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Soundtracks Of Our Lives w/e 4 July 2010 CE
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keith a
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Re: Soundtracks Of Our Lives w/e 4 July 2010 CE
Jul 05, 2010, 09:13
I don't know Th' Faith Healers records, but I reviewed the Peel Sessions set as below if this is any help...



TH’ FAITH HEALERS – Peel Sessions (Ba Da Bing / BBC)

I’ve got to admit that Th’ Faith Healers pretty much passed me by in the early 90’s, and the only reason I can recall them at all is due to their carelessness with that letter ‘e’ in their name. It would appear, however, that they were well-liked by a certain John Peel as they recorded five sessions for his show, and that the great man was right to give them his backing because there’s some great stuff on this disc containing four of those five sessions (the first session was apparently released on Strange Fruit way back in 1992).

The opening session from early 1992 is the strongest by far for me, as Hippy Hole sounds like Dirty-era Sonic Youth with singer Roxanne Stephen indulging in some Kim Gordon-like wailing over a guitar sound that also brings to mind the word ‘dirty’. This Time, which follows, is even better and is probably the best track on the cd for me, with some great grinding guitar work c/o Tom Cullinan over a repetitive bass line and pounding drums - fans of late 80’s riff merchants Loop will love this track. The other two tracks from this session are Reptile Smile, which is an altogether poppier thing shining from a wall of feedback, and a cover of what is perhaps Abba’s greatest ever song, SOS. This was an excellent session and one I know I’m going to find myself coming back to time and time again.

That’s not to say that rest of the album isn’t worth hearing, however. Bulkhead is has a great Wire-like stop/start beat and I’m Ready is excellent even if it does basically consist solely of Roxanne screaming “I’m ready, I’m ready, owwww” over a two chord thrash. It’s like The Slits trying to be The Stooges, which is definitely a good thing in my book!

Indeed, I much prefer Th’ Faith Healers in these wilder moments, being less keen on the more fey tracks like Serge. Still these are few and far between, with another noisefest like Ooh La La coming along before they could ever become too Belle & Sebastian. The latter track, taken from final session, is one of the three songs they wrote together before they split, and New Number Two in particular makes you wonder if they were a little hasty in calling it a day. The session ended somewhat appropriately with an almost tongue-in-cheek run through Without You, which Peel apparently described as one of the best cover versions he’d ever heard. Whilst I wouldn’t go that far - it’s something of a shambolic rendition of the old Nillson classic to be honest - it’s enjoyable all the same, and at least it’s better than Maria Carey’s murderous effort!

But enough of that wailing diva who allegedly ‘doesn’t do stairs’ - what would Peel’s response to these sessions being released be, muses Roxanne on the sleeve notes. Well Roxanne, I’ve got a sneaky feeling he’d have enjoyed hearing them again. There’s plenty to enjoy… ****
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