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SAVAGE REPUBLIC - Procession. An Aural History 1981-2010

Format: do-CD
Label & Cat.Number: LTM Recordings LTMCD 2557
Release Year: 2010
Note: kind of "best of anthology" with 16 tracks 1981-2009 from the Los Angeles Postpunk Industrialists incl. some rare tracks from the outstanding FILM NOIR 7" (1983) or the TRUDGE 12" (1985); comes with bonus live disc (live in Spain Jan. 2010) & extensive booklet
Price (incl. 19% VAT): €15.00
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"Inspired equally by punk and Krautrock, Savage Republic recorded four albums in their original incarnation and were particularly popular in Europe, touring regularly, and even grazing mainstream consciousness with an appearance on the soundtrack of the movie Silence of the Lambs. The original band split in 1989, but reformed twelve years later, releasing their fifth album 1938 in 2007. A best of collection, Procession includes selected tracks from all five studio albums - Tragic Figures, Ceremonial, Jamahiriya, Customs and 1938 - as well as rare singles including Swordfighter. The deluxe double disc package also includes a 45 minute bonus live CD digitally recorded at a festival concert in Spain on 30 January 2010. In addition the album features artwork by Bruce Licher, and 16 pages of archive images and detailed liner notes by James Nice. Full tracklist: (disc one) The Ivory Coast, Next to Nothing, Film Noir, Mobilization, Siege, Andelusia, Ceremonial, Walking Backwards, Viva La Rock n' Roll, Tabula Rasa, Jamahiriya, The Birds of Pork, Sucker Punch, 1938, Siam, Sword Fighter; (disc two - live) Year of Exile, Next To Nothing, Mobilization, Trek, Siam, Viva La Rock n' Roll, 1938, Procession." [label info]

"Reviews: 'America's best-kept secret. No superpower likes to concede the presence of an autonomous state within its borders' (The Wire, 1988); 'Savage Republic are the best group you never stood still for' (NME, 03/1986); 'Though formed in Los Angeles, SR's tendancy to bend music into art shapes had a lot in common with Wire's approach to recording. Tracks like Next To Nothing are SR's own blend of art rock with a simple guitar melody and soft vocal that really command attention. On the other hand, the jangle and swagger of Walking Backwards shows that REM did not have exclusive rights over American indie hearts, while the six minute Birds of Pork is a throbbing instrumental standout which bends time between Krautrock, Chrome, Cabaret Voltaire and the Republic's own internal synergy. There are also two tracks from 2007's reunion album 1938, bringing listeners up to speed. A second disc of live workouts recorded in 2010, fantastic sleevenotes and the 2009 single Swordfighter seals the deal' (Record Collector, 10/2010); 'A fierce, tribal-rhythmned post-punk ensemble, Savage Republic lit up the LA intelligentsia from 1981-89 with a mostly-instrumental art rock, incorporating mesmeric, repetitive, majestic, thoroughly cinematic, Eastern guitar signatures along with taut, tense, terse bass, drums, and percussion. Top it all off with a typically flooring fine-art Licher-design sleeve, as ever IPR’s hallmark, and a second live disc from Spain from 2010 and you have a top-notch package' (The Big Takeover, 09/2010); 'Back in its '80s heyday, Savage Republic was one of the few rock acts that could genuinely be called challenging. Led primarily by guitarist Bruce Licher, the L.A.-based ensemble combined the tribal throb of early industrial music, the steady drive of Krautrock and the angular melodic jangle of postpunk into a noisy, vibrant stew that's as capable of soothing as scorching. Vocals were kept to a minimum, often blurted or shouted more than sung, and instrumental virtuosity took a back seat to ensemble energy and intensity. Though the band itself found little by way of mainstream success, it garnered enough of a loyal cult following to be not only fondly remembered, but influential on acts as varied as Neurosis and Wilderness. Procession: An Aural History 1981-2010 collects tracks from across the band's career, drawing mostly from its Reagan-era LPs and 45s, but also including cuts from its recent reunion work. Underscoring that notion is a bonus live disk, recorded at a Spanish festival in 2010, that shows the band (minus Licher but with his blessing) as fiery and creative as ever - check the sublime opener Year of Exile or the cheerily goofy Trek. Ultimately Procession is almost a teaser, a mere hint of what Savage Republic is capable. Hopefully this collection serves as a calling card to set us up for a full-on reissue campaign for the band's entire catalog." [Blurt.com, 12/2010]

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