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The live cuts have that somewhat flat sonic quality that characterizes such recordings of the era, but that doesn’t detract form the music: the band’s passion and energy shines brightly. Some dodgy drum machines on the demos notwithstanding, the fidelity of these tracks is quite good. The disc is stuffed with 20 tracks: demos from 1985, live recordings form New York, Stockholm, Hamburg and elsewhere from the mid ‘80s and the like. The third disc in this collection (produced and compiled by Thomas and late-period True West drummer Jim Huie) features all previously unreleased material. The quality of these songs begs the question: Why wasn’t this album more of a success on original release? And while True West’s cover of The Yardbirds’ “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” doesn’t reinvent the song, it’s still a thrill. “Trim the Fat” sounds like an American answer to Hoodoo Gurus. Anyone who appreciates Dream Syndicate’s sinewy guitar work will appreciate the like-minded approach (with a bit more twang) of True West. “The Gunner” sounds more than a little bit like Rain Parade crossed with Revolver-era Beatles, but hey: is that a bad thing? It is not.

There’s a pop sheen to cuts like :”Falling Away,” but the tasty slide guitar that anchors the song showcases the country/psych/rock aesthetic of the band. Hand of Fate continues with the polished production approach, but it actually works even better here than before.

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Disc Two includes all of that record, adding related singles and b-sides plus a half-dozen demos from the same period. True West’s second album, 1986’s Hand of Fate had never received a CD release until this set. Three songs from sessions led by Verlaine round out the first disc they showcase more of the spirit of the debut EP. The production aesthetic on the Drifters material is more polished (and a bit less immediate) than the EP, but the approach shows the band to very good effect. Still, the best of the early cuts is an original, “And Then the Rain.” But many other songs compete for that honor. Of special note is a reading of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd’s “Lucifer Sam.” And while most of True West’s recordings are original songs (from the pen of guitarist Russ Tolman), ace covers figure into the mix as well. Elements of jangle-rock, psych and proto-cowpunk are hallmarks of the music. Produced variously by the band with Steve Wynn, Paul Mandel or Tom Verlaine, these show True West’s character and stylistic expanse. This set ambitiously collects the lion’s share of True West’s recorded output, adding a number of relevant rarities.ĭisc One features the entirety of the band’s self-titled 1983 EP, their long-playing debut Drifters (1984) and several related tracks. In large part, we have my friend and colleague Pat Thomas to thank for putting together (and seeing to the release of) a new and sprawling 3CD set called Kaleidoscope of Shadows: The Story So Far. So while I was a major fan of many of the so-called Paisley Underground bands – Long Ryders, Dream Syndicate, Bangles, Green on Red, etc. Still, I’m pleased when a new one appears on the domestic market, because try as I might, I simply couldn’t keep up with all of the great music that was being made and released in my younger days. (Perhaps because licensing laws are more favorable to the practice, the UK market remains ripe for reissues and the like.) And bands well-known and comparatively obscure – from The Beatles to Love – have seen their archives explored in great depth, bringing forth all manner of previously unheard material. music marketplace, that movement has largely petered out in recent years one doesn’t see compilations like Rhino’s 4CD Nuggets any more.

Chief among those was the archival movement: compilations and reissues of (often) long-lost or forgotten music that deserved wider hearing on its first go-round. Even among vinyl aficionados like myself, there’s an acknowledgment that the CD era brought with it some important benefits.