A welcome return for this cultish London garage band’s debut, which is now a 29-track, 2-CD behemoth including a remastered collection of rare live tracks and radio sessions from November 1986. The album remains untouched but, unusually, sounds better than the original vinyl, with even more depth to the bass drum on some tracks.
Disc Two holds the 16 rare, intriguing and remastered tracks, including The Godfathers’ fledgling Radio 1 sessions with Andy Kershaw and Janice Long, (the latter previously available, but here sounding markedly improved from the woody-sounding Kershaw session).
Eight live tracks finish this revised edition, with covers including a storming Blitzkrieg Bop and Anarchy In The UK. This is where The Godfathers truly shine. Like Dr Feelgood before them, they never sounded better than when tearing an audience apart: Peter Coyne’s angry vocals, the sawing guitars of Dollimore and Gibson and the pounding beats of Mazur drum you into submission.
The Godfathers gave rock’n’roll back to the street and this edition is the definitive, essential collection for anyone with a hankering for hit after hit of classic British punk rock’n’roll. The sound of the first rebellion of the 80s London youth against Popworld PLC sounds remarkably fresh and relevant even today.
