The Second Annual Report is the debut album by English industrial music group Throbbing Gristle, released in November 1977 through Industrial Records. It contains live and studio recordings made from October 1976 to September 1977. The Second Annual Report is considered one of the first industrial albums.[1]
| The Second Annual Report | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album / live album by | ||||
| Released | November 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 18 October 1976 – 3 September 1977 | |||
| Genre | Industrial | |||
| Length | 39:32 | |||
| Label | Industrial | |||
| Throbbing Gristle chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe original vinyl edition went through several pressings. Industrial Records's original pressing totaled 785 copies, while Fetish Records pressed 2,000 copies. Fetish would press the album twice more after the original Industrial Records master plates were destroyed. The third edition was included in the five-album Throbbing Gristle box set; the album was recut to play backwards and included a chamber orchestra on the track "After Cease to Exist". The Fetish plates were reused to cut pressings for Mute Records and Celluloid Records, the latter of which is known for its poor sound quality and was supposedly released without the band's permission.[2]
A portion of "Down on the Street" by the Stooges can be heard at the end of "Maggot Death (Live at Brighton)".[citation needed]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [4] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[6] |
| Uncut | 8/10[7] |
Michael Bonner of Uncut described the album as "a dystopian churn of smoke and asbestos dust" and "queerly hypnotic".[7] The Vinyl Factory's Anton Spice acknowledged the role of the album with its provocative subject matter in establishing Throbbing Gristle's reputation as transgressive figures in underground electronic music.[8]
Thirty-Second Annual Report
editIn 2008, a limited-edition album titled Thirty-Second Annual Report, or The Thirty-Second Annual Report of Throbbing Gristle, was released in commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of The Second Annual Report and the re-activation of Industrial Records.[9]
The 12" 180gm vinyl LP comprises a recording of Throbbing Gristle's live performance at La Villette in Paris on 6 June 2008, which was a reinterpretation of their original album, and is limited to 777 copies. This album is pre-framed in bespoke, high-quality white gloss acrylic with an easy access clear window for removal of the record/sleeve so that the buyer can play the album and then reseal it in the frame. Accompanying the packaged vinyl is a special "black" extended CD version, which includes extra tracks that would not fit on the LP format. There is a version of the recording available for download, but the track lengths are different from the vinyl edition.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Throbbing Gristle
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Industrial Introduction" | 1:03 |
| 2. | "Slug Bait" (Live at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London) | 4:18 |
| 3. | "Slug Bait" (Live at Southampton) | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Slug Bait" (Live at Brighton) | 1:17 |
| 5. | "Maggot Death" (Studio Recording) | 2:47 |
| 6. | "Maggot Death" (Live at Rat Club) | 4:32 |
| 7. | "Maggot Death" (Live at Southampton) | 1:34 |
| 8. | "Maggot Death" (Live at Brighton) | 0:57 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "After Cease to Exist – The Original Soundtrack of the COUM Transmissions Film" | 20:16 |
| Total length: | 39:32 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Zyklon B Zombie" | 3:52 |
| 11. | "United" | 4:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "No Two Ways" (Live at the Winchester Hat Fair 1976) | 4:03 |
| 11. | "Last Exit" (Live at Polytechnic, Brighton 1977) | 6:12 |
| 12. | "Forced Entry" (Live at Nuffield Theatre, Southampton 1977) | 5:01 |
| 13. | "Tesco Disco" (Live at Rat Club, London 1977) | 5:18 |
| 14. | "Feeling Critical" (Live at the Winchester School of Art 1977) | 6:29 |
| 15. | "National Affront" (Live at Nuffield Theatre, Southampton 1977) | 4:30 |
| 16. | "Urge to Kill" (Live at Rat Club, London 1977) | 7:25 |
| 17. | "Zyklon B Zombie" | 3:53 |
| 18. | "United" | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 46:54 | |
Note
- Despite carrying the catalogue number "IR0002", the 12-inch-vinyl Second Annual Report album was the first official release from Industrial Records; there was no "IR0001". There was also no First Annual Report, although the bootleg album Best Of... Volume II subsequently became nicknamed as such by fans. Later released on cassette only (Industrial Records catalogue number "IRC1"), it was released many years later on other formats as The First Annual Report.
- The positions of the studio recording of "Maggot Death" and its live rendition at Rat Club are swapped on the 2011 remastered edition's first disc.
Personnel
editAccording to AllMusic:
- Genesis P-Orridge – bass guitar, clarinet, guitar, liner notes, violin, vocals
- Chris Carter – synthesizers, programming, mixing, photography
- Cosey Fanni Tutti – guitar, liner notes, photography, vocals
- Peter Christopherson – processing, tape, trumpet, unknown contributor role
References
edit- ^ a b Daniel, Drew (7 December 2011). "Throbbing Gristle: Second Annual Report / D.O.A. / 20 Jazz Funk Greats / Heathen Earth / Greatest Hits". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "Throbbing Gristle Discography: LP". userpages.umbc.edu. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ Simpson, Paul. "The Second Annual Report of Throbbing Gristle – Throbbing Gristle". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ Winkie, Luke (10 February 2012). "Throbbing Gristle: The Second Annual Report (Industrial Records LTD) / D.o.A. The Third and Final Report (Industrial Records LTD) / 20 Jazz Funk Greats (Industrial Records LTD) / Heathen Earth (Industrial Records LTD) / Greatest Hits (Industrial Records LTD)". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ Malley, David (2004). "Throbbing Gristle". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 814. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Strauss, Neil (1995). "Throbbing Gristle". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 408–10. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ a b Bonner, Michael (14 February 2012). "Throbbing Gristle: the industrial pioneers, reissued". Uncut. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
- ^ Soulsby, Nick (15 May 2015). "The industrial evolution: Throbbing Gristle in 10 essential records". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Throbbing Gristle – The Thirty-Second Annual Report of Throbbing Gristle – Industrial Records Store". Greedbag. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
External links
edit- The Second Annual Report at Discogs (list of releases)