Psychic TV "Origin of the Species" Invisible Records INV079 1998
"First Tablet of Acid" (66:59) "Second Tablet of Acid" (73:43)
In the Beginning * (1:03)
I.C. Water (8:42)
Infinite Beat (6:36)
Laughing Gasp (Live) * (9:23)
Horror House (Monitor Mix) * (6:07)
Money for E... (5:20)
Bliss (9:26)
Bliss (Andy Falconer Remix) (4:46)
Genetic Resolution (Live) * (3:01)
The Infinite (Remix) * (6:47)
I.C. Water (Live) * (11:18)
Horror House (Sugardog Remix) (6:45)
Smile (Greedy Beat Remix) (7:20)
The Nothing Song (Live) * (8:44)
Jigsaw (5:07)
Slow Gems in a Hurricane (Live) * (9:07)
Stick Insect (Monitor Mix) * (5:20)
Smile (5:54)
Money for E... (5:25)
Stick Insect (DJ Global Remix) (8:09)
Black Raincoat * (5:52)
For the realization of both these recording projects Psychic TV musicians were Fred Giannelli, Matthew Best (aka DJ Global) Sean Maher, Hugo Longden, Richard Schiessl, Daniel Black, Genesis P-Orridge, Gini Ball, Dave Ball (aka Luv Bass), Steph Paynes, Z'ev and Jordi Valls.
Overall impression: very good. This is the first of 3 double cd sets, all to be released under the "Origin.." title, which chronicle the "Infinite Beat" (1987-1992) era of Psychic TV. Most of these songs were originally released in the early 90's by WaxTrax! Records as "Towards the Infinite Beat" and "Beyond Thee Infinite Beat" (both no longer in print), but several previously unreleased remixes and live tracks are being issued here for the first time. It's arguable just how important these recordings are in terms of actually being "the origin of the species", but regardless they do mark a substantial shift in direction for PTV from the "hyperdelic pop" era of the mid-80's (see also: "Hex Sex: The Singles Pt. 1", "Pagan Day", "Allegory & Self - Thee Starlit Mire", and "Godstar: The Singles Pt. 2") to the "acid tekno" of the late 80's/early 90's. I used to listen to the original Wax cassettes quite a bit (they were one of my introductions to electronic "dance" music) and I still find these songs entertaining and enlightening despite most of them sounding very dated. The 9 unreleased songs (marked by * above) are all a welcome bonus, especially the Monitor Mixes and live tracks "The Nothing Song" and "Slow Gems..". So, enough with the music ... let's move on to the packaging of this set. The 2 cds, in 2 seperate jewel cases (why didn't they just use a double cd case?) both feature collage work by Genesis (using certain provocative parts of the female anatomy) and a few pics of Genesis on the inserts and come in a rainbow colored cardboard box with a 30 page booklet. The booklet is the big bonus here ... within are a half dozen or so pics of various band members, a few live shots and various pieces of memorabilia from the time. Perhaps more importantly though is the extensive liner notes by "Francis Pinkieknicker" (Genesis?) and Genesis which explain the significance, meaning and stories behind these songs ... who they were written for (for instance "I.C. Water" is a tribute to Ian Curtis and "Smile" was written for Genesis' daughter Genesse), what the motivations were, the history etc. For me, this adds quite a bit of weight to the importance of this era of PTV ... for the first time I fully understand what the goal of this music was in Genesis' mind. Interesting stuff, kudos to GPO and Invisible for re-releasing this small chunk of musical history. I'm looking forward to listening to the next 2 volumes, which will probably see the re-release of the "Jack the Tab" and "Jack the Tab/Tekno Acid Beat" material, as well as reading the new booklets ...
Genesis
P-Orridge and Psychic TV at Invisible
Records
FOPI
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via Rioux's Records. Email Jason.