82-84 : Love Your Enemies

Microdisney | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B0000087X3
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #677,988 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece, September 4, 2006

By 

Nuno Leal Da Silva "Emilio Robin" (Lisboa, Portugal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 82-84 : Love Your Enemies (Audio CD)

This early Microdisney recordings captured an even greater beauty than Everybody's fantastic. Why? Because music has a not so big 80's pop studio production and seem more raw, more cristaline, it reminds me early Felt sometimes. Great band and this is a great beginning.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hate and Beauty, October 5, 2001

By 

Lypo Suck (Hades, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 82-84 : Love Your Enemies (Audio CD)

The first 8 songs on "Love Your Enemies" were originally released in '84 as "We Hate You South African Bastards," a compilation of singles, b-sides, and out-takes that preceded their stunning debut "Everybody's Fantastic." The songs fit together remarkably well for a compilation, forming a cohesive album's worth of material that could easily have been their debut. For this CD, the "In the World" 12" EP (released after "Everybody's Fantastic") was tacked to the end, finally collecting these hopelessly rare tracks on digital format. "LYE" is an absolutely mind-blowing collection, essential for anyone with an interest in Microdisney or 80s melodic pop.

Apart from displaying uncommonly well-crafted, melodically sophisticated pop songs, this collection clearly demonstrates the paradoxical power that set this Irish duo apart from their contemporaries. Next to their smooth, soulful, mature pop tunes (characterized by guitarist Sean O'Hagan's ultra-melodic, country-ish finger-picking style played over singer Cathal Coughlan's rich, Brian Wilson inspired organ) lies Cathal's bilous rage and caustic wit, sung gut-wrenchingly in his thick, Irish brogue. The listener is forced to reconcile these two seemingly opposite extremes, which Microdisney effectively fused to create their own unique, poetic vision.

Songs like "Helicopter of the Holy Ghost" and "Pink Skinned Man" are achingly beautiful and richly complex, while scathing in their lyrical commentary of life in the 80s. "Michael Murphy" and "Patrick Moore Says You Can't Sleep Here" are smooth instrumentals with a strong Brian Wilson/late-60s Beach Boys influence. The moods alternate between dark and light throughout.

The three first-rate "In the World" songs at the end benefit from a human drummer and much fuller sound, while continuing Microdisney's unique blend of beauty and rage. "464" pushes these extremes to the max, beginning with a minute-long intro of loud, buzzing, distorted guitars, pounding drums, and Cathal shouting his head off with lines like, "Come home with me and see my etchings/come home with me and nothing will happen/I'll lie on my bed with sweat on my brow and dream of someone else". Things then transition abruptly into a sweet, clean, lilting mid-tempo pop tune that could make Johnny Marr jealous. The other two songs, while less jarring, offer highly engaging, hook-filled, deeply impassioned, sophisticated pop.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Other Microdisney, December 10, 2002

By 

"harvestmoonale" (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 82-84 : Love Your Enemies (Audio CD)

I give this 5 stars and I haven't even heard it yet. Going by other reviews, and what I have heard I am sure it's a good one. I heard of Microdisney back in 1987. I have an album The Crooked Mile on cassette.I found it sitting in a clearance bin, sad to say but true. Something else, I almost didn't go into the store that afternoon in July. Boy, I am glad I did. By the way, the cassette still sounds good. I am trying to find this album on a CD. A few of the songs on Crooked Mile are just as catchy as other's I have heard. Songs like Send Herman Home, and Ambulance for One. The ones on Crooked Mile like Big Sleeping House, Angel, Bullwhip Road and Town to Town are irresistable. I mean these songs are catchy. These songs are the ones you want to have stuck inside your head. I wonder why these guys were sooooo overlooked. If you heard these songs then you'll know what I am talking about. Bullwhip Road, "They brought him back, he's seen the world, now he's back on Bullwhip Road." I'll have this song going thru me for the rest of the day If I hear it. If you guys are worried about the cash, just buy the albums. Your worries will go away when ya hear em. Then you'll be glad you just happened upon these guys, like I did. I am hoping to have them all by the summer of 03. One other thing before I go, I already have 4 friends who are into this band as much as I am. That's gotta be telling you something