Vs. (Mission of Burma album)
Vs. | ||||
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Studio album by Mission of Burma | ||||
Released | 1982 | |||
Recorded | January–April 1982 | |||
Studio | Normandy Sound, Rhode Island, United States | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:30 | |||
Label | Ace of Hearts | |||
Producer | Richard W. Harte | |||
Mission of Burma chronology | ||||
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Vs. is the debut studio album by American post-punk band Mission of Burma. It was released in 1982 by record label Ace of Hearts.
Content
Vs. features a rougher, more difficult sound than the band's debut release, the 1981 EP Signals, Calls, and Marches.
Release
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.
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Austin Chronicle | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | A+[3] |
Pitchfork | 9.5/10[4] |
PopMatters | 9/10[5] |
Q | [6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[8] |
The Village Voice | B+[9] |
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.[10] In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album number 25 on their list of the 40 Greatest Punk Albums.
Track listing
All tracks written by Roger Miller, except where 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".
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 3 Deming, Mark. "Vs. – Mission of Burma". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ↑ Schroeder, Audra (May 2, 2008). "Signals, Calls, and Marches, Vs., The Horrible Truth About Burma". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
- ↑ Mirkin, Steven (August 1, 1997). "Mission of Burma reissues". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
- ↑ Masters, Marc (March 24, 2008). "Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls, and Marches / Vs. / The Horrible Truth About Burma". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ↑ Gatian, Natasha (July 30, 2015). "Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls, and Marches / Vs.". PopMatters. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Mission of Burma: Vs.". Q (190): 132. May 2002.
- ↑ Randall, Mac (2004). "Mission of Burma". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 546–47. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 29, 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ↑ Dahlen, Chris (November 20, 2002). "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1980s | Features | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2013.