One of the greatest 'under the radar' bands of the post-punk era, The Sound, are the subject of three very welcome coloured vinyl reissues. Their classic three album 1980 - 1982 run, consisting of Jeopardy, From The Lions Mouth and All Fall Down, will be available again from 13th September as limited edition single colour vinyl albums, complete with original track listings and iconic artwork.
Fronted by cult hero the late Adrian Borland (coincidentally the subject of a newly published biography, Destiny Stopped Screaming) and evolving quickly from punk pioneers the Outsiders, via the groundbreaking Chemical Brothers-sampled electro-industrial Second Layer, The Sound burst onto the scene with their thrilling, adrenaline-fuelled 1980 debut, Jeopardy, now reissued on white vinyl. The music press was universally ecstatic heralding a powerful new force, but maybe Brendan Perry of the legendary Dead Can Dance summed it up best when years later he described Jeopardy as an, "Existentialist post-punk jewel."
From The Lions Mouth followed a year later and is arguably their magnum opus. Masterfully produced by Hugh Jones it delivered on the ambition of their debut in fine style. Here reissued on orange vinyl, Lions Mouth was greeted once more with almost universal praise from the press, with Melody Maker's Steve Sutherland concluding it could be the end of the line for him and rock records, "It's that good".
The final part of this reissue collection is the band's defiant and expectation defying third album, All Fall Down. Available now on blue vinyl, it was a record that confounded some critics but is one that has only grown in stature over time. The band as ever refusing to take the easy option, instead drawing the Warner era to a close with a bang and preparing the stage for the next phase of the band.
Not a trilogy but simply three pieces of a fascinating jigsaw puzzle; all essential purchases for any post-punk connoisseur.
