Throbbing Gristle – Heathen Earth

I had 2 copies of this Mute release, even sealed one and both of these editions had dirty stains inside the gatefold. I think they used a low quality print ink for the cover

"don't do as you're told" is one of the greatest, most inspirational things in the history of mankind. this is the first time i have listened to it in afew years [i played it often in my 80's dj sets at warm leatherette and on pirate radio in my 90's techno sets, and when relaxing/mixing at home with friends from 1980 until i put my technics decks away in 2015; playing it as the last track was my fave; it's about 160 bpm, so if you're going to give it a go, cut the bass right out cos it sounds like a bad pub band doing a bad cover version if you slow it down, and what a lovely culmination to a night of frenzied frugging; i always end up feeling COMPLETELY REFRESHED.

it might as well have been the first time i'd ever heard it [which i think was in the summer of 1980 when i got a job working on the singles counter at our price records so got one off rough trade before it's release].

it might as well have been made yesterday, it sounds that FRESH [so many wankers out there trying SO desperately to recapture that beefy 80's analogue sound, wondering why their mp3s and soundcloud site sound so fucking LAME in comparison].

if you're serious about your music and your mind, or a techno/trance/acid/industrial/electro dj, or in therapy, or know someone who is, things such as this make SUCH a difference.

i was lucky enough to be able to tell geoff n sleazy how much i loved them [i was pissed out of my brain as we left the royal festival hall, with one of them under each arm, me shouting things like, "i fucking love you two, i do", and "you know you've always been my fucking bestest favourites," Sleazy possessed so much power and strength, i really got to know and understand him when i drew up and interpreted his astrological birthchart; two conjunct fixed crosses, wow !! I did Geoff too, his soul is old and perhaps not suited to or comfortable in ths time; he did what he had to do...

they trusted me enough to agree to me becoming their label/press manager for horse rotorvator [me n sleazy worked hard to get the colours right, we gave up after five or six attempts at shit brown].

they were like an older and younger brother to me, even if it was the wrong way round.

i really hope i get to do the same thing to gen, even if he is a fucking wierdo...

cheers, marc.

The world remains as sad ever since, and this record did put it in a brutal rhetorical question. By far, "Heathen Earth" is a personal favourite collection of theirs - while from audio perspective I am not that fond of TG's live material, "Heathen Earth" is a smart exception of "recording live in the studio", adding interesting new (if entirely improvised on the spot) ideas with those reinterpreted to disinformation as the track list was deliberately obscured for a long time. Only in the era of the Internet, the tracks' titles from this LP finally seem to be revealed. Furthermore, there happen to be slight differences between the album and the video version that is "Recording Heathen Earth", on how certain numbers are re-arranged sound wise - which adds to confusion, suggesting a one-time only occasion, where a number of cult figures gathered in support for this project. The video itself may have documentary value, but altogether is a pretty dull watch (not to mention the sound quality is a total mess), witnessing an interesting moment in history but apart from being there in the flesh, seeing TG improvise and adding occasional gibberish to this conceptual adventure of theirs - unless you're head over heels into everything TG - isn't really that interesting. The album as such is by far of bigger recommendation.

A creepy cornet splicing up opens the album, the introduction suddenly sliding into an all-out aural assault of "The Old Man Smiled", a syndrum/guitar clash of the titans (interesting that there is an earlier, and entirely different live rendition of "The Old Man" to this one; in fact here we hear an interesting (and more complete) variant of "Six Six Sixties", that originally appears on the group's studio album "20 Jazz Funk Greats"). "Improvisation" is also a total stereo deconstruction of what might appear to be a rendition of the group's amazing 20-minute creepy ambient piece "After Cease To Exist". "The World Is a War Film" tackles the ear with a steady, repetitive groove filtered through merciless echo delay, augmented by guitar drone/overdubs and Genesis' deadpan reading. Continuing is a rock solid "Something Came Over Me" in its voxless dub version. "Still Talking" (probably just a pun to the tour-de-force synth beat fest that is "Still Walking") combines spoken parts drenched in echo delay, along with "Bass", cutting off at its tail end with the brilliant "Don't Do As You're Told, Do As You Think" - a repetitive techno overdrive, light years ahead of its time. "Painless Childbirth" concludes the session on an "optimistic note", suggesting "Heathen Earth" a form of "positive therapy".

The CD edition of the album adds two extras, the incredibly catchy "Adrenalin" (originally the accompaniment to "Distant Dreams") and in stark contrast, the shrieking closer - "Subhuman" (originally from the "Something Came Over Me" 7").

Still enjoyable for the sheer perversity of it - leaving the listener to his own devices, absorbed by the nightmarish concept that remains a truly unique TG's doing.

My copy's case belongs to cat# TGCD5 with Barcode#: 7 24596 10962 5. The CD however, belongs to this MUTE pressing.

An exceptional piece. TG started playing live in a studio right at 10 p.m. in front of a small selected audience. At 10:50 the playing stopped and without *any* post-production the tape went to the plant. Who believes that classic industrial is noisy and agressive only, will experience TG at their most contemplative and sometimes almost jazzy recording. Wonderful.