Play (Magazine album)

Play
Live album by Magazine
Released December 1980
April 1981 (US)[1]
June 2009 (Play+)
Recorded Melbourne Festival Hall, 6th September 1980
Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, 21st July 1978 (Play+)
Genre Post-punk
Length 43:09
90:35 (Play+)
Label Virgin, I.R.S. Records (US)
Producer Magazine, John Brand
Magazine chronology

The Correct Use of Soap
(1980)		 Play
(1980)		 Magic, Murder and the Weather
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Pitchfork Media [3]

Play is the first live album by English post-punk-new wave band Magazine. It was released in December 1980 through Virgin Records (International) and I.R.S. Records (US) and peaked at number sixty-nine on the UK Album Chart.[4] It was Magazine's sixth release of 1980.

The live album is a recording of the group's performance at Melbourne Festival Hall, Australia on 6 September 1980. The performance was part of a world-tour in support of the group's third studio album The Correct Use of Soap released earlier that year. The majority of the album is composed of songs from the first and third studio albums. The original album is notable for including a performance of the b-side "Twenty Years Ago" and omitting the group's best-known song - "Shot By Both Sides" - which was cut from the original album release along with gig-opener "Feed the Enemy".

The line-up of Magazine that performed Play was short-lived and formed due to the departure of founding member guitarist John McGeoch. In his place was ex-Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon. Simon left the group on completion of the tour and was in-turn replaced by Ben Mandelson for Magazine's fourth studio album. Simon's recording history with the group is limited to Play and tracks from another Australian gig on the 2009 compilation Live and Intermittent. The rest of the group consists of Howard Devoto (vocals), Barry Adamson (bass and backing vocals), Dave Formula (keyboards) and John Doyle (drums).

The album produced by Magazine and John Brand. Design was credited to Malcolm Garrett with photography by Birrer. Receiving mixed reviews - mainly due to the absence of "Shot By Both Sides" - the album was originally released an LP and a cassette in December 1980. The album was subsequently released as a budget album on LP, Cassette and CD in the late-eighties. A Japanese edition of the album was released in 1995 with three bonus tracks. These tracks are performances from the Russell Club, Manchester 03/05/1980[5] which had been released as b-sides to "Sweetheart Contract". A remastered edition - titled Play+ - was released by Virgin/EMI in 2009, with the two cut songs from the Melbourne Festival Hall gig and a bonus disc featuring a 1978 performance at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. The 1978 gig features the Real Life line-up of the group with McGeoch and original drummer Martin Jackson.

Track listing

Play (Original release)

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Give Me Everything"  Howard Devoto 4:27
2. "A Song From Under The Floorboards"  Devoto, Barry Adamson, John Doyle, Dave Formula, John McGeoch 4:15
3. "Permafrost"  Devoto 4:59
4. "The Light Pours Out Of Me"  Devoto, McGeoch, Pete Shelley 4:46
5. "Model Worker"  Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 2:57
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
6. "Parade"  Devoto, Formula, Adamson 6:05
7. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"  Sylvester Stewart 3:49
8. "Because You're Frightened"  Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 3:53
9. "Twenty Years Ago"  Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 4:00
10. "Definitive Gaze"  Devoto, McGeoch 3:48
Total length:
 43:09

Play+ (2009 re-release)

Disc one - Melbourne Festival Hall 06/09/80
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Feed The Enemy"  Devoto, Formula 4:12
2. "Give Me Everything"  Devoto 4:27
3. "A Song From Under The Floorboards"  Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 4:15
4. "Permafrost"  Devoto 4:59
5. "The Light Pours Out Of Me"  Devoto, McGeoch, Shelley 4:46
6. "Model Worker"  Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 2:57
7. "Parade"  Devoto, Formula, Adamson 6:05
8. "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"  Sly Stone, Sylvester Stewart 3:49
9. "Because You're Frightened"  Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 3:53
10. "Shot by Both Sides"  Devoto, Shelley 5:19
11. "Twenty Years Ago"  Devoto, Adamson, Doyle, Formula, McGeoch 4:00
12. "Definitive Gaze"  Devoto, McGeoch 3:48
Total length:
 52:45
Disc two - Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall 21/07/78
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Definitive Gaze"  Devoto, McGeoch 4:14
2. "Touch and Go"  Devoto, McGeoch 3:17
3. "Burst"  Devoto 4:14
4. "The Light Pours Out Of Me"  Devoto, McGeoch, Shelley 4:58
5. "My Tulpa"  Devoto, McGeoch 5:03
6. "Shot by Both Sides"  Devoto, Shelley 5:06
7. "Give Me Everything"  Devoto 4:42
8. "I Love You You Big Dummy"  Don Van Vliet 3:51
9. "My Mind Ain't So Open"  Devoto, McGeoch 2:30
Total length:
 37:59

Personnel

Magazine
Production
  • Magazine - producer
  • John Brand - producer, engineer
  • Paul Frindle - assistant engineer
  • Pete Mew - mixing (Play+ Disc two)
  • Malfunctions - Stage
  • Birrer - Photography
  • Malcolm Garrett (At Asorted Images) - Sleeve

Chart positions

Chart (1980) Peak
position
UK Album Chart[4] 69

References

  1. ↑ http://www.amcorner.com/irscorner/m/magdev.html
  2. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Magazine - Play". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Joshua Klein. "Magazine - Play". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Chart Stats - Magazine". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  5. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Magazine-Play/release/662194