Y (album)

Y
Studio album by The Pop Group
Released	20 April 1979
Recorded	Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey, England
Genre	Post-punk avant-funk experimental
Length	40:11
Label	Radar
Producer	Dennis Bovell, The Pop Group
The Pop Group chronology
Y (1979) For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? (1980)For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?1980

Y is the debut studio album of English post-punk band The Pop Group. The album was produced by dub musician Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey, and was released on 20 April 1979 through Radar Records.^[1]

Y initially received mixed critical reviews but has since received acclaim. Pitchfork Media ranked it at number 35 on its list of The Top 100 Albums of the 1970s.^[2] The Wire named included it in its list of "The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made.^[3]

Background and recording

Inspired by the energy of punk rock but disillusioned by its musical traditionalism, The Pop Group initially set out as funk band, drawing influence from black dance music, the avant-garde, and radical political traditions. Soon after forming, they began to gain notoriety for their live performances, landing them a contract with Radar Records^[4] and a cover of the NME.^[5] They issued their debut single, "She Is Beyond Good and Evil in early 1979."^[5]

To record their debut, group teamed with British dub reggae producer Dennis Bovell. Critic Simon Reynolds wrote that "Bovell's mix of acid-rock wildness and dub wisdom made him [...] the ideal candidate for the not hugely enviable task of giving The Pop Group's unruly sound some semblance of cohesion," noting that he grounded the band's sound in its rhythm section while utilizing a variety of production effects.^[5] Writing for Fact Magazine, Mark Fisher characterized the album's sound as a "delirial montage of funk, free jazz, Jamaican audio-mancy and the avant-garde," describing it as "both carvernous and propulsive, ultra-abstract yet driven by dance music’s physical imperatives." He noted the "sonic alchemy" of Bovell's production work.^[6] PopMatters wrote that the group "sharpened the straightforward guitar lines of punk, the bounding throb of funk rhythms, and the sonic manipulation of dub and let them penetrate each other in ridiculously slapdash fashion."^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[8]

Upon its release, Y received enthusiastic but mixed reviews. In 1979, the NME described it as "a brave failure. Exciting but exasperating."^[5] In recent years, the album has risen in critical estimations. Simon Reynolds called it "a heroic mess, glorious in its overreach."^[5] Mark Fisher wrote "Joy Division’s Closer is often considered the crown jewel of post-punk, but Y – inchoate with potential, the fire to Joy Division’s ice – has an equal claim.^[6] Stylus Magazine called the album "a landmark of lunatic post-punk," writing that "these are political punk tunes deconstructed so that only the skeleton remains, and weaving between those bare bones are some of the nastiest sounds ever made."^[9]

In 2004, Pitchfork Media ranked Y at number 35 on its list of the greatest albums of the 1970s, saying that "unlike most of the late-70s' no-wave types (and perennial imitators), The Pop Group were less concerned with eschewing convention than with vehemently eviscerating it."^[2] PopMatters named it the 11th best post-punk ever in 2017.^[7] The album has had a lasting impact, with artists such as the Minutemen, Primal Scream, Sonic Youth and Nick Cave citing the album as an influence on their work. Minutemen bassist Mike Watt commented that "The Pop Group said “let’s take Funkadelic and put it with Beefheart. Why not?"^[10]

Accolades

(*) designates unordered lists.

Track listing

Most of the editions after 1996 include She Is Beyond Good and Evil as Track No.1

All tracks written by The Pop Group.

Personnel

Adapted from the Y liner notes.^[20]