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Steven Stapleton/Tony Wakeford, "Revenge of the Selfish Shellfish"
This year is a good year for Nurse With Wound-related reissues and this re-release of the collaboration between Steven Stapleton and Tony Wakeford is a good way to finish off 2009. Comprising of the original album on one disc and numerous unused mixes from the original sessions and new remixes from Wakeford and others; this is a good lesson in how to do justice to a classic album. This is a great reissue which has brought back an old favorite from the depths of the deleted release bin.
Although, Stapleton is essentially Nurse With Wound, the fact that this was released under his own name is revealing. Revenge of the Selfish Shellfish sounds like something else altogether and it is not just the large presence of Wakeford as it is also removed from his solo work and the Nurse With Wound releases that he also features on. The music swerves between Stapleton’s crooked surrealism and Wakeford’s more song orientated approach but never settles on either of the duo’s respective styles. The liner notes state that neither artist was compos mentis either due to drink or drugs for the recording session so it seems that in their inebriated and uninhibited state that they forged some new middle ground between them.
Much of the album goes along similar lines, sinister collections of sonic oddities and ancient musical forms combining in strange but lovely forms. “Falling From Heaven” ushers in the album with a supernatural allure, soft metallic drones captivating the listening instantly. “Walk the White Ghost” and “Lucifer Before Sunrise” form a mesmerising centrepiece to the album; the intoning of apocalyptic lyrics over doom-laden beats, funeral marches through the landscape of a Zdzisław Beksiński painting. However, by far and away the jewel in Revenge of the Selfish Shellfish’s crown is the sprawling audio mulch that is “The Frightened City,” where harsh electronic loops give way to noise, field recordings and easy listening jazz (and providing an early view of what modern Nurse With Wound would sound like). However, Wakeford’s melodic awareness relieves the piece of some of its unhinged chaos but this accentuates the weirdness rather than reduces it.
In addition to the original album, this reissue also includes a comprehensive bonus disc of goodies including unused mixes from the original sessions and brand new mixes by a bunch of like-minded artists. The unused mixes appear to have only been dropped for reasons of album flow as they are just as good as what made it out on the original album, particularly “Mussel” which is a grizzly cousin to “The Frightened City.” Also included are two new mixes by Wakeford, neither of which stray from the original album much. I am not sure what I was expecting but it has been over 15 years since this album came out and I would have thought he might have something new to bring to the old material. Perhaps fresh ears were all that were needed as the other remixes work quite well, giving a new spin on familiar material.
It is great to see this album back in print, especially with all these extras. A huge amount of love has been put into restoring Revenge of the Selfish Shellfish and it shows (right down to the beautiful double gatefold sleeve which is far superior to the crummy jewel case of the original). This album has stood the test of time admirably and is as potent today as ever.
samples:
- Walk the White Ghost
- The Frightened City
- Oyster Sauce Remix (Brian Conniffe)
