The Mekons -"The Quality of Mercy is not Strnen" plus Fast Product Singles (1978-79)

There comes a point in any "movement"s life span that it flirts with the mainstream. Like communism, Beatniks, Dada , and it happened here for DIY........the Mekons released a DIY "sounding" album on Virgin!? And worst of all, its fantastic. Rudimentary musicianship, great lyrics, terrible vocals, what seemed like a no-sell out situation, corrupting the media from within(which was Bob Last of Fast Products main aim with getting them signed up in the first place). It seemed that we could take over, but then of course they went clever/clever and made country and western records in a desperate act of obtuseness to swerve a creative impasse.
Yes their later records were the stuff of bank managers coffee tables,but their earlier work for virgin and Fast Product verged on the unsurpassable.

Tracks:
01. Like Spoons No More
02. Join Us in the Countryside
03. Rosanne
04. Trevira Trousers
05. After 6
06. What Are We Going to Do Tonight
07. What
08. Watch the Film
09. Beetroot
10. I Saw You Dance
11. Lonely and Wet
12. Dan Dare
13. Teeth
14. Guardian
15. Kill
16. Stay Cool
17. Work All Week
18. Unknown Wrecks

Also included in the download are the Mekons' first three singles which are works of outstanding non-beauty.
Namely, the first two fantastic Fast product singles,and the first Virgin Single "Work All Week".

A		Never Been In A Riot	1:45
B1		32 Weeks	1:38
B2		Heart And Soul	2:38

A		Where Were You	2:42
AA		I'll Have To Dance Then (On My Own)	3:05

 

A		Work All Week	3:16
B		Unknown Wrecks	3:13

DOWNLOAD the Mekons when they were good HERE!

Various Artists - "Fast Product - Mutant Pop" (Virgin 1979)

A rather marvellous posthumous collection of Fast product tracks, released by Virgin after Bob Last sent his wards off to infiltrate the enemy and he formed Pop/Aural and Postcard.
Never in the field of human artistic conflict has a more perfect collection of singles and e.p. tracks been assembled in one place.
The peerless piss take of the clash's "White Riot" by the Mekons is enough to make any ex-public school folkie turned "punk rocker" blush with embarrassment.
The Scars début single is fantastically scratchy and future leaning. Subtle pointers to the forthcoming Postcard sound.They only went downhill from here.
As did The Human League, but Being Boiled has to be the greatest electronic pop single of all time?....discuss.
2.3 from Sheffield as the weak links here, but still great.(wasn't Adi Newton from Clock Dva in 2.3?
The Flowers were overlooked genius's.....check "After Dark", might have been a number one hit in a Parallel universe somewhere!
And of course ,The Gang Of Four....what can i say?

Track Listing:

Mekons
01. Never Been in a Riot
02. 32 Weeks
03. Where Were You

Scars
04. Adultery
05. Horror Show 

The Human League 
06. Being Boiled
07. Circus of Death

2-3
08. All Time Low
09. Where to Know?

The Flowers
10. After Dark
11. Confessions

Gang of Four
12. Love Like Anthrax
13. Armalite Rifle
14. Damaged Goods

DOWNLOAD this mutant pop HERE!