The Horrible Truth About Burma [PA]

Performer: Mission of Burma
Producer: Rick Harte
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: This 1997 reissue includes 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks. Personnel: Roger Miller (vocals, guitar); Clint Conley (vocals, bass instrument); Peter Prescott (vocals, drums); Martin Swope (loops, tapes). Audio Mixers: Martin Swope; Rick Harte; Mission of Burma; Tony Volante. Audio Remasterer: Ted Jensen. Mission Of Burma had been a staggeringly loud live band, and when guitarist Roger Miller's tinnitus reached a dangerous level, the band had to call it quits, though not before one last tour. Recorded at various shows during that final tour, THE HORRIBLE TRUTH ABOUT BURMA is a posthumous collection of Mission Of Burma classics. Opening with a blistering version of the band's classic "That's When I Reach for My Revolver" (one of the four bonus tracks added to the Ryko re-issue), it's clear that Burma intended to go out with a bang. The track, along with several others, is played at breakneck speed and what must have been ear-splitting volume. Collectors should note that, despite radically altering the album running order, the Ryko version has been remastered, so that the sound quality is extraordinarily crisp, volume notwithstanding. Other standouts include "Tremolo," during which the importance of Martin Swope's tape manipulations is made abundantly clear, absolutely scorching versions of "Go Fun, Burn Man" and the Stooges' "1970," and "Blackboard," highlighting Miller's scratchy, jagged guitar playing. An essential punk rock document.

Entertainment Weekly (8/01/97, p.75) - "...While some of the sharply geometric riffs and chanted vocals sound dated, the power [of these tracks]...makes almost every album released today sound tame by comparison." - Rating: A- Q (May 2002, p.132) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...[This] posthumous live outing...is a solid enough document of 1983 vintage..." Mojo (Publisher) (6/02, p.122) - "...Consistently excellent, from the raw beginnings tothe mannered middle, to the documentary robusto..."

The short-lived 1980s Boston outfit Mission Of Burma was one of the most influential American post-punk bands, combining fiercely modernist sonic layers with sheer brute-force, high-volume rock. Eclectic leader Roger Miller subsequently went on to the experimental solo project No Man and the prog-rock band Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic before eventually reforming Mission Of Burma for live performances in 2002 and a 2004 album, ONoffON.

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