Section 25
(LTM)
Blackpool England's Section 25 may not have been as memorably bold, death-disco-ish and morbid as its Factory Records pals - Joy Division, New Order, Durutti Column, and A Certain Ratio - during their tenure throughout the post-punk ‘70s and ‘80s. OK ...that's about it. They pretty much followed in the same threadbare instrumentation fashion as their label-mates with detached gloomy crooning, hollow guitar howls and bombed-out bass lines as their guide. They even got Ian Curtis to produce their debut single, "Girls Don't Count." The brothers Larry (the bassist) and Vincent (the moaning singer/guitarist) Cassidy musical fate was mostly sealed by that deal - to forever be shadowed by the JoyOrderColumn.
Then again, with the thumping mid-tempo tracks, splashes of high-hat cymbal and. Martin Hannett's lean deep production accenting its near-dub-like pulse, S25 more often resembled the Public Image Limited of Metal Box fame - echo-y stuff with slipped disc rhythms. The thickness of "Dirty Disco" and its neo-Keith Levine scrawl made them mighty contenders in 1981. Fast forward a few years to 1984, and its addition of shimmering electro-synthetic pop, Larry's wife Jenny Ross joining on vocals and producer/New Order-er Bernard Sumner, S25 made the Caucasoid funk of "Looking from a Hilltop" and "Beating Heart" swell with brittle atmospheres and haunted melodies.
They might not have always been dramatic with THE most memorable tunes - but they were often better than even the slickest New Order record. So dig this hits' compilation and hope someone considers them groovy enough for a hipster-worthy reunion.
Standout Tracks: "Dirty Disco," "Reflection" A.D. AMOROSI
