Burn Down The World

FONTANA時代を完全網羅した音源集が8CD BOXでリリース!

1986年に英国ロンドンで結成、スミスの後継とも目された初期クリエイションを代表する名バンド、ハウス・オブ・ラヴ。クリエイションから1988年に『THE HOUSE OF LOVE』でアルバム・デビューしたのち、バンドはFONTANAに移籍。『THE HOUSE OF LOVE』(通称蝶々ジャケ/ファーストと同名のセカンド/1990年)、『BABE RAINBOW』(サード/1992年)、『AUDIENCE WITH THE MIND』(4TH/1994年)、『A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE』(レア曲コンピ/1990年)の4枚のアルバムをリリースしています。

本作はそのFONTANA期に残されたすべての音源を8CDに収録したコンプリートFONTANA期アンソロジー!それぞれのアルバムには今回が初出となる未発音源がボーナスで追加され、レア曲集『A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE』は、元々の14曲に加えてなんとCD3枚分、61曲に大拡張!更に1990年から92年にかけて録音されたライヴ音源が30曲収録され、こちらも全て今回が初出!ファン必携のBOXとなっています。

The House of Love recorded two excellent albums for Creation in the late 80s that fused dark melodies with coruscating guitars topped majestically by Guy Chadwicks cold and often forbidding vocals. They were popular enough that the band was courted by major labels; they signed with Fontana in 1989 and stayed with them until their first breakup in 1993. Burn Down the World covers this era in minute detail and includes the three albums they recorded during that time span (1990s The House of Love, 1992s Babe Rainbow, and 1993s Audience with the Mind) along with three full discs of non-LP songs and two discs made up of live performances. The three albums are combined with bonus tracks, too, mainly demos that show a different, less-produced side of the band. It gives fans a chance to compare the full, slightly overblown production they were sometimes saddled with to the stripped-back style that allows the songs to breathe a little bit more. The live takes also reveal some of the power and bite that were often paved over by producers who were overly reliant on effects and atmosphere. The live recordings are all well-chosen, with excellent sound quality and fine, often fiery performances. The acoustic shows are especially nice to hear as Chadwick and co. benefit in more relaxed surroundings than a listener accustomed to their studio albums might expect. The three discs of B-sides, EP tracks, different mixes, and demos -- each titled A Spy in the House of Love -- serve as clearing houses for their prolific output, and show off both kinds of songs (songs that were good enough to have made the cut on an album, and songs that could be filed away as [usually] noble experiments). Its a lot of fun wading through these and adding them up. The good songs far outweigh the bad, and there are some hidden gems to be discovered. The bands loping take on the Chills "Pink Frost" is lovely; the 1989 B-side "Safe" is one of their most dramatic and involving songs; 1992s "Love 10" is a gentle dream of a tune that amply displays the groups softer side, and "Lets Talk About You" is a wonderfully relaxed country-psych-meets-baggy ballad. Burn Down the World might not change the opinion of those who feel House of Love may have been better served staying with Creation (a label which can call Chadwick an associate), but it does show that the group wasnt completely chewed up and spit out by the major-label machine. The House of Love remains a big pop classic and the rest of this well-compiled set reveals quite a lot of music thats nearly as good. ~ Tim Sendra