Nearly perfect

Continuing our round-up of all the reviews we've seen for the Nobody's Perfect reissue, this one from A. S. Van Dorston was an early review over on the Fast n'n Bulbous website. 

The Distractions – Nobody’s Perfect (Island/Occultation, 1980)

Talk about a long road to recognition. I first learned about The Distractions when they released their reunion album The End Of The Pier in 2012, which I mentioned in my The Greatest Post-Punk Bands You Never Heard piece the next year. Their 1980 debut Nobody’s Perfect, despite being released on Island alongside the debut from U2, Grace Jones’ Warm Leatherette and The Buggles, was a lost classic because the band broke up by 1981 after lack of success, and the album was deleted and all but erased from history aside from a tantalizing entry in the Trouser Press Record Guide, which said the band had an “abnormally broad palette,” their eclecticism drawing on “everything from Chuck Berry to Phil Spector to psychedelia — often within the same song — and the vocals tend to be more somber than carefree.”

Formed in Manchester in 1975 with '60s mod, soul and garage influences, they were later inspired by the Buzzcocks to evolve toward a unique hybrid sound of Motown, garage psych, power pop and post-punk. After recording the Ramones-ish You’re Not Going Out Dressed Like That EP in 1978 , they released the “Times Go By So Slow” single on Factory records, arguably one of the best the label ever released. They had already signed to Island before the single was released, and put out two more singles, “It Doesn’t Bother Me” and “Boys Cry” before releasing Nobody’s Perfect. Island seemed to have dropped the ball so they released three final tracks on the And Then There’s EP on Rough Trade in April 1981, and broke up. While fellow Mancunians Buzzcocks, Joy Division and The Fall would become legends, The Distractions were simply lost.

In 2016, it was announced that HiddenMasters would reissue the album, singles and demos as a box set called Parabolically Yours by the next year, but it didn’t happen. Fortunately it was announced last year a crowd funded joint effort between Occultation Recordings and Man In The Moon Records would finally make it happen. The CD and LP will be available March 20, but early funders are already receiving it, and it’s in my sweaty eager hands right now. It appears you can stream or buy the original 14 track album (remastered) on Bandcamp now, but need to order the CD or record to get the bonus demos, EPs, singles and bonus remixed version.

After years listening to a shitty vinyl MP3 rip, it’s a glorious experience hearing the remaster. While the original recording was flawed (so much so that fan and eventual member Nick Halliwell vowed to remix it if given the chance, which he did, on disc 2, tracks 13-26), I’m not one for revisionist history, however, and while the remix is meatier and brings other elements more up front, I prefer the more spindly, ethereal feel of the original. A great example is the opening track “Waiting For Lorraine,” which starts with a guitar riff similar to Blue Oyster Cult’s Byrdsian “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” before launching in a more up-tempo pace that’s poppy yet haunting. Elsewhere, staccato keyboards recall 1977-79 era Elvis Costello & The Attractions, new wave synths on “Sick And Tired,” and the post-Motown pop soul cover of Eden Kane’s 1964 “Boys Cry” is given some grit with Mike Finney’s textured, soulful vocals. The stop and stop riffs at the beginning of “Leave You To Dream” could easily be a Vampire Weekend song before sailing into a melodic organ-driven gem combining mod pop and Felt. “Looking For A Ghost” is truly spectral, featuring an eerie orchestral choir that Brian Wilson would have been have proud to have arranged. The lovely, languid piano intro makes you think “Valerie” will end the album slipping gently into the night. No chance of that, as within 20 seconds, it explodes into a frenetic, riotous pop punk tune.

I can understand why the album fell between the cracks. Some moments it would appeal to fans of The Jam or The Last, but others would confound them. Ideally the band would have been nurtured by their label for three or four releases to gain converts to their unique style. The band did eventually record more, with two EPs in 2010, then The End Of The Pier (2012) and Kindly Leave The Stage (2017), which sound completely different. But now we finally have the definitive, exhaustive version (if you order the CD or LP — the download is only the original 14 tracks) of the debut that’s of its time, out of time, and nearly perfect

(C) A. S. Van Dorston

Nobody's Perfect, but this reissue is - Louder Than War

This is the second half of Ian Canty's review of the Nobody's Perfect 2CD reissue at Louder Than War, which covers the all the bonus tracks. 

The Distractions – Nobody’s Perfect

By Ian Canty

The rest of the selections here are made up of their Island singles, the 'And Then There’s…' EP issued on That Records in 1981 after they left Chris Blackwell’s empire and a compilation cut Leave Me (produced by the great Richard Strange). Kingpin Steve Perrin had left the band after the exit from Island and was replaced by Arthur Kadmon (ex-Ludus). The EP in particular offers a tantalising glimpse into how The Distractions could have thrived as the 1980s went on. The horns added to Ghost Of A Chance work well, as Mike Finney was always a soul singer in truth, the R&B flavour suits the band ideally. Love Is Not For Me has some great funk jabs and Leave Me shows the subtle craft of The Distractions was still in full effect.

Disc two here goes under the title of 'Ride Your Ideas Ragged', which seeks to gather up all demos, the early singles from the band 1978-80, plus a new remix of the album by Nick Halliwell. By sidestepping any unwise modernisation, he has done wonders. Instead he subtly brings up different elements up in the sound and gently adds small but necessary fills. What he presents here a new and thrilling alternative to the 1980 mix, exposing hidden layers. This spotlights Mike’s excellent voice, but also gives a different perspective too – you can finally see the sense of Nick Stewart’s pursuit of Gary Usher (producer of The Beach Boys) to helm 'Nobody’s Perfect' hearing the harmony vocals on Leave You To Dream, or properly hear some neat bass runs on (Stuck In A) Fantasy. Mike Finney’s voice is given pride of place and this mix also offers clear perspective of the instrumental prowess at work. It all gels together wonderfully well.

Apart from the remix, there’s a lot of fun to be had on their early punky demos, with the ratty sound of the first version of Pillow Fight a real winner. The Time Goes By So Slow single, as noted above, never ages and the TJM EP finds the band limbering up the gifts at their disposal nicely. No wonder Tony Wilson jumped in. 

'Nobody’s Perfect' didn’t make the kind of mark it should have and as a consequence has remained sadly unavailable until now. This reissue is sorely needed and the booklet meets the standard set by the musical contents. Ex-NME writer, novelist and long-term advocate of the band David Quantick provides an excellent sleeve-note to set the scene and Nick Stewart explains his crucial relationship with the band. Nick Halliwell also tells us about the remix, which rounds off a fine collection.

Happily The Distractions sprang back into life in the 21st century and have since supplied us with two great belated follow-up LPs in 'The End Of The Pier' and 'Kindly Leave The Stage', from 2012 and 2017 respectively. I caught them live a year or two back and they were just brilliant, with Finney’s voice still a thing of beauty and the new version of the band spot on (see here for more). I would urge you to check them out live as you really wouldn’t want to miss the chance of seeing the songs featured here done justice, would you? Nobody’s Perfect maybe, but this reissue is.

(c) Ian Canty at Louder Than War.