Colossal Youth

Recording

Colossal Youth was recorded in five days at Foel Studios, located near Welshpool in North Wales. Young Marble Giants had no prior knowledge of formal music production and as a result the production on Colossal Youth was kept deliberately simple, with the band utilizing many of their first takes on the record and minimal overdubbing. The only two overdubs on the record are a slide guitar on "Include Me Out" and distorted vocals on "Eating Noddemix".

Influence

According to critic Richie Unterberger, Colossal Youth is "one of the most highly regarded indie cult post-punk recordings, with a unique hushed and minimal atmosphere." Nirvana singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain said in a 1992 Melody Maker interview that Colossal Youth was one of the five most influential records he had ever heard, and he also included the album in a list of his top 50 albums in a 1993 journal. Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, would later record "Credit in the Straight World" with her band Hole in their second album, Live Through This, released in 1994.

"This music relaxes you, it's total atmospherics. It's just nice, pleasant music. I love it. The drum machine has to have the cheesiest sound ever. We're going to be on a Young Marble Giants compilation, doing 'Credit in the Straight World'. I had a crush on the singer for a while—didn't everyone? "I didn't know much about them—the Moxham brothers, right? I heard they might be getting back together again recently. (NB: Stuart Moxham just produced one side of the new Beat Happening album [You Turn Me On, 1992], another of Kurt's favorite bands). Isn't it weird how, when you hear something like that, you still get excited, even though you know you shouldn't? "I first heard Colossal Youth on the radio, after I started getting into K music when I lived in Olympia. It was a year before I put out the Bleach album." —Kurt Cobain

In May 2009, the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.

Track listing

All songs written by Stuart Moxham, except where noted.

1. "Searching for Mr. Right" – 3:03
2. "Include Me Out" – 2:01
3. "The Taxi" – 2:07
4. "Eating Noddemix" (Phillip Moxham, Alison Statton) – 2:04
5. "Constantly Changing" – 2:04
6. "N.I.T.A." – 3:31
7. "Colossal Youth" – 1:54
8. "Music for Evenings" – 3:02
9. "The Man Amplifier" – 3:15
10. "Choci Loni" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 2:37
11. "Wurlitzer Jukebox" – 2:45
12. "Salad Days" (S. Moxham, Statton) – 2:01
13. "Credit in the Straight World" – 2:29
14. "Brand - New - Life" – 2:55
15. "Wind in the Rigging" – 2:25

The re-release includes the following bonus tracks, taken from the "Final Day" single, Testcard EP, and some B-sides:

16. "This Way" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:41
17. "Posed by Models" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:25
18. "Clock" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:39
19. "Clicktalk" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 2:42
20. "Zebra Trucks" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:33
21. "Sporting Life" (S. Moxham, P. Moxham) – 1:04
22. "Final Day" – 1:43
23. "Radio Silents" – 1:53
24. "Cake Walking" – 2:49
25. "Ode to Booker T" – 3:03

Personnel

Alison Statton – vocals

Stuart Moxham – guitar and organ

Philip Moxham – bass