GRAY MATTER TAKE IT BACK

Another in Dischord's series of value for money releases, this CD puts together the contents of both releases, along with three extra goodies for a full overview of the band's first phase of existence. One, an early version of "Walk the Line," was the group's recording debut, surfacing on the Alive and Kicking compilation. Compared to the later take, here the band is in full garage punk mode, sounding at points more appropriate for a Voxx label compilation. The other two songs, "Phobias" and "The Spy," were, at the time, unreleased demos. The first is a fairly straightforward D.C. punk number of its day (1984), in this case providing no particular surprises outside of proof of the individual musical abilities of its members, especially Haggerty. "The Spy" is good enough fun, though, a bit of a '60s surf/James Bond instrumental played with the right amount of rough humor. Near-complete lyrics and a variety of archival pictures complete the expectedly exhaustive packaging. ~ Ned Raggett

• Released: 11/24/2009
• Genre: Pop
• RSD Release Date: n/a
• Rock & Pop: Pop
• Format Detail: LP
• Format: Vinyl