Saturday 28 October 2017

M.U. ‎– "Motion In Tune" (Backstreet Backlash Records ‎– BBR 010) 1981

Avant Rock/post-prog improv rock band which included record label and record shop owner Peter Graute on guitar.
There's something about the jam-based music on this album that suggests it was made yesterday, maybe even tomorrow? Bardo Pond spring to mind as a comparison, but unfortunately, like Bardo Pond, the vocals spoil it all a tad. This is a style of forward looking prog that fits comfortably in the bracket formed by fellow travelers like This Heat and Metabolist.
They also fall into the trap of having a band name that's a bit in flux,is it M.U., or Mu, or Moo, or the Marijuana Users, More Of The Unexpected,Mescal Umbra, the Mentally Unstable....there were apparently more!? A tactic that was the commercial graveyard for many a pop group, Spizz Energi etc being a prime example.
Of course(?), MU, was also the name of Antennae Jimmy Semens' post Beefheart band too(along with 22 other groups according to Discogs!);and they were never heard of again.A bit like the Dutch MU, even though I am assured that they continued to play gigs until fairly recently?

Tracklist:

A1 Down South 4:10
A2 Some Say 3:08
A3 Honour The Independent 4:06
A4 Time Out 1:58
A5 Metal To Metal 4:44
B1 Roots Of Evil 1:48
B2 Power To The Heartless 6:48
B3 Turn Off Your Radio 4:41
B4 Can't Get Used 5:38


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