I HAVE SEEN YOU THROUGH THE YEARS, WORN BY DIFFERENT FACES

PESTEG DRED/SS-SAY
CD/LP
SEPTEMBER 2010
PANOPTIKON/DARK ENTRIES (OPTIK 24)

Med cd-genudgivelsen af I Have Seen You through the Years, Worn by Different Faces med Pesteg Dred og SS-Say blev et stort hul i digitaliseringen af Halls ældre plader endelig udfyldt. Begge grupper har sangerinden Inge Shannon i den vokale front, og projekterne har hver især påkaldt sig en vis international bevågenhed.

1. Salt (Pesteg Dred) (3:42)2. Postcards and Reasons (Pesteg Dred) (3:56)3. 20th Century Superior (Pesteg Dred) (4:08)4. Cold Impressions of Perhaps (Pesteg Dred) (4:21)5. Light, More Light (Pesteg Dred) (12:51)6. Untitled (Pesteg Dred) (4:05)7. Almost (Pesteg Dred) (2:30) 8. Transaction (SS-Say) (7:45)9. Care (SS-Say) (4:48)10. Fanfare (SS-Say) (4:19)

TRANSACTION

You say you’ve tried
Well try harder
Change it
Re-arrange it
The turning point’s getting closer

I’m gonna take it where it comes from
I’m gonna give it to whom it belongs

Without delay
Take a chance now
Take it
Reinforce it
So make a move, make it happen

I’m gonna take it where it comes from
I’m gonna give it to whom it belongs

You say you’re sorry
Well you’d better learn to forgive yourself
‘Cause there’s no one here who can do it for you

In this twentieth century
Emotional sell-out
Be what you wanna be
Get out
Shout it out loud
You talk about a truth
Well it’s all an illusion
So what you have to do is to make your own fusion

Do what you wanna do
Be what you wanna be
Take what you wanna have
Just remember to give

I’m gonna take it

Moving slowly
Master planning of the means
Make it happen
Fight the limits you obey
Burning fire
Feel it as a part of you
Make it happen
Fight the limits you obey

You say it’s like all words are used up
Well I’m not
I’m standing right here

Look into my eyes
Take me by the hand
I will never let you down again
All together and no excuses
Turning every weakness to strength

CARE

Moments of love
Distant from darkness
Overturning the balance with the power of doubt
Caring for the first time
See you for the first time
Feel you for the first time
Need you for the first time

Don’t you recognize yourself in the mirror?
Far too involved to cancel the care

The nameless games and the real thing
The final solution and emotional stunts
Viewing for the first time
Value for the second
I have seen you through the years worn by different faces

FANFARE

Come on
Come on
Come on
Let it shine on you

Knowing what I feel
Knowing I’m able to give
Knowing what I need
Willing to risk all my love

”Samlet genudgivelse af to af Martin Halls ældre værker, der stadig holder … helt oppe at ringe med det bedste i den genre.”
( * * * * * )
Gaffa – Ras Bolding (13. september 2010)

”1985: Kunsttidsskriftet Atlas er på gaden med et nyt nummer. Vedlagt er et Pesteg Dred-kassettebånd med den mundrette titel: Years of Struggle Against the Lies, the Stupidity and the Cowardice. Bag båndet stod dansk rocks enfant terrible; punkdrengen Martin Hall, der som bekendt hurtigt blev avantgarde. Og som siden har udgivet et uoverskueligt antal albums. De seneste par år er flere af Hall’s ældre perler blevet genudgivet; nu foreligger denne langt om længe på cd. Og hvilket frydefuldt genhør!”
( * * * * * )
Aarhus Stiftstidende – Thomas Nygaard (20. september 2010)

“Martin Hall appears to be the figure who defined the Danish New Wave scene. We’ve never heard of any of Hall’s other projects, but if any were half as good as Pesteg Dred, they’d be worth the price of admission. Death disco? You bet! Dark Entries scores yet again with a really great re-discovery on Pested Dred.“
Aquarius (7. november 2010)

“Industrial solitude pours forth in a haunted Kirlian Camera style work of lonesome isolation. The album progresses along sepulchral darkwave lines. Desperation cascades over angst, with vocals of Inge Shannon eclipsing all … I don’t know where Dark Entries scare up these obscurities, I only know I’m glad that they do.“
Igloo Magazine – Robbie Geoghegan (23. november 2010)

”Years of Struggle is a hitherto rarely heard album that exemplified the black-hole nihilism and hostile theatrics found in the abstractionist fractions of the post-punk movement. After this sole Pesteg Dred recording Hall formed a number of darkwave projects in Denmark with considerable aplomb, but the innovation coupled with the claustrophobia of Years of Struggle is so strong that I have to wonder where Pesteg Dred might have gone if they had had the opportunity back in the day.“
The Wire – Jim Haynes (januar 2011)

“Uncompromising seriousness and unfettered urgency … It’s kinda easy to become blasé with so many ****wave reissues around, but this is simply one of the most essential we’ve stumbled upon.“
Boomkat (14. januar 2011)

“Immerses you into another world immediately.”
Sideline Music Magazine (1. februar 2011)

Henrik Möll: Bas
Inge Shannon: Vokal
Martin Hall: Vokal, trommer, keyboards, flygel, bas, cello, violin, guitar, båndmateriale, percussion, trompet, balalajka, autoharpe
Per Hendrichsen: Treatments, guitar, synthesizers

Design: Kenneth Schultz
Artwork: Christian Skeel

Cd-versionen åbner med det obskure, men meget veloplagte art rock-album Years of Struggle against the Lies, the Stupidity and the Cowardice, som en 18-årig Martin Hall indspillede sammen med Shannon og guitaristen, støjmageren og medproduceren Per Hendrichsen (senere Under For) i december 1981. Der gik dog flere år, inden indspilningerne rent faktisk udkom, og da de endelig så dagens lys, var det som et vedlagt kassettebånd i forbindelse med udgivelsen af det første nummer af kunstmagasinet Atlas i sommeren 1985.

Den anden og sidste del af udgivelsen er SS-Say’s meget efterspurgte 12-tommersingle Fusion, der indeholder de tre klassiske skæringer “Transaction”, “Care” og “Fanfare” (1985). Bandet debuterede ved William S. Burroughs’ legendariske visit i Danmark i oktober 1983, og siden da er gruppens renommé vokset støt og roligt – både i Europa og USA hvor en fransk DJ efter sigende blev ved med at spille numrene fra Fusion på New York-klubben The Batcave og på den måde gjorde flere og flere mennesker interesseret i bandet.

Pesteg Dred-albummet er indspillet og mixet i Karma, december 1981. SS-Say 12″-singlen er indspillet og mixet i Hookfarm, december 1984.

Kort efter den skandinaviske genudgivelse af Pesteg Dred-albummet blev pladen også udgivet i USA i et begrænset vinyloplag af det San Francisco-baserede pladeselskab Dark Entries (oktober 2010). I den forbindelse modtog udgivelsen megen international ros – bl.a. skrev det hæderkronede engelske musikmagasin The Wire følgende om pladen i deres januar 2011-nummer (#323):