Colossal Youth [Import]

Young Marble Giants | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 9, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Domino
• ASIN: B000PTYPDY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #715,261 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Searching for Mr. Right

2. Include Me Out

3. The Taxi

4. Eating Noddemix

5. Constantly Changing

6. N.I.T.A.

7. Colossal Youth

8. Music for Evenings

9. The Man Amplifier

10. Choci Loni

11. Wurlitzer Jukebox

12. Salad Days

13. Credit in the Straight World

14. Brand-New-Life

15. Wind in the Rigging

16. This Way

17. Posed By Models

18. The Clock

19. Clicktalk

20. Zebra Trucks

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Young Marble Giants appeared on the British music scene in the early 80s, releasing one perfect album and a handful of tracks. All those songs, as well as album demos, are collected here for the first time. A must-have for fans of The Slits, Pere Ubu, Wire, Suicide, PiL, and the Pop Group. Since 1980, YMG have influenced countless bands as disparate as Belle & Sebastian and Hole (both of whom have covered the group's songs). This deluxe 3xCD package is the definitive collection and includes liner notes from Simon Reynolds, a bonus disc of an unreleased John Peel Session, and a 32-page booklet of unpublished photos, old gig posters, and other publicity memorabilia. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pop Music Meets High Art, December 13, 2003

By 

Gavin B. (St. Louis MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colossal Youth (Audio CD)

A handful of remarkable groups got lost in the shuffle of first UK post-punk invasion of 1979-81. The short lived Young Marble Giants are among the groups whose influence has long outlasted their short lifespan. The Welsh natives Young Marble Giants performed together for two years (1979-1980) and their body of work consists of one EP ("Test Card") and this astounding full length album, "Colossal Youth". It stands with Public Image Ltd.'s "Metal Box", Gang of Four's "Entertainment" and Au Pair's "Playing With A Different Sex" as landmark albums of the post punk movement. The sonic dissonance of PIL's "Poptones" or Gang of Four's "Anthrax" stood in marked contrast to chief songwriter Stuart Moxham's devotion to well crafted music, in this song cycle about love and betrayal, in the time of cynicism. YMG's embrace of traditional pop music structures proved to be visionary. In hindsight, the dense soundscapes and sonic experiements of the Young Marble Giants' post-punk peers lost their resonance by the mid 80s, but "Colossal Youth" endures as a powerful statement on tainted love among the ruins of the Reagan/Thatcher era.

YMG were devotees of the minimalist school with two instrumentalists; Stuart Moxham on guitar and organ, and his brother, Phil Moxham on bass. Instead of a drummer, the Moxhams preferred to employ the metronome-like precision of drum machine for percussion. The production values are of the one-take, no frills variety, but there is a warm analogic glow that bathes every track with a sharp, crisp fidelity. Stuart Moxham's music shared a greater affinity with some of the moody atmospheric pop of the Velvet Underground, rather the "crash and burn" anthems favored by the first wave punk generation in the UK. "Colossal Youth" may well be the earliest post-punk experiment with down-tempo music. YMG used a twist of irony and an avant garde sensibility to subvert pop tradition to their own ends. Allison Statton sang in a winsome and waif-like soprano. Stuart wrote clever double-edged lyrics that contained deeply troubling observations about the fragility of human relationships, and the loss of innocence. Moxham's trained eye for compelling imagery in his lyrics, is not unlike that of his fellow Welsh native son, poet Dylan Thomas. Allison's sunny/rainy moods and meandering vocals are a startling contrast to Stuart's dark lyrical content.

Each song on "Colossal Youth" is a well constructed pop song layered with multiple meanings. Allison's deceptively serene lilt was a well calculated counterpoint for the haunting sense of alienation that Stuart Moxham's songs often conveyed. She often tossed off Moxham's bittersweet lyrics with a sing-song detachment of a world weary child. The rewards are many for the listener who probes beyond the polished veneer of songs like; "Credit In the Straight World", "Searching For Mr. Right" and "Man Amplifier" . It appeared that YMG was deconstructing their own music and challenging the listener to unmask the truth lurking between the lines. Therein lays the genius of YMG, and the reason why they still have a cult of fans nearly 25 years after their break-up. Indeed, Allison Statton's short lived collaboration with the Moxham brothers was one of those rare moments when popular music meets high art. Each individual member of YMG worked on highly praised projects when the group disbanded, but none have recaptured the magic of "Colossal Youth."

YMG a single US tour of a half-dozen east coast cities in 1980. I saw them at CBGB's in New York and their performance was riveting. There was once a commercially produced VCR tape of the CBGB/Mudd Club performance on the market. The last time I saw it for purchase was in a well known music chain store in the late eighties. I wish I would have bought the tape then, but I didn't own a VCR, at the time. YMG broke up shortly after that US tour, and perhaps "Colossal Youth" was the only statement they ever intended to make. It would have been nearly impossible for YMG to improve upon the gorgeous austerity of this album on any subsequent studio outings. Maybe that's why they elected to call it quits early in the game. Groups like Saint Etienne, Portishead, the Cranes, Massive Attack, Aimee Mann and even Bjork have all acknowledged a debt to our hopelessly obscure heroes of YMG. This is an essential album for anyone who is a collector of punk and post-punk artifacts. This album goes out of issue frequently and was unavailable for over 10 years domestically. My tip is to buy it while it's available, because it's near impossible to find "Colossal Youth" when it's out of issue, and sellers demand a huge price for YMG rarities.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a little story, March 24, 2005

By 

Family of book junkies. "Gail" (Maine) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Colossal Youth (Audio CD)

I know there are enough reviews here raving about this album, but I wanted to share this story. I received a copy of this album on a cassette tape from a friend when I lived in europe. He had gotten a copy from some friends of his who had escaped Poland during the upheaval more than a decade ago. They had left Poland literally with the clothes on their backs and a handful of items. One of those items was this album. If that isn't a testiment of how hooked on this music you can get, I don't know what is. When still living in europe I made a couple of copies of this tape so the original wouldn't wear out. I didn't have the money to buy the CD or the player to play it on. I was going through some stuff the other day and came across the forgetten tape and had that "Just got to get the CD" feeling and can't wait for it to arrive.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless, effortless, brilliant ...neglected, August 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Colossal Youth (Audio CD)

As a teenager growing up in Cardiff in the 1970's I was privileged enough to see YMG performing live on several occasions. They were extremely important to all of us then and they have remained so for me ever since. Apart from the music, which has never been bettered by a Welsh band (including Super Furry Animals), it was their politics and what they 'stood for' that really mattered to us. At the time when Britain voted Thatcher in and took delivery of cruise missiles, we needed YMG. Their power of delivery belied their understated music.

Incredibly (and tragically) they are now virtually forgotten in their home town. This CD is not on sale in any of the major music outlets and when I have asked about it in Cardiff music stores it is quite obvious that the assistants have never heard of them. This is a disgrace.

It would also appear that the CD is now either deleted or being produced in very low numbers: Virgin Records only had 2 copies available in all their stores in the UK in August!

The time has come to speak out. With the rise of Welsh bands in popular music during the 1990's, these people and their unique contribution to the genre has become completely forgotten. Even the best efforts of various members of REM, Nirvana, Hole etc. have gone unnoticed. Certainly their influence is more widely acknowledged in the US - well done!

I am about to start a one-person crusade - this music must be heard again and especially by the youth of their home town. After all, there's only so many times you can listen to Stereophonics without barfing!