It seems that Killing Joke (and/or their past record companies) are pulling out all the stops, reissuing just about everything KJ from years past. Certainly a great thing, as this UK-based act has just about singlehandedly brought together the now-popular collision of post-punk with heavy rock and dark, industrial overtones. This new set of mostly unreleased-on-CD cuts assembles many of the Joke's eighties-era 12" extended and dance mixes on one disc, from their anthemic (and, unfortunately, dated) 'Eighties (Serious Dance Mix)' and the classic 'Love Like Blood (Extended 12" Mix)' to weaker (the new-wavey 'Sanity', 'Stay One Jump Ahead'). Gems like 'Kings And Queens' get some extra bass/drum muscle, whereas 'Wardance (RAF Mix)' is as raw and aggressive as ever. 'A New Day' is another great song (yes, I said song) that gets the extended treatment here a couple of times. No problem with that.
Sure, this milder and oh-so-very 80's dance mix material isn't really the best starting point for the curious, as Jaz, Geordie, Raven, and company were to later re-emerge as an even heavier, leaner, and meaner beast on the amazing 'Extremities' album of 1990 - and they continue even today, 25+ years later, with integrity, power, and intelligence. It's not fair to see KJ solely as 80's synth-pop new-wavers (as this collection may have some believe), but for collectors, this selection is golden. (EMI Gold)
Killing Joke
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