Customer Reviews

Correct Use of Soap

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw Magazine in Washington DC on the tour supporting the original release of this album and they were amazing. Over the years, I've never lost contact with the music comprising the Correct Use of Soap and this album still stands as one of my all time favorites.

Howard Devoto has an almost literary lyrical style which, to my ears at least, still stands unique among his popular music contemporaries and well beyond. His lyrics are playful, whimsical, evocative and thought provoking at the same time. Franz Kafka with a sense of humor describes it best for me. Musically, The Correct Use of Soap is a strange mashup of influences from the post-punk era from which it hailed, to jazz and almost cabaret in places. I have always loved John McGeoch's searing, yet very restrained, guitar work and Barry Adamson bass playing in nothing short of magical on this album.

If I were forced to live out my remaining years on a desert island and could only take only ten albums with me, The Correct Use of Soap would most definitely be on my list. The music contained herein is not dated or anachronistic in any way. It's still as awe inspiring and vital as the day I first heard it.

THE NEW REISSUES OVERALL:

SOUND: The mastering job makes a noticeable difference. The mix remains true to the originals, but there's more definition around the edges of each part - resulting in more powerful dynamics and an overall clearer sound. They refrained from maxing out the volume, which also helps with the dynamics.

MUSICAL CONTENT: They did it exactly right. Every non-album studio-recorded a-side and b-side has been slotted onto the ends of the appropriate albums. Previously, you had to buy the four albums, the non-album collection "Scree," and an additional disc to get the original a-side version of "Shot By Both Sides." (There was a great live 3-song b-side on an e.p., which is now only available on "Scree." Some alternate 2002 mixes of "Magic Murder and the Weather" songs are only available on the boxed set, "Maybe It's Right to be Nervous Now." The third disc of that box - the complete Peel Sessions - was released as a stand-alone cd in November, 2008.)

PACKAGING UPSIDE: Magazine had great album covers, but the Virgin cds all printed a diagonal banner across them indicating that they were budget cds. So that has been rectified. Also, the new cds come in clear jewel boxes and have nice artwork adaptations beneath the cds (which also have album-specific graphics on them). Typography on the spines is also specific to the albums and their visual aesthetic.

PACKAGING DOWNSIDE: The Virgin cds did a good job of adapting the back covers of the albums for the jewel box, and only the new "Correct Use of Soap" really tries to do that (poorly). The printing job is okay but not great. The typography on "Soap" and "Magic" is a little wonky, and the background color on "Soap" far more yellow than the original artwork/album. The Virgin cds also included the complete lyrics. The new cds do not have any lyrics. There's no additional graphic content either - photography, single covers, or anything else. Aside from the credits, all you get are mediocre essays that don't tell you much if you're already a Magazine fan.

This is one of the greatest post-punk albums ever. The guitar work of the late John McGeoch is stunning! I won't go on and on about this, I'll just say if you're a fan of post-punk and new wave music, this is a MUST OWN CD.

How sad that there are only six review of a recording that still sounds as fresh as it did almost 30 years ago. Anyone who owns a Radiohead, Arcade Fire, or Killers record should own this.As a matter of fact, anyone who loves music should own this.

This is probably one of the best executed albums of the first post-punk bands. The music is still good and intriguing many years later. There is no vocalist quite like Howard Devoto. He slides around his lyrics and even though it is somewhat off putting the first time you hear it, it becomes uniquely addictive. A must have album for all lovers of this time period in music.

Any poor sap that missed this one in 1980(!) should be tripping over themselves to fetch a remastered copy of this new wave masterpiece-as good as it gets. when i think of this era of music i always immediately think of this album. why the album color is not white like the original is beyond me...buy this now, then buy all of their other releases.

Devoto and company originally intended this material to be released as a series of five singles (A and B sides) and not as an album (before the record label nixed the idea), so the slightly brighter, more accessible arrangements than those that the band deployed on Secondhand Daylight or Real Life may have reflected that. Even the lyrics on Correct Use of Soap seem somehow more pub(l)ic or political than the personal psychodrama reflected in Secondhand Daylight. In any event, this is one of those albums, like Elvis Costello's first, or The Pretenders debut, that plays like it's already a greatest hits package, with "Song from Under the Floorboards" a standout. A monumental achievement, musically and lyrically.

This third album by the legendary band Magazine is generally considered more accessible than Real Life or Secondhand Daylight. There's something almost classical in the arrangements and the playing although the music still has the punk edge, especially on songs like Because You're Frightened and Model Worker. This edition has been enhanced by bonus tracks.

You Never Knew Me with Laura Teresa's atmospheric backing vocals is particularly graceful and moving. Ever the poet, Devoto rhymes "philadelphia" with "healthier" on the song of that title. I Want To Burn Again has its eerie moments and the arrangement, especially the swirling cascading synths, reminds me of what Peter Murphy would do later in the eighties.

The Sly Stone cover Thank You (Fallettin Be Mice Elf Agin) could probably be termed "plastic funk" by analogy with David Bowie's plastic soul on Young Americans. But the highlight of the album for me remains the weird atmospheric Song From Under The Floorboards, a magical number with mysterious hypnotic appeal. To me, it's on a par with Devoto's strange masterpiece called Rubbish on the Luxuria album. Devoto is a man of many talents but unfortunately not prolific enough. This album is therefore to be treasured.