No Rock And Roll Fun

FACTORY CLOSING SALE: One of the worst things about the closure of any label is not so much the way hubris can be so fattening, but the way that the collapse of even the most bloated, self-important label can take decent stuff into the netherworld of deleted back catalogue. For example, when Factory closed, the world lost the imprint that was keeping Cath Carrol's work to date on the order books. The good news is that England Made Me has received a re-release on the Les Temps Modernes label. BossaNova and Salsa refracted through the Mancunian rain, England Made Me was first released in '91 and sounded deliciously unexpected then; that it still manages to shake you and seem fresh is as much a condemnation of the last ten years of pop as it is a tribute to Cath's undoubted talents. The re-release comes just before a step even further back, with the release of Peel Sessions from Cath's old band Miaow, and a jump forward, with fresh new material.
Prior to checking some details for this piece, I had no idea Unrest had recorded a tribute song to Cath called Cath Carrol. Which is a good name for it, when you think of it.