The Clock Comes Down The stairs

Microdisney began recording in their native town of Cork, Ireland. Their first few singles, including 1983's 'Pink Skinned Man', were produced by Dave Feeley, and released on indie label Kabuki records. After relocating to London, they signed to Rough Trade, and utilised John Porter (producer of The Smiths) to produce their debut album, 'Everybody is Fantastic'. At this time, the band became acquainted with John Peel, who championed their music, and gave them the first of several celebrated Peel Sessions. Originally released in 1985, 'The Clock Comes down the Stairs' was the first of three albums - the other two are the ensuing releases 'Crooked Mile' and '39 Minutes' - on which this superb band finally got it right. It was never an easy equation for Microdisney to balance - the musical prettiness of Sean O'Hagan and the lyrical savagery of Cathal Coughlan - but it all adds up here rather wondrously. 'The Clock Comes down the Stairs' seems to be Coughlan meticulously chronicling his own decline. As is invariably the case with Coughlan, however, the decline of everyone and everything else also gets a mention. In the mid-1980s, bands were either in the charts, which meant they sounded like Wham!, or they were alternative, in which case they sounded like The Jesus and Mary Chain. Nobody really knew what to do with a collection of recalcitrant Irishmen whose music evoked Jimmy Webb, Steely Dan and The Walker Brothers, and whose words were consumed with paranoia and disgust. On 'Goodbye It's 1987' - a startlingly unconcerned-sounding prediction of Armageddon - Cathal introduces one of O'Hagan's impeccable guitar solos with the muttered exhortation 'Let's tax the wages of sin'. In the summer of Live Aid, it was never likely to be a big radio favourite. This re-issue - made in conjunction with the band - contains rare single B-sides and the complete Peel session recorded at the time. With notes in collaboration with the band by Terry Staunton and a book packed with memorabilia this release serves as a great re-introduction to this finest of Irish bands.