Some eleven years ago a blog named ‘The Same Mistakes’
posted the first, “England’s Trance” and second, “Shells” albums by early 80’s new
wave band Placebo dubbed (The Original) Placebo.
This is an obscure one. And it's certainly not the
Placebo you may already know. Instead it's the husband and wife (I assume) team
of Gary and Michelle Wild, from somewhere in darkest England. Apparently in
1982 they found their way to the small village of Pity Me (I kid you not) near
Durham and laid down nine tracks at Guardian Studios. And what tracks! Placebo
is so totally obscure that there's no info on the net. Their records are so
rare no-one else has blogged them (as far as I can tell). So who would expect
something so freaking good? In those days a good title could sell me on a band
and a cool photo like the one provided by Brian Griffin would certainly urge me
towards the till. I am sure the obscure song titles sealed the deal. But that
band photo on the back? Ugh.
One might expect something sub-Cure or sub-Banshees
inside, but I am happy to say neither is true. Michelle's high-pitched vocals
recall perhaps early Moev but thankfully she's no Siouxsie wannabe. So what do
these nine tracks sound like?
Well, any time a song has one guitar track in each
channel picking away in syncopated arpeggios, someone has to say the magic word
"Television". Yet this record sounds nothing like anything Tom
Verlaine has ever touched. There's a bit of I'm So Hollow in the sporadic synth
burbling’s. Once or twice I think of Faction, the equally obscure Liverpool
project. But Placebo is very much in a league of its own, with flanged electric
guitars stitching an intricate web of sound through which Michelle Wild's voice
moves with delicate precision. At its best, as with the single, "Poppy
Dance," or the thrilling rocker, "Paying Hommage," this is post
punk of the highest order, more than deserving of the CD re-release with
accompanying booklet and hagiographic liner notes that lesser bands have
earned. If anything lets the album down, it's the production. With Steve
Severin at the helm this might have gained a layer of psychedelic excess. With
Mike Hedges maybe a stripped-down monochromaticism. And with Martin Hannett a dubbed
out industrial edge. As it is, it mostly sounds like a demo, but at least it's
a demo with some nice pulsing bass (Brian Dixson), work-a-day drumming (Stephen
Robson) and great guitar interplay between Gary Wild and George Handleigh. By
the time you get to the closing track "Pseudo Silhouette" you'd be
forgiven for once again turning to Television as a reference point. It's one of
those songs that are long but still not nearly long enough. And laced with
strange lines that echo the band's name: "He didn't know about vitamins /
administered by a hypodermic syringe."
Prepare yourself now, post-punk fans. Once you hear
"Poppy Dance" there's no going back!
Where “England's Trance” was exciting and made one hope
for more, “Shells” is definitely safer and less interesting. Much of the fault
for this must be laid at the steps of the dull production, which obscures
rather than highlights the intricate guitar work and interlocking riffs. For
example, "Jezebel Steel" is very much like a track on the debut, but
comes across weaker. What a great misfortune! Michelle Wild doesn't have the
most expressive voice, but it has a tone that could have been quite lovely if
treated better. And it's mixed so as to make most of the vocals impossible to
hear. Still, the band does make some attempt to spread their wings. "The
Visionary" has some nice chord changes and odd pitch-shifted male vocals. Despite
any limitations to the contrary, we provide this rarity for your listening
pleasure! We are sure you'll find something worthwhile here to enjoy.
If this is the placebo, I'd rather not have the real
drug.