With the immense amount of albums released since the early 20th century, many have slid underneath critics' and fans' radars.
In collaboration with The 730 Review, THE FIRST EDITION OF UNDERSTATED + UNDERRATED RECONSIDERS THE HISTORY MIX VOL. 1 BY GODLEY & CREME, RELEASED IN 1985.
Art pop duo Godley & Creme never really considered themselves a part of the music industry, instead just close friends who split from their old band 10cc to create music through wacky concepts and unorthodox production methods. Despite several technical innovations regarding vocal and guitar effects across the span of the duo's career, their album output was considered by critics and by the general public to be unremarkable. Their LPs were perceived as bang-average pop-rock and new wave, and cringeworthy rock opera slog-fests. The latter of these being their 1977 debut, Consequences - a two hour long prog-rock opera narration of "man's last defence against an irate nature" - which reportedly had heads nodding off in the audience who witnessed its premiere in a 17th century Amsterdam church (although the musical and ideological shift that punk invigorated didn't exactly aid Consequences' reception). The History Mix Vol. 1, however, is radically different.
The History Mix is exactly what Godley & Creme described in their promotional interview for Musician Magazine, all the work they had ever done sampled in a "musical blender", birthing a scattered collage of the duo's history. The form the blender took was a Fairlight CMI, a digital audio workstation, and they used synthesizer/sample guru, J.J. of avant-garde electronic and synthpop outfit, Art of Noise. The sampled tracks that non-linearly document the trajectory of Godley & Creme's career are moulded into the bellowing, crunching whip of the iconic gated drums of the 1980's. Not only is this one of the most danceable mixes of the era, what makes this project so much more charming is that it wasn't made for fans nor critics, for no one other than themselves. They just wanted "a disco beat so we could dance at our party". It was not intended to be agrand artistic statement on the history of their combined musical powers, but just a groovy prodding of fun at 9 years of collaboration.
The record did gain some recognition off the back of the single 'Cry', which charted at no. 16 on Billboard in the US, and no. 19 in the UK. Its music video joined the mid-80s guard of audio-visual innovation in popular music, including the likes of Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and a-ha, with its minimalist and sentimental approach to music video. A collection of different faces stare solemnly into the camera mouthing the lyrics, and continuously morph into one-another, much like the continuous mix the record undertakes. Understandably it was not thought of as musically canonical upon its release, as Godley & Creme were not, and never will be, seen as titans of pop, but I would urge a re-examining of The History Mix. Both sides provide exhilarating twists at every turn, from the sludgey acidic textures of 'Wet Rubber Soup' and the heart-trodden anthem 'Cry' on Side A, to the synthpop club suite of Side B - plenty is there to enjoy over its condense 36 minutes. It is an enduring homage to 80's dance culture, that takes listeners by the hand and invites them to come dance with. Godley & Creme act as authors that commission a retelling of their own story, with tongue-in-cheek, self-referential wit, and undeniable rhythms to get both admirers and doubters of them up on their feet.
Listen below:
The History Mix is exactly what Godley & Creme described in their promotional interview for Musician Magazine, all the work they had ever done sampled in a "musical blender", birthing a scattered collage of the duo's history. The form the blender took was a Fairlight CMI, a digital audio workstation, and they used synthesizer/sample guru, J.J. of avant-garde electronic and synthpop outfit, Art of Noise. The sampled tracks that non-linearly document the trajectory of Godley & Creme's career are moulded into the bellowing, crunching whip of the iconic gated drums of the 1980's. Not only is this one of the most danceable mixes of the era, what makes this project so much more charming is that it wasn't made for fans nor critics, for no one other than themselves. They just wanted "a disco beat so we could dance at our party". It was not intended to be agrand artistic statement on the history of their combined musical powers, but just a groovy prodding of fun at 9 years of collaboration.
The record did gain some recognition off the back of the single 'Cry', which charted at no. 16 on Billboard in the US, and no. 19 in the UK. Its music video joined the mid-80s guard of audio-visual innovation in popular music, including the likes of Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Madonna, and a-ha, with its minimalist and sentimental approach to music video. A collection of different faces stare solemnly into the camera mouthing the lyrics, and continuously morph into one-another, much like the continuous mix the record undertakes. Understandably it was not thought of as musically canonical upon its release, as Godley & Creme were not, and never will be, seen as titans of pop, but I would urge a re-examining of The History Mix. Both sides provide exhilarating twists at every turn, from the sludgey acidic textures of 'Wet Rubber Soup' and the heart-trodden anthem 'Cry' on Side A, to the synthpop club suite of Side B - plenty is there to enjoy over its condense 36 minutes. It is an enduring homage to 80's dance culture, that takes listeners by the hand and invites them to come dance with. Godley & Creme act as authors that commission a retelling of their own story, with tongue-in-cheek, self-referential wit, and undeniable rhythms to get both admirers and doubters of them up on their feet.
Listen below: