Re: the THE ???

[hall%beta.DEC@decwrl.DEC.COM (Dan Hall)]

>  Really-From: hound!hejira (Rob Preston)
>> Really-From: Bob Knight <KNIGHT@SRI-NIC.ARPA>

> Lest any of you think I have lost my marbles, let me explain.  I've been 
> hearing absolutely *wonderful* stuff on the radio of late.  The credit
> seems to be going to a group called The THE (I've heard it pronounced 
> "thuh thuh" and "thuh thee").  
>
> Does anyone know about this group?  Have they been around for a while?
> If so, why have I never heard of them through love-hounds or net.music?

>> Correct me if I'm wrong, puleeze.  The The is the brainchild of Matt
>> Johnson, who has previously recorded under his moniker.  Very angsty stuff,
>> with its share of hooks and wonderfulness.  Don't get me wrong, I most
>> certainly like it.  
>>
>> A by no means complete discography:
>>
>>     	o  Matt Johnson - Burning Blue Soul (1981)
>>	o  The The - Uncertain Smile EP (1984)
>>	o  The The - Soul Mining (1984)
>>
>>  I have the latter two efforts, and they are most certainly worth the price
>>  of admission.

Yow!  Other fans of The The!  We must be a very small group of people, since I
rarely hear Matt Johnson on the radio or on other folk's turntables.

_Soul Mining_ is my favorite album of the eighties so far.  There isn't a weak
cut on the record.  My advice to you Rob is to blast over to your record store
and scarf that record.  Maybe you had better get two copies, since you'll wear 
out the first copy very quickly.  I've been wondering whether I should mention
it here or on net.music for some time, but haven't due to its being nearly two 
years old.  What I'm wondering now is this;  if you've been hearing The The 
regularly on the radio, does this mean there's a new album?  Yow! again.

There are two records that I can add to Bob's discography:

        o  The The - Waiting For Tomorrow (all of my life)
                 b/w This Is The Day     EP versions of tunes from _Soul Mining_

        o  The Gadgets - The Blue Album

_The Blue Album_ is the third album from The Gadgets (according to the jacket)
and I've never seen albums one and two so I don't know if Matt Johnson is on
them too.  _The Blue Album_ is more "accessible" than _Burning Blue Soul_ but
not nearly as good as _Soul Mining_, in this reporter's opinion.

Dan


"Well, you didn't wake up this morning cause you didn't go to bed."
"You were watching the whites of your eyes turn red."  - from _Soul Mining_

P.S.  Any Martha and the Muffins fans out there?  _Danseparc_ is my second
favorite record of the eighties, so far.