Death : Spiritual, Mental, Physical :: Review
“Spiritual, Mental, Physical” is an odds and sods collection of demos by Death, the proto-punk band circa 1974-1976. The material presented here was transferred from old reel-to-reel tapes and the primitive sound enhances what could be the findings from an architectural dig. There are traces of what would become the band’s sole output, “For The Whole World To See,” but this collection oftentimes finds the band noodling around in much of the later content.
“Spiritual, Mental, Physical” finds the band trading in jagged punk, “Views” amongst Beatles inflected rock and roll on “The Mask.” On the soulful, “The Change,” there are some pensive Shuggie Otis-like guitar licks that are worth checking out. The jangly “World of Tomorrow” is a brief glimpse of the straightforward style of rock that the Hackney Brothers were capable of. “Can You Give Me A Thrill” might be the longest punk song ever recorded but also signals a stop to the actual listenable songs on this set. The remaining songs fall apart under their own weight and oftentimes sound amateurish akin to a band farting around in a guitar shop.
“Spiritual, Mental, Physical” is an interesting curio and signals what could have been. It’s worth a listen if you’re a fan and was wondering about the Hackney Brother’s creative process.
“Spiritual, Mental, Physical” will be released on January 25th by Drag City Records.
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