They’re not exactly famous. They’re exactly not famous. They were however reputedly famous enough for Kurt Cobain to steel the riff from the band’s song, ‘Eighties’, slow it down and use it as the basis for ‘Come As You Are’. It’s not included here – and although that may pique many of us tawdry purveyors of musical steals – it’s hardly relevant. Not when you have the equally grunge ravished ’Primitive’ to kick off all those ‘Monkey Gone To Heaven’ connections.
So why do we need ‘For Beginners’? Because if you’re not already aware of the legacy of the band, you’re likely to appreciate the straight, no nonsense approach of it’s chronological take on the band’s early 250 year career, starting with churning urban wasteland of Stranglers-esque ‘The Wait’ and the teasing bass intro of ‘Primitive’ to 1988’s dangerously wobbly and cod-gothic Paul Weller epic ‘Obsession’ – a track that was to signal the band’s descent into self-caricature and rock silliness.
Formed in 1978 in Notting Hill by Jaz Coleman, Geordie, Youth and Paul Ferguson and touted originally by wily old mothball of underground, John Peel, the band released 7 studio albums between 1980 and 1996 only to reform for the Dave Grohl endorsed and punkishly manhandled ‘Killing Joke’ release on Zuma in 2003.
With Rage Against the Machine having handed back the viagra years ago and the Stranglers and Stiff Little Fingers having regrouped and taken them up on their behalf it seems perfectly fitting that we should have a fair to middling retrospective at this point in time. And that’s precisely what we’ve got.