Disco de Mission of Burma: “Forget”

A posthumuous collection of Mission of Burma songs that (at the time of compilation) had never appeared on any of their Ace of Hearts recordings. A very mixed bag in terms of origin and importance. Here's the breakdown:

"Anti-Aircraft Warning," "Smoldering Fuselage" and "Eyes of Men" are from a very early (8/79) 4-track home-studio demo. The first was actually a Moving Parts (Roger Miller and Clint Conley's pre-Burma band with Erik Lindgren of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic) song, and the second was written at the same time. Interesting and vital stuff that a lesser band would record proudly, but the first two were dropped from the Burma repertoire in early-mid 1980, and "Eyes of Men" was axed a year later.

"Hunt Again," "Active in the Yard," and "House Flaming" are from a live-in-the-studio demo tape for copyright, 10/82; the sound is mediocre. "Hunt" was the last song Clint wrote for Burma in its initial go-round, and maybe his best -- certainly the most adventurous and stunning musically (you may have to play it ten or fifteen times before you even understand what's going on). "Active" also post-dates VS. but is slight; the lyrics (uncredited) are by Peter Prescott. "House" is the oldest song in the band's catalog (Roger wrote it back in Michigan); it's a fine punk-pop romp.

The other six songs are from an earlier, similar copyright session, 10/80; the sound here is much better. "Forget" and "Progress" were Burma staples to the end; both later surfaced as bonus tracks on the VS. CD. The poppy "Execution" and raucous "Playland" were also staples; the former, a frequent set-opener, is particularly terrific. "Manic Incarnation" is an interesting Moving Parts song that the band used to play every few months. "Head Over Head" is one of Roger's strongest pop songs and has a devastating guitar solo; this was dropped from the live act pretty quickly, for no reason other than Roger's embarrasment over it's poppiness.

Some final notes:

-- "Playland," "Hunt Again," and "Forget" are regular parts of the reunited band's repertoire. The first two have been re-recorded for their May 2004 album on Matador.

-- "Head Over Head," "Forget" and "Playland" are all love songs, a side of the band not at all obvious from their contemporaneous releases.

-- Lead vocals for "Hunt Again" and "Smouldering Fuselage" were re-done when the album was compiled, years after the band broke up, and were thus the last Burma performances before their reunion. (In fact, Clint didn't finish the "Hunt Again" lyric or give it a title until this album was compiled; the original demo vocal apparently had some lyric-like mumbling.)

-- Compare the demo and finished versions of "Progress" to get an idea of how great "Execution" and "Hunt Again" could have been.

-- Disclaimer: I helped sequence the CD.

This is one of the most intense records I've ever heard - imagine late 80s Sonic Youth, a little more melodic, done almost 10 yrs earlier. This is often overlooked in favor of their "official" recorsd Vs. and Signals Calls & Marches, but don't stop there! These recordings rock - the best songs show the more experimental side of the band that will at times make your hair stand on end. Apple-O

This album is not as bad as the other reviewer indicates. While I'll admit that it's not as good as "Vs." or "Signals," it is as good as the first self-titled album. Mission of Burma was one of the great indie rock bands before that phrase was even coined. The intricate percussion and rhythm, the subtle use of tape loops, the anthemic melodies were all revolutionary, and now are so often copied we fail to remember how cutting edge these guys were. So what if this CD doesn't have any song as infectious as "Academy Fight Song" or "Revolver," although "Forget" and "Eyes of Men" come close. Mission of Burma is a band no one should "Forget."

I must be one of the only people who likes this album even better than Vs. Mission of Burma reaches a threshold of joy and rage that I can only compare to Fugazi and Sonic Youth (although the sound is completely different). The first time I heard "Manic Incarnation" (in 1993) I thought it was the craziest thing I ever heard. Only Mission of Burma can get you to sing lyrics like: "Now I feel good / In orlon" with complete conviction.

Mission of Burma was a great and original band who recorded some of the most memorable underground rock in the early 80's. Unfortunately this cd does not bear that out. Aside from the powerfull "Forget" and the fantastic "Progress" much of this album is forgetable. Stick with the first two releases and add "Forget" and "Progress" to your compilation tapes.

Update: I listened again--and yes it is a rather poor CD with the exception of 2 cuts--alternate versions of "Progress" and "Forget" they actually are better than the versions on the "VS" lp however the rest of this is forgetable and many a great band has released a bad record.