Colossal Youth

Colossal Youth is the only studio album by Welsh post-punk band Young Marble Giants, released in February 1980 on Rough Trade Records. Young Marble Giants were offered the opportunity to record the album after Rough Trade heard just two songs by the band on the local Cardiff music compilation Is the War Over?

For the film, see Colossal Youth (film).
Colossal Youth
Studio album by
Young Marble Giants
ReleasedFebruary 1980
Recorded1979
StudioFoel Studios, North Wales
GenrePost-punk
Length38:20
LabelRough Trade (original release)
Domino (2007 reissue)
ProducerYoung Marble Giants
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB[3]
The Guardian[4]
The Irish Times[5]
Pitchfork9.3/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Spin[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide10/10[9]
Uncut[10]

Recording

Colossal Youth was recorded in five days at Foel Studios, located near Welshpool in North Wales. The group had no prior knowledge of formal music production and as a result the production on Colossal Youth was kept deliberately simple, with the band utilizing many of their first takes on the record and minimal overdubbing.[11] The only two overdubs on the record are a slide guitar on "Include Me Out" and distorted vocals on "Eating Noddemix".

Influence

According to critic Richie Unterberger, Colossal Youth is "one of the most highly regarded indie cult post-punk recordings, with a unique hushed and minimal atmosphere."[11] Nirvana singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain said in a 1992 Melody Maker interview that Colossal Youth was one of the five most influential records he had ever heard,[12] and he also included the album in a list of his top 50 albums in a 1993 journal.[13] Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, would later record "Credit in the Straight World" with her band Hole in their second album, Live Through This, released in 1994.

"This music relaxes you, it's total atmospherics. It's just nice, pleasant music. I love it. The drum machine has to have the cheesiest sound ever. We're going to be on a Young Marble Giants compilation, doing 'Credit in the Straight World'. I had a crush on the singer for a while—didn't everyone?
"I didn't know much about them—the Moxham brothers, right? I heard they might be getting back together again recently. (NB: Stuart Moxham just produced one side of the new Beat Happening album [You Turn Me On, 1992], another of Kurt's favorite bands). Isn't it weird how, when you hear something like that, you still get excited, even though you know you shouldn't?
"I first heard Colossal Youth on the radio, after I started getting into K music when I lived in Olympia. It was a year before I put out the Bleach album."
—Kurt Cobain

In May 2009, the album was performed live in its entirety by the group as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.

Track listing

All songs written by Stuart Moxham, except where noted.

  1. "Searching for Mr. Right" – 3:03
  2. "Include Me Out" – 2:01
  3. "The Taxi" – 2:07
  4. "Eating Noddemix" (Phillip Moxham, Alison Statton) – 2:04
  5. "Constantly Changing" – 2:04
  6. "N.I.T.A." – 3:31
  7. "Colossal Youth" – 1:54
  8. "Music for Evenings" – 3:02
  9. "The Man Amplifier" – 3:15
  10. "Choci Loni" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 2:37
  11. "Wurlitzer Jukebox" – 2:45
  12. "Salad Days" (S. Moxham, Statton) – 2:01
  13. "Credit in the Straight World" – 2:29
  14. "Brand - New - Life" – 2:55
  15. "Wind in the Rigging" – 2:25

The re-release includes the following bonus tracks, taken from the Testcard EP, the "Final Day" single and a track from a various artists compilation:

  1. "This Way" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:41
  2. "Posed by Models" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:25
  3. "Clock" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:39
  4. "Clicktalk" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 2:42
  5. "Zebra Trucks" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:33
  6. "Sporting Life" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:04
  7. "Final Day" – 1:43
  8. "Radio Silents" – 1:53
  9. "Cake Walking" – 2:49
  10. "Ode to Booker T" – 3:03

Personnel
Young Marble Giants
  • Alison Statton – vocals
  • Stuart Moxham – guitar and organ
  • Philip Moxham – bass
  • Dave Anderson – co-producer
  • Patrick Graham – cover photos[14]

References
  1. Unterberger, Richie. "Colossal Youth – Young Marble Giants". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  2. Dolan, Jon. "Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth". Blender. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1990). "Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  4. Petridis, Alexis (22 June 2007). "Young Marble Giants, Colossal Youth". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  5. Carroll, Jim (29 June 2007). "Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth (Domino)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  6. Wolk, Douglas (10 August 2007). "Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth and Collected Works". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  7. Sheffield, Rob (20 September 2007). "Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth". Rolling Stone: 97.
  8. Hermes, Will (October 2007). "Reissues". Spin. 23 (10): 96. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  9. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  10. "Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth". Uncut: 121. [With] shadows of Eno and Kraftwerk in their sound, which pitted the fluid bass and spiky guitar of brothers Phil and Stuart Moxham against the clicking pulse of a homemade drum machine.
  11. Unterberger, Richie. "Stuart Moxham Interview". RichieUnterberger.com. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  12. Cross, Charles; Gaar, Gillian G.; Gendron, Bob; Martens, Todd; Yarm, Mark (2013). Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7603-4521-4.
  13. "Top 50 by Nirvana [MIXTAPE]". Joyful Noise Recordings. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. https://www.discogs.com/Young-Marble-Giants-Colossal-Youth/release/381513
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