Psychic TV – Hex Sex · The Singles - Pt. One

The more commercial tentacles of PTV vary from the unbelievably mundane ("Good Vibration" & "Je T'aime" covers) to white hot classics ("Roman P", "Godstar" & the "Eve Of Destruction" cover) calling at all points between.
This is an easy record to review - most people know at least something by PTV - hands up all those who like them (pause) hands up all those who like the more commercial side of this group (another pause) hands up all those who want to buy this album which collects most of the accessible tracks pre-Techno-period (pregnant pause).

Open the box and whaddya got? Well, there's the blistering post-Punk "Roman P" which is divine - fast, hooky, sing-a-long-a-P-ORRIDGE afterburner-fest. First came across this track as a live version on the COLD SPRING tape comp and it blew me away. Now, after some years of familiarity, it sounds wonderful still. Definitely a selling point. Then there's the equally brilliant "Godstar" which has been remixed in so many different directions they decided to put it out as a separate album (dear Santa....). Ultimate Popsong singalong track - STEPS for the Industrial Nation! After this tracks are less forward. A dead-straight take on the BEACH BOYS' most weird release by fffaaarrr, with a little ORRIDGE prose thrown in midway for good measure. Nearly note-perfect cover - but why? And then there's a cover of the old classic "Eve Of Destruction" (sorry - Of becomes Ov) which is, I must say, probably a tad better than the original BOB DYLAN-alike version - brought up to danceable date. And yet another cover, of the wet "Je T'aime" - purely, you suspect, for the sexual associations, rather than for any musical merit. And there's even a cover version of GEN's own classic "United" given a 1994 makeover - not anywhere as creepily sinister as the original love song - very much a dance-floor view - which is surprisingly well handled. What's left? Well, "Hex Sex" and "Interzone" are soft instrumentals - electronic and not without character, but wouldn't really stand on their own. "Supermale" has a certain creepiness to it, before becoming a sort of Disco version of late SWANS. "Papel Breakdance" is surprisingly hooky with tons of samples and an easy chorus of "Have Mercy" and "I Love You" - now this could stand on it's own, and was probably made to (I'm not sure what was and was not released as a single amongst this collection). "Magick Defends Itself" shows GEN's old love of VELVET UNDERGROUND by stealing the beautiful guitar riff from "I'll Be Your Mirror" and setting it to an unfocussed sprawl of sounds while the man orates more of his (hey, inoffensive) prose before it heads to a more "Dreams Less Sweet" found sound ambience, then a TG-with-humour area. Finally, "Love War Riot" has a little more life than CABARET VOLTAIRE's always-sterile take on clicky - slappy - funky post-Disco music. There's humour in this that I pray before baby-fat candles was intentional. There's a tiny bit of porn movie Jazz to the sound which you accept - hey, it's GEN! (er... and TIM LEARY!)

Listened to this dozens of times and still find it uneven. The great tracks kinda overwhelm the others, which is a shame, because they really are quite good, but hell, classic is classic, and this collection has more than it's fair share. The UK's most sadly missed exile proves he had talent all along.

Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.