The Clean-Anthology (Merge Records reissue)

I’m not going to use the words legendary or seminal to describe the band or its music, though both certainly are. If you don’t know by now who The Clean is, then this is a good starting place. Conversely, if you know exactly what you are getting into, I still recommend this collection of tunes culled from early singles, EPs, and mid-period albums. Merge has just reissued this as a double CD or as a four LP set on vinyl.

I first listened to these guys in the early 80s, when all the great Flying Nun music was drowning us in a veritable flood, making us wonder what was in the water. I later saw The Clean in 1989 at the now defunct Rat in Boston in a hot, sweaty basement, and now here they are touring again in 2014. Not only that, but David Kilgour, Hamish Kilgour, and Robert Scott all have solo albums out.

But I am supposed to talk about the reissue, and why it should be on your must list. Looking beyond the bedroom aesthetic (lo-fi and low budget) and the fact that they could barely play back then, the strength of the songs always shone through. And boy, they sure had their own style of playing with buzzingly fast chord changes and those deadpan vocals. I’m fairly certain The Velvet Underground was a major influence, and the same goes for The Beatles, who’ve influenced pretty much everyone on the planet to some degree. But this means nothing, really, because these guys paved their own way in the murky indie waters and managed to stand head and shoulders above most other bands recording in this genre. They were the first band to record on Flying Nun, and their band included the likes of Martin Phillips (on “Tally Ho”) and Peter Gutteridge at one time. Band offshoots led to Stephen, Bailter Space, The Bats, and The Mad Scene, to name only a few.

So yes, there is a lot of history here! And how fun it is to hear these songs again after so long, with the rollicking “Billy Two” and the funny “Beatnik”. “Billy Two” encapsulates the classic Flying Nun sound in a tight 2:23 tune that hits all the right buttons for me. And “Beatnik” has one of those silly choruses that make you want to instantly sing along. Maybe these are songs from an earlier era, but they are so immediate and sparking with energy that they’ll carry you away with their giddiness. Great music all around, and a must have collection!