Throbbing
Gristle announce the second phase of their ongoing reissues with
Mute. 14 September 2018 will see remastered editions
of Journey Through a Body (on silver vinyl and CD)
and Mission of Dead Souls (on white vinyl and CD)
available, while Heathen Earth will be re-released on blue
vinyl and as a 2CD set.
The releases follow the
40th anniversary release of The Second Annual Report, as
well as new editions of 20 Jazz Funk Greats and The
Taste Of TG: A Beginner’s Guide to Throbbing Gristle – all
out now http://smarturl.it/THROBBING-GRISTLE
JOURNEY THROUGH A
BODY (1982, Industrial Records), widely referred to as Throbbing
Gristle’s most haunting work, was recorded as a piece of radio art
for Italian National Radio RAI, Rome in March 1981. Following Robert
Wyatt’s recommendation, RAI originally commissioned Cosey Fanni
Tutti to create a sound work based on the theme of ‘A Journey
Through the Body’. This went on to become a Throbbing Gristle
project – first broadcast by the RAI, Journey Through a
Body was the band’s final studio recording prior to 2004’s
reactivation of the band.
Recorded in five days,
a day per body section, the tracks were not pre-planned and nothing
was re-recorded or added to after the track’s initial recording,
instead each track was mixed immediately. “What’s most
noticeable about the album, as a sonic experience is the openness to
acoustic instrumentation on display.” (The Vinyl Factory)
and Journey Through a Body stands as a perfect testament to
Throbbing Gristle’s artistic ethos. Unavailable on vinyl since
1983, Journey Through a Body will be released on silver
vinyl with a foil-blocked cover featuring photos from the session.
The album is also available on all digital platforms for the first
time, and on CD after being long out of print.
MISSION OF DEAD
SOULS (1981, Industrial Records) documents the final
performance, before Throbbing Gristle’s original disbanding (the
band reactivated in 2004 before their final performance in 2010).
Recorded at the Kezar Pavillion, San Francisco on 29 May 1981, the
album “proves that TG’s assault never lacked talent or
skill.” - AllMusic. The album has been unavailable on vinyl
since the early 1990s, and is here presented on limited edition white
vinyl, recreating the original sleeve with the addition of silver
ink, with a new inner sleeve including photographs and a passage
by Jon Savage.
A public statement by
Throbbing Gristle stating ‘This Mission Is Terminated’ was
released following Mission of Dead Souls, and the legacy of the
band began to solidify with its influence on generations of artists
to come. The album is also available on all digital platforms for the
first time, and on CD after being long out of print.
HEATHEN
EARTH, originally released in 1980 (Industrial Records), is a
live document of a performance by Throbbing Gristle to a small and
invited audience on 16 February 1980.
Described by The
Quietus as “more cohesive and marshaled” than any of
their other live recordings, the album is a testament to a band at
the height of their creative powers, recorded just over a year before
Throbbing Gristle disbanded and terminated the mission.
Heathen Earth will
be released on 2CD and as a limited edition blue vinyl in a gatefold
sleeve, echoing, for the first time since its original release, the
first pressing of the album (the initial blue pressing was an edition
of only 750 copies, before the album was repressed on black vinyl).
The vinyl also contains an eight-page 12” booklet entitled
‘Industrial News’ dedicated to the Heathen Earth and includes an
unseen photographic print from the performance. The album comes with
a digital copy of 11 bonus tracks, including live recordings from
1980 and 7” versions of ‘Subhuman’ and ‘Adrenalin’.
Throbbing Gristle are
Chris Carter, Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson (who sadly passed away on
25 November 2010), Cosey Fanni Tutti and Genesis Breyer P-Orridge,
their impact on music, culture and the arts is immeasurable and still
felt today.
Pre-order: http://smarturl.it/THROBBING-GRISTLE