Y (album)

Y
Studio album by The Pop Group
Released	April 20, 1979
Recorded	Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey, England
Genre	Post-punk free jazz funk avant-garde
Length	40:11
Label	Radar
Producer	Dennis Bovell, The Pop Group
The Pop Group chronology
Y (1979) For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? (1980)

Y is the debut studio album of English post-punk band The Pop Group. It was released on April 20, 1979 through Radar Records.^[1] The album was produced by dub musician Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell at Ridge Farm Studios in Surrey.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

Writing for Fact Magazine, Mark Fisher described the album's "delirial montage of funk, free jazz, Jamaican audio-mancy and the avant-garde" as "both carvernous and propulsive, ultra-abstract yet driven by dance music’s physical imperatives," and noted the "sonic alchemy" of Bovell's production work.^[3] Stylus Magazine called the album "a landmark of lunatic post-punk," writing that "these are political punk tunes deconstructed so that only the skeleton remains, and weaving between those bare bones are some of the nastiest sounds ever made."^[4] In 2004, Pitchfork Media ranked Y at number 35 on its list of the greatest albums of the 1970s, saying that "unlike most of the late-70s' no-wave types (and perennial imitators), The Pop Group were less concerned with eschewing convention than with vehemently eviscerating it."^[5]

The album has had a lasting impact, with artists such as the Minutemen, Primal Scream, Sonic Youth and Nick Cave citing the album as an influence on their work. Bassist Mike Watt commented that they "were making music that we were kind of inspired by and interested in" and that "they gave us permission to try to find what we were about. The Pop Group said “let’s take Funkadelic and put it with Beefheart. Why not?”"^[6]

Legacy

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Rockerilla	Italy	Albums of the Year[7]	1979	14
The Wire	United Kingdom	The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made[8]	1992	*
Spex	Germany	The 100 Albums of the Century[9]	1999	51
Il Mucchio Selvaggio	Italy	100 Best Albums by Decade (1971-1980)[10]	2002	41
Rock de Lux	Spain	The 200 Best Albums of All Time[11]	2002	145
Paul Morley	United Kingdom	Words and Music, 5 x 100 Greatest Albums of All Time[12]	2003	*
Pitchfork	United States	Top 100 Albums of the 1970s[5]	2004	35
Stylus	United States	Top 101-200 Albums of All Time[4]	2004	168
Blow Up	Italy	600 Essential Albums[13]	2005	*
Uncut	United Kingdom	The 100 Greatest Debut Albums[14]	2006	82
The Guardian	United Kingdom	1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die[15]	2007	*

(*) designates unordered lists.

Track listing

All tracks written by The Pop Group.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Thief of Fire"	4:35
2.	"Snowgirl"	3:20
3.	"Blood Money"	2:56
4.	"Savage Sea"	3:01
5.	"We Are Time"	6:29

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Words Disobey Me"	3:25
2.	"Don't Call Me Pain"	5:34
3.	"The Boys From Brazil"	4:15
4.	"Don't Sell Your Dreams"	6:37

2007 remastered CD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"She Is Beyond Good and Evil" (from the She Is Beyond Good and Evil single)	3:32
2.	"Thief of Fire"	4:35
3.	"Snowgirl"	3:21
4.	"Blood Money"	2:57
5.	"We Are Time"	6:29
6.	"Savage Sea"	3:02
7.	"Words Disobey Me"	3:26
8.	"Don't Call Me Pain"	5:35
9.	"The Boys From Brazil"	4:16
10.	"Don't Sell Your Dreams"	6:42
11.	"3'38" (from the She Is Beyond Good and Evil single)	3:38

Personnel

Adapted from the Y liner notes.^[16]

The Pop Group Gareth Sager – guitar, saxophone, piano Bruce Smith – drums, percussion Mark Stewart – vocals Simon Underwood – bass guitar John Waddington – guitar

Additional musicians Disc O'Dell – musical direction Technical personnel Dennis Bovell – production Mike Dunne – engineering Brian Gaylor – assistant engineering Eddy Gorecki – mastering The Pop Group – production

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
United Kingdom	1979	Radar	LP	RAD 20
Japan		Warner-Pioneer Corporation		P-10705F
United Kingdom	1996	Radar	CD	SCANCD14
Japan				WPCR-722
United Kingdom	2007	Rhino, Radar		5101-19920-2
Japan	2013	Warner Music Group		WPCR-15282

References

1. "Y LP". thepopgroup.net. 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
2. Dougan, John. "The Pop Group: Y > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
3. Fact
4. Howard, Ed (March 22, 2004). "Top 101-200 Albums Favorite Albums Ever". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
5. Ubl, Sam (June 23, 2004). "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
6. Manchester, Guy (2014). "Legendary Post Punk Band The Pop Group Release Video for Colour Blind". Louder Than War. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
7. "Rockerilla End of Year Lists". Rockerilla. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
8. "The Wire - 100 Most Important Records Ever Made". The Wire. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
9. "100 (+17) Alben". Spex. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
10. "100 Best Albums by Decade". Il Mucchio Selvaggio. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
11. "The 200 Best Albums of All Time". Rock de Lux. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
12. "File Under Popular Music (4) – 100 or More Greatest Albums". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
13. "600 Essential Albums". Blow Up. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
14. "The 100 Greatest Debut Albums". Uncut. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
15. "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die". The Guardian. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
16. Y (sleeve). The Pop Group. London, United Kingdom: Radar Records. 1979.

External links

• Y (album) at Discogs (list of releases)