The Chesterfields – Janice Long Session 06.01.87

Precious

Having stretched its remit a little further of late – with recent BBC archive session releases from Saloon and The Green Telescope as well as new offerings from The Loft and Blueboy – Precious Recordings returns to the label’s earlier stomping grounds with this ten-inch EP of Janice Long session tracks from The Chesterfields.

The documentary evidence of an accepted invitation to Maida Vale from the Yeovil-birthed quartet, this is an unpretentiously charming C86-era memento. Fleeting in duration yet brim-full of melodic energy and youthful camaraderie, these four recordings may possess plenty of period trappings, but they contain an elevating freshness.

Accompanied by secret mentor and future PJ Harvey foil John Parish (credited for percussion and backing vocals as ‘Scott Tracey’), the line-up of Simon Barber (bass, backing vocals), David Goldsworthy (guitar, lead vocals), Brendan Holden (guitar, backing vocals) and Dominic Manns (drums) are captured sprinting through four self-penned songs with a compelling amount of craftsmanship.

Hence opener “Two Girls And A Treehouse” bounces along like a breezy early Smiths B-side — which is no faint praise when you consider the quality control applied to Morrissey / Marr material squirrelled away on flipsides. Thereafter “What’s Your Perversion?” follows similar formularising, but with added rousing ensemble voice tiers, whilst the jangle-funk-tinged twosome “Oh Mr Wilson!” and “Love Mountain” nod affectionately and laterally to Orange Juice.

Although not the most revelatory re-find from the BBC’s tape strongrooms, compared to other past Precious Recordings products, this is still a more than welcome public service-minded dusting-off for some antiquarian indie-pop.

-Adrian-