Smudge
Manilow
Half A Cow

Remember Smudge? No? Really? Neither do I. Then again, I was a mere ten years old when 'Manilow' was first released. The first I'd ever heard of Smudge's frontman Tom Morgan was his work with the Lemonheads ('twas him that wrote Outdoor Type, don't you know? You didn't know? Neither did I.) Then, of course, there was the Givegoods, a band featuring Morgan and Evan Dando whose album 'I Want To Kill A Rich Man' was actually really good. But we can rectify all that now with this classy reissue of 'Manilow', the Smudge album that matters, replete with a second disc of demos and live bits and many pages of liner note goodness.

First, to the album itself. It's filled to the brim with low fidelity pop goodness, absurd melodic catchiness and well-placed drum breaks. It's dated, for sure, and it lacks the edge I keep craving from it. It's either loud and dirty without ever really breaking out; or it's clean and pretty without ever giving itself the space to be classy. (Let's call this the Screamfeeder dilemma, resolved circa 2000's 'Rocks On The Soul'.) So, I have to listen past the sound and into the song. And with tracks like Desmond and Dave, The Talking Bear, I'm not disappointed.

And second, to the reissue. This is where 'Manilow' excels. The liner notes are marvellous (particularly the inclusion of Even's Wally Kempton: "How does one put into words the time they came to stay at my place, broke in a-la my instructions only to find it was the wrong house?"). The second CD is comprehensive and perhaps even more exciting than the album. Most importantly, when asked if I know Smudge, I can now put my hand on my heart and announce proudly: 'Yes.'

Ben Revi