So today I was at the CD store and I was checking the Throbbing Gristle section to see if I could find "Mutant TG" (usually the only one they stock is "Entertainment Through Pain"). Well, they didn't have the one I was looking for but they did have "The Taste of TG", the new "greatest hits" album... which surprised me as I knew it was coming out this month but didn't know it was out. It's meant to be, I assume, an introduction for TG newbies, but I got it just the same (hey, I've spent so much money on this band over the years, what's another $16 going to set me back? Besides, I was tempted to hear some of my favorite TG songs digitally remastered). The cover art was nice too, designed by Sleazy, showing a man getting a razor across his tongue. Sexy! Too bad there's no booklet at all inside, just a generic sleeve of info... then again so many greatest hits packages include lavish Cd booklets crammed with historical photos and facts, so perhaps this is fitting. And if you REALLY want to learn about the band you could always go and plop $50 or so down on "Wreckers of Civilization" anyway.
As for the track selection, I was a little disappointed. Granted, creating a cohesive representitive TG collection is near impossible as they were constantly changing their sound from album to album, but I think it's sad how there's nothing at all from "Heathen Earth" here (there wasn't on the last greatest hits album way back in the 80's either... WTF?) Personally I would have liked to see "Slug Bait", "Maggot Death", "Weeping", "Convincing People", "The World is a Warfilm", "Violencia", "Walls of Sound", "What a Day" and perhaps the version of "Discipline" they did at their final gig, but everyone has their favorites, I suppose). As it is the collection does mix some of TG's noisier songs (such as "We Hate You (Little Girls)", always a favorite, and "Zyclon B Zombie") with the poppier stuff. So I guess it is a fitting introduction (they even have "Industrial Introduction" as track 1, and it was also track 1 on their very first album way back in '77... talk about ushering in a new genre!) It was nice they put in a few live tracks too (as live was where TG really shined) like the fan favorite "His Arm Was Her Leg"), but perhaps it would have been better to have done a two CD set, one for studio works and one for live. The biggest left-field pick here is "Exotic Functions", off TG's fifth (and final, not to mention underrated) studio album "Journey Through a Body" (this remains one of my favorite TG studio albums, along with the first one and "Heathen Earth").
In any event, if you've never heard TG before this is a good starting point, as it does have most of their "hits". |
