Saturday, May 09, 2015

Recently-Acquired Vinyl LP of the Day #17: The Mighty Wah! 'A Word to the Wise Guy'




Having originally owned the LP back in the day, it became imperative, when opportunity presented itself, to re-invest in a vinyl copy of The Mighty Wah!’s masterpiece, an album so of its time & place (the political powderkeg of economically-battered & abandoned early-Eighties Liverpool), yet that has transcended & endured - ultimately, defiantly offering a vision of hope amongst the frustration & helplessness of a situation so far beyond individuals’ control, today frighteningly topical again (in fact, let’s all take 40 minutes to weep along to ‘A Word to the Wise Guy’ for what, dismayingly, has just happened) – courtesy of its wonderful tunes, anthems for its & all time(s), infused with the soul of Mr Pete Wylie (Sir – we salute you, then, now & always), juxtaposed with Eugene Lange’s justifiably scathing, bilious rant-rap ‘Yuh Learn’ which, segmented, is interspersed throughout the album & also features in full on the bonus 12” single that, along with a lyric booklet, was generously included with the LP
From ‘Weekends’ through to the shining optimism of ‘Come Back’, it’s a fabulous widescreen rollercoaster journey of styles & emotions, & a magnificent testimony to the power of music, an absolute must for the discerning record collection.



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