Ex-original 1976-1979 English punks made a surfeit of really good, interesting records in the early '80s that failed to garner the wider attention their former bands enjoyed. (The opposite occurred in the U.S., where ex-punks finally secured the indie record deals their old punk bands had been shut out of as if they'd been blackballed.) True, a few carried on selling just as many great records in their new bands as they had before (such as , , early , and ). But there were many more examples of the unfairly unwanted, like 's ., (apart from two fluke U.K. hit singles), , and even the first odd and intriguing solo LP. Of all of these before-and-after stories, though, the most galling was watching become an international star while no one heard the really ambitious music made by his more talented ex- mates, guitarist and drummer , for one album in 1981 as . Let this reissue speak for this injustice, then, 22 years later, when few today think of as anything but a novelty has-been. It's hard to capture what is so lofty about this LP, though start with side two (from to ). Young outsiders in their previous group, the ex- 'ers and bassist were clearly feeling their way, but their explorations held some secret weapons: was willing to alternate his established weighty pounding with laying back half the time, leaving room for 's early -like basslines; and supplied astonishing primer on post-punk guitar with a splash of reverb. Already one of the hottest punk guitarists in history based on 1978's represented the full flowering of a player tripling the range of what his guitar could express. At the same time, of was recording the similarly unusual ' ability to whip up a wall of chords to rival and then twist them into more dark, moody, subconscious passages like the just-expired is what this LP still confers so long after it appeared and died at birth. Call it "expansive" sound. The biggest surprise of all, however: pressed into singing, turned out to have an uncommonly high range and a strangely affecting, sincere, and resolute voice -- especially in the way he wasn't afraid to sing quietly, like he was humming to himself, whenever his guitar diminished in volume, using the void to create lighter undulations on the best songs such as (a tempest of self-worry) and And the opening instrumental remains the clap of approaching storm clouds, the rumbling, bubbling wrath of Zeus. If the new label hadn't gone broke just putting out the LP, maybe the usual industry indifference could have been overcome. But alas, it sunk without trace, or so it was thought. But no! American hardcore kids venerated the original punk bands no longer around to play for them, and followed their later careers intently. The right people in D.C. (especially mover and shaker buddies and ) did see the phenomenal worth of this obscure LP that only sold out what little it did by being stocked in bins. They passed it around from there. Thus, the guitar sound and style of -- on in particular -- did directly inspire the D.C mid-'80s post-punk scene, built around the now legendary likes of , later , and later . So no wonder it took a D.C. label, , not only to get these tapes off , but to stock the reissue with seven, count 'em, seven bonus (and equally valuable) studio cuts, nearly an entire 'nother LP of great stuff! (The piano-and-tambourine track is a particular find, showing the even greater possibilities of the band if only they'd carried on.) There are also an additional four live songs from one of the only four shows ever played, even if these are only basic bootleg quality (better than nothing). Even without comparing this music to the odorous banality of were clearly on to something. And it took someone else's scene an ocean away to recognize the well-titled 's submerged brilliance and utter uniqueness. Few records have sounded like it since. ~ Jack Rabid