can be found at http ://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/3042/index.html

Track Listing:-

1 Go Go
2 Hurricane
3 Somewhere
4 Think Of Me
5 Love Me Lies
6 Tonight
7 Here Come The Misunderstood
8 A Dream Is Gone
9 For Now And Forever
10 Unbeliever
11 Far Away
12 Go Go
13 Tomorrow (She Said)
14 Melanie
15 What I Want
16 The Last Thing On Your Mind
17 Revenge Of The Cybermen
18 Coming Home
19 Reaching My Head
20 Go Go

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepri
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pris