John Cooper Clarke ‎– Zip Style Method

The Salford "punk-poet's" 1982 album is made available for the first time on CD just as he is being lauded anew by the likes of Arctic Monkeys' frontman Alex Turner. He is again backed by The Invisible Girls who are at their best, working in a number of idioms. More than any of the other albums, this seems to be a cooperative venture; more organically entwined than autonomous between poet and players. Clarke's bilious snarl is as enthralling now as it was then. Poems like The Face Behind The Scream, about the evils of cosmetic surgery, and Night People, about lounge society, even seem surprisingly relevant today, and time cannot rob the surreal I Travel In Biscuits of its daft appeal. The musical backings; synth pop and the odd dash of reggae of The Invisible Girls are masterminded by producer Martin Hannett who contributes bass and guitar to the songs. Clarke's voice is often too low and reverb-laden in the mix, fighting to be heard above the percussion when Zip Style Method finds him in a more upbeat humour, and includes a pair of love songs amidst the remorseless satire. That’s a major development, because it makes Clarke’s words stand out less, but convey more. There aren’t any bad tracks; although the intensity level isn’t up there with “Beasley Street”. Songs like “Midnight Shift,” “The Day the World Stood Still” and “Night People” present different, entertaining sides to Clarke’s musical persona and four tracks from a John Peel session, tacked on to the original 12 tracks, show just how much better the album could have been done.

Ripped to FLAC