The Beta Band – The Three EPs

Description

DOUBLE HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL RE-RELEASE OF THIS CLASSIC

BIOGRAPHY BY IRVINE WELSH

I discovered the Beta Band, like I discovered a lot of great music, basically through eventually surrendering tothe enthused urgings of a mate who was cooler than me. He continually evangelized about the EPs. I waslost to the concert hall and firmly ensconced on the dancefloor by then and highly resistant, but quite taken
by the idea that a band would bring out extended plays rather than singles. When I did check them out, I wasinstantly smitten by their originality and power.

The band, therefore, were pivotal for me in terms of my own musical journey, in that they represented agateway back into indie guitar music, which Id basically given up since becoming obsessed with rave and acid house.

The Beta Band were definitely a band for the cool cognoscenti- like my buddy- the ones you make a bit of atit of yourself trying to convert quite straight boring people to.

The emotions they induced were a kind of throwback to school days when you were very pompous andprescriptive about what you liked, and derisive towards non believers. Its a testimony to the power of themusic that they could take me to the raw state of the younger man.

I took it personally that they didnt hit the mainstream commercial base. At least two of the three albumsthey made deserved quadruple platinum status. Hot Shots II and Heroes to Zeros are permanently lodgedvery high in my top one hundred albums of all time.

So, the return of the Beta Band has me moving into the same mode of immature, adolescent anticipation.Everyone should have the Beta Band albums and EPs in their collection. It still kind of annoys me – in fact itbugs the shit out of me – that most of them dont.

And that really is something.

Tracklist

A 1 Dry The Rain
A 2 I Know
A 3 B + A
B 1 Dogs Got a Bone
B 2 Inner Meet Me
B 3 The House Song
C 1 The Monolith
C 2 She’s the One
D 1 Push It Out
D 2 It’s Over
D 3 Dr. Baker
D 4 Needles In My Eyes