Vs. (Mission of Burma album)

Vs. was released in 1982 by record label Ace of Hearts. It is the only full studio album the band released during the 1980s, as soon afterward they disbanded due to Roger Miller's worsening tinnitus.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Roger Miller, except as noted.

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Secrets"		3:22
2.	"Train"	Clint Conley	3:31
3.	"Trem Two"		4:10
4.	"New Nails"		3:00
5.	"Dead Pool"	Conley	4:05
6.	"Learn How"	Peter Prescott	3:56

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mica"	Conley, Holly Anderson	3:34
2.	"Weatherbox"		3:29
3.	"The Ballad of Johnny Burma"		2:00
4.	"Einstein's Day"		4:34
5.	"Fun World"		3:40
6.	"That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate"	Conley	2:04

CD reissue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Forget"		2:59
14.	"OK/No Way"	Conley	1:58
15.	"Laugh the World Away"		3:54
16.	"Progress"	Conley	3:06

Note: The Matador Definitive Edition CD has the same bonus tracks, but they are in a different order: "Laugh the World Away", "Forget", Progress", "OK/No Way".

Critical reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Robert Christgau	B+^[2]
Pitchfork	9.5/10^[3]
MusicHound	^[4]
Rolling Stone	^[5]
Spin	(8/10)^[6]
PopMatters	^[7]
The Austin Chronicle	^[8]

Vs. has been well-received by critics.

In his retrospective review, Mark Deming of AllMusic opined that Vs. saw Mission of Burma "[mature] into a band whose sound was as distinctive as anyone of its generation. [...] It's daunting to imagine just how far Mission of Burma could have taken its music had Roger Miller's hearing problems not caused the band to break up the following year, but regardless of lost potential, very few American bands from the 1980s released an album as ambitious or as powerful as Vs."^[1]

Legacy

The album ranked at number 49 on Pitchfork's "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s" list.^[9]

Personnel

Mission of Burma

Martin Swope – tape operation, percussion, cover and sleeve design
Clint Conley – bass guitar, vocals, percussion, cover and sleeve design
Roger Miller – guitar, vocals, piano, trumpet, percussion, cover and sleeve design
Peter Prescott – drums, vocals, percussion, cover and sleeve design

Technical

Richard W. Harte – production
John Kiehl – engineering
Holly Anderson – cover and sleeve design
Diane Bergamasco – sleeve photography

References

1 2 Deming, Mark. "Vs. – Mission of Burma | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Mission of Burma". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
↑ Masters, Marc (March 24, 2008). "Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls, and Marches / Vs. / The Horrible Truth About Burma | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
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↑ Dahlen, Chris (November 20, 2002). "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1980s | Features | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2013.

External links

Vs. at Discogs (list of releases)

Mission of Burma

Roger Miller Clint Conley Peter Prescott Bob Weston Martin Swope

Studio albums	Vs. ONoffON The Obliterati The Sound the Speed the Light Unsound

EPs	Signals, Calls, and Marches

Compilation albums	A Gun to the Head: A Selection from the Ace of Hearts Era

Live albums	The Horrible Truth About Burma Snapshot

Video albums	Live at the Bradford

Related articles	Discography Ace of Hearts Records

Related bands	Birdsongs of the Mesozoic M3 Moving Parts Shellac Sproton Layer Volcano Suns

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