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Ghost Canyon

Title - The Outsiders: Count For Something [5CD]
Artist - The Outsiders

For those not in the know, formed whilst still at school in late 1974, The Outsiders charted their own unlikely path through the tumultuous punk era, releasing one of the very first independent punk albums in the process and dividing opinion with their contribution to the new musical revolution.

Aided and backed by front man Adrian Borlands father, the band produced material in an adventurous range of styles (somehow becoming post-punk during the original wave), recorded in their own private studio and released material on their own Raw Edge label.

Borland and co-founder Adrian Janes, whilst tapping into punks energy, explored songwriting which dug deeper than much of whatever else was happening at the time, simultaneously youthful, reflective and knowing.

Produced in association with founder and co-writer Adrian Janes, Count For Something: Albums, Demos, Live & Unreleased 1976-1978 (5CD Box Set) - which releases on April 30th, 2021 via Cherry Red Records UK) charts a recording career lasting less than two years and which segued into Adrian Borlands next project, The Sound.

Janes remembrances, song-by-song recollections and in-depth recording information make for a unique insiders view of The Outsiders experience, accompanied by a plethora of recently unearthed songs, demos and live material.

Disc 1: Calling On Youth
1. CALLING ON YOUTH
2. BREAK FREE
3. ON THE EDGE
4. HIT AND RUN
5. START OVER
6. WEIRD
7. IM SCREWED UP
8. WALKING THROUGH A STORM
9. TERMINAL CASE
One To Infinity (EP)
10. ONE TO INFINITY
11. NEW UNIFORM
12. CONSEQUENCES
13. FREEWAY

In 1977, the home-recorded Calling On Youth, a searching full-length that straddles nihilo-punk argot (Terminal Case and Im Screwed Up) as well as smudged glam balladry (Start Over and Weird) was thrown into the cauldron of the fledgling punk world.

The release, on the groups own Raw Edge label, with Borlands cityscape abstraction on the cover, marked the first independent punk full-length in the United Kingdom.

The Outsiders, at that time featuring bassist Bob Lawrence and drummer Adrian Jan James, were punk in the moment before punk cut ties with solos and five minute songs.

Calling On Youth, though, announces Borland as more than a precious teenage bandleader. The nervous introspection, wiry leads and negative space that he would refine solo and in The Sound, Second Layer and Witch Trials glistens throughout Calling On Youth, beckoning rediscovery.

Disc 2: Calling On Youth (Demos and Early Songs)
1. CALLING ON YOUTH (DEMO)
2. BREAK FREE (ORIGINAL VERSION)
3. HIT AND RUN (DEMO)
4. START OVER (ALTERNATIVE MIX)
5. WEIRD (PATHWAY SESSION)
6. IM SCREWED UP (ORIGINAL VERSION)
7. WALKING THROUGH A STORM (ORIGINAL VERSION)
8. ONE TO INFINITY (DEMO)
9. CONSEQUENCES (DEMO)
10. BLOWTORCH (ORIGINAL VERSION)
11. BLOWTORCH (PATHWAY SESSION)
12. ANNIVERSARY
13. IM GONNA BE FREE
14. PERFECT GIRL (DEMO)

Simply put, and even though all these 14 tracks here on this second disc are previously unreleased demos and early versions from Calling On Youth, the album (in and unto itself) is still a really worthwhile addition to any early punk collection.

Even in the early demos and such, it is raw, a bit punky, a bit rock n roll, but always you can hear glimpses of what was to follow for the band at that time.

I mean, you would have to be deaf to not see where Adrian was heading, because there are songs here, rather than just riffs, and even though here on this second disc the tracks do have that raw demo feel, they are all still well recorded and chock full of fervent excitement for what was to come.

Disc 3: Close Up
1. VITAL HOURS
2. OBSERVATIONS
3. FIXED UP
4. TOUCH AND GO
5. WHITE DEBT
6. COUNT FOR SOMETHING
7. OUT OF PLACE
8. KEEP THE PAIN INSIDE
9. FACE TO FACE
10. SEMI-DETACHED LIFE
11. CONSPIRACY OF WAR

This great sophomore opus was recorded in 1978, but was not released until 1979, but the 11 tracks are of some mighty fine, powerful rock music that jumps out of your speakers and into your brains, that is for damn sure!

On this follow-up album, they actually sound a lot like the band Television to me (Fixed Up, Keep The Pain Inside), with a hint of The Pretenders (Out of Place, Semi-Detached Life) and similar bands of the era, but taken up a notch on the energy scale.

The guitar is very strong here throughout and as much as it is a little less punky, less angst ridden, the only way to play it is loud, trust me!

Disc 4: Close Up (Demos and Late Songs)
1. VITAL HOURS (PIPER STUDIO SESSION)
2. OBSERVATIONS (DEMO)
3. FIXED UP (DEMO)
4. TOUCH AND GO (PIPER STUDIO SESSION)
5. WHITE DEBT (DEMO)
6. COUNT FOR SOMETHING (DEMO)
7. OUT OF PLACE (DEMO)
8. KEEP THE PAIN INSIDE (DEMO)
9. FACE TO FACE (DEMO)
10. SEMI-DETACHED LIFE (DEMO)
11. CONSPIRACY OF WAR (DEMO)
12. WATCHDOG (DEMO)
13. PRIME MOVER (DEMO)
14. SETTLED DUST (DEMO)
15. FLESH ON FLESH (DEMO)
16. BLIND DATE (MIX 1) (DEMO)
17. BLIND DATE (MIX 2) (DEMO)
18. SOONER OR LATER (DEMO)
19. DEEP BREATH (DEMO)
20. NIGHT VS. DAY (DEMO)
21. SYMBOLS (DEMO)
22. QUARTER PAST TWO (DEMO)
23. GOT TO GET AWAY (DEMO)

Chock full of 23 previously unreleased demos and late songs, this fourth disc of their sophomore album just goes to show you how dedicated to the musical cause the guys were.

Where in the demos (and now knowing what the final song sounds like) there are rough, wonky passages of chord relays and vocal mixes, they obviously were never happy with them and so the final versions show how they knuckled down to recreate them with a little spit and polish, so to speak.

Yet more great material with tracks unique to one another and high quality nonetheless, not one track here is a throwaway and all of them showcase some wonderful masterpieces in the making.

Disc 5: Live at LSE
1. COUNT FOR SOMETHING
2. NEW UNIFORM
3. FREEWAY
4. RAW POWER
5. TOUCH AND GO
6. KEEP THE PAIN INSIDE
7. FIXED UP
8. RUNNING OUT OF TIME
9. OBSERVATIONS
10. VITAL HOURS

The fifth and final disc here is their previously unreleased (tracks or the actual concert) Live at LSE in London and it is a ferocious beauty, you have my word on that!

From the very opening power chords of both Count For Something and the drum-led New Uniform, on through to both the mid-tempo guitar work of Keep The Pain Inside and the thrash fest of Fixed Up, on through to the geography-based Observations and the curtain call of the energetic Vital Hours, this live album is the most perfect addition to this magnificent 5CD box-set from Chery Red Records UK.

Long overdue reappraisal and acknowledgement, The Outsiders approached the punk boom with gusto. Adventurous, unrestrained and somewhat eccentric, this was a young band feeding off of the atmosphere around them and transforming it into their own suburban take on that place and time.

A must for punk and alternative rock collectors, fans of Adrian Borland and those with an interest in home-recording and the independent spirit.

Official 5CD Purchase Link

www.CherryRed.co.uk





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