I have a lot of favourite bands but if I had to pick a favourite favourite, well New Model Army would most definitely be up in the running for the top spot. They have given me more pleasure over the years than virtually any other group and more importantly they have kept things going through 30 glorious years, consistent with both releases and those wonderful live shows, of which the two anniversary ones this last weekend were as ever fantastic. Formed in Bradford in 1980 the trio quickly established themselves as cutting edge political crusaders much like the army of Oliver Cromwell whose name they had adopted. They were looked on as punk then by many but now it is a case of lumping them in with that ‘post’ prefix that everyone loves to bandy about. Through the years the band have been kept going by founding member and vocalist / guitarist Justin Sullivan as members came and went and in the case of Robert Heaton sadly died.
This double album comprises of 30 songs covering those 30 years. That does not mean that there is a song from each year in chronological order and despite the fact that the opening number is ‘Vengeance,’ the title track of their debut album, everything is mixed up and I was quite surprised how nicely this worked. Apparently tracks were chosen by band members past and present as well as close associates. There may well not be any new songs here but several are subject to new mixes and mastering meaning that old numbers feel like they have been given a coat of paint and are as bright as the brand new songs from last excellent album ‘Today Is A Good Day.’ A few songs that you may totally expect to be here are noticeably absent, ‘No Rest,’ ‘51st State’ and ‘Poison Street’ whereas others you would anticipate are not ignored ‘White Coats,’ ‘Green And Grey’ and ‘Christian Militia,’ amongst them. I am guessing the full product will have more information on what was chosen by who and why but this was not included with the promo discs.
I should say that no self respecting NMA fanatic (the word fan just does not cover the level of fervour that supporters of this band go to) will not already have each and every one of these songs already. In fact many will have the old ones on records, album, 7” and 12” as well as mere compact disc. That does not stop the enjoyment in the slightest although the neighbours may not appreciate all the singing along that is compulsory as these are blasted out. NMA have already various collections as well as live albums throughout their history but 30 years is a long time and there is plenty of room for another. I do like the way that this one comprises of many that would be considered the anthems as well as many of a more reflective nature, songs like ‘Living In The Rose,’ ‘Someone Like Jesus,’ and ‘Rainy Night 65’ which are at the end of disc one being a case in point.
If you have never heard this band before do something straight away and grab this. If you have, well there is a jam packed limited box set which includes these discs, three DVD 9s with a total of nearly nine hours of footage, an 80 page book, art prints, stickers, stencils, jigsaw puzzle and all sorts of other goodies. No doubt these are going to sell out very quickly but a smaller box set of albums and DVD’s is more widely available. As the gentle and totally calming strains of ‘Marry The Sea’ fade into the background and the second disc finishes, I could happily play this all over again and what more of a recommendation do you need. I may well be a little on the biased side but New Model Army are an example of a hard working band who do this as it is their life and I fully respect this and the wonderful songs they have given us over the years. You should do too!
http://www.newmodelarmy.org
http://www.myspace.com/newmodelarmymyspace
