Album: Soul Mining
Artist: The The
Born: Stratford, London
Released: October 1983
Genre: New Wave
Influenced: Echo & the Bunnymen, Talk Talk, Julian Cope, Neneh Cherry, Blur
80s music has a bad reputation but the truth is, in the early part of the decade, there was more experimental music at the top of the British charts than at any time before or since. Japan and OMD are good examples, but The The's Soul Mining was one of the more unlikely albums to become a Top 40 UK hit. Matt Johnson had an unconventional upbringing as the son of the publican of the Two Puddings in Stratford, and living among all these entertainers -- footballers (Bobby Moore), gangsters (Krays) and musicians (Small Faces) -- he knew from a young age he wanted to be a star. Starting out in the British post-punk scene with the likes of This Heat and Scritti Politti, Johnson released a brilliantly experimental first LP, Burning Blue Soul (1981), which mixed the psychedelia of Syd Barrett with the industrial sounds of Throbbing Gristle. Johnson conceived The The more as a creative launchpad for collaboration with other musicians and, for Soul Mining, he brought in JG Thirwell, Zeke Manyika (Orange Juice), electronic DIY pioneer Thomas Leer and Jools Holland. His brother Andrew created the album artwork, a painting of one of Fela Kuti's wives. Soul Mining was recorded in Shoreditch and, compared to the first record, has a more commercially-friendly edge, but still with the same sombre lyrics (on a par with Leonard Cohen) and full of angst, as well as socially aware commentary. Defining its sound, as with many post-punk albums, is no easy task; if new wave means incorporating elements of pop and punk, as well as new technology like synths and drum machines, then that just about fits.
This Is The Day, released as a single just prior to the album (peaking in the UK at No.71), works on the album as a companion piece to the industrial sound of I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow (All My Life), on which Johnson rages that, "my mind has been polluted / my energy diluted". Suddenly all the clattering clears and, heralding the dawning of a new day, the sound of a twinkly keyboard and Paul Wickens' accordion emerges from the mix. There's a nostalgic almost hopeless optimism to the lyrics and when he proclaims, "this is the day when things fall into place", you almost believe him. Then comes That Sinking Feeling, on which Johnson rants about the "moral decay" of Thatcher's Britain and fears for his mental health ("my head fills like a junk shop / in desperate need of repair"). For anyone who's read Catcher In The Rye, Johnson comes across as the misanthropic Holden Caulfield of British pop. The album's centrepiece is Uncertain Smile, released as a single in late 1982, but Soul Mining has the definitive version with the breathtaking piano playing of Jools Holland. For me, this song is one of the musical peaks of the 80s and is best summed up here. Twilight Hour is an intentionally overwrought exploration of a lovesick heart, while the title track explores similar emotional territory and has the same musical shifts and sharp lyrics, "something always goes wrong when things are going right". Soul Mining closes with dance music epic, Giant, another example of Johnson mixing catchy, upbeat sounds with existential despair. The The's run of albums for over a decade, from Soul Mining to Infected (1986), Mind Bomb (1989) and Dusk (1993), is one of the great achievements of British pop, but Johnson's achievements still remains largely unsung.
80s music has a bad reputation but the truth is, in the early part of the decade, there was more experimental music at the top of the British charts than at any time before or since. Japan and OMD are good examples, but The The's Soul Mining was one of the more unlikely albums to become a Top 40 UK hit. Matt Johnson had an unconventional upbringing as the son of the publican of the Two Puddings in Stratford, and living among all these entertainers -- footballers (Bobby Moore), gangsters (Krays) and musicians (Small Faces) -- he knew from a young age he wanted to be a star. Starting out in the British post-punk scene with the likes of This Heat and Scritti Politti, Johnson released a brilliantly experimental first LP, Burning Blue Soul (1981), which mixed the psychedelia of Syd Barrett with the industrial sounds of Throbbing Gristle. Johnson conceived The The more as a creative launchpad for collaboration with other musicians and, for Soul Mining, he brought in JG Thirwell, Zeke Manyika (Orange Juice), electronic DIY pioneer Thomas Leer and Jools Holland. His brother Andrew created the album artwork, a painting of one of Fela Kuti's wives. Soul Mining was recorded in Shoreditch and, compared to the first record, has a more commercially-friendly edge, but still with the same sombre lyrics (on a par with Leonard Cohen) and full of angst, as well as socially aware commentary. Defining its sound, as with many post-punk albums, is no easy task; if new wave means incorporating elements of pop and punk, as well as new technology like synths and drum machines, then that just about fits.
This Is The Day, released as a single just prior to the album (peaking in the UK at No.71), works on the album as a companion piece to the industrial sound of I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow (All My Life), on which Johnson rages that, "my mind has been polluted / my energy diluted". Suddenly all the clattering clears and, heralding the dawning of a new day, the sound of a twinkly keyboard and Paul Wickens' accordion emerges from the mix. There's a nostalgic almost hopeless optimism to the lyrics and when he proclaims, "this is the day when things fall into place", you almost believe him. Then comes That Sinking Feeling, on which Johnson rants about the "moral decay" of Thatcher's Britain and fears for his mental health ("my head fills like a junk shop / in desperate need of repair"). For anyone who's read Catcher In The Rye, Johnson comes across as the misanthropic Holden Caulfield of British pop. The album's centrepiece is Uncertain Smile, released as a single in late 1982, but Soul Mining has the definitive version with the breathtaking piano playing of Jools Holland. For me, this song is one of the musical peaks of the 80s and is best summed up here. Twilight Hour is an intentionally overwrought exploration of a lovesick heart, while the title track explores similar emotional territory and has the same musical shifts and sharp lyrics, "something always goes wrong when things are going right". Soul Mining closes with dance music epic, Giant, another example of Johnson mixing catchy, upbeat sounds with existential despair. The The's run of albums for over a decade, from Soul Mining to Infected (1986), Mind Bomb (1989) and Dusk (1993), is one of the great achievements of British pop, but Johnson's achievements still remains largely unsung.
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