Let It Bee (Double Album Anniversary Version) reviewed

Album Assessment

Voice Of The Beehive – Let It Bee   (London Data)

Gatefold vinyl and double CD

Out now

‘Marking the thirty fifth anniversary of one of many 80’s most period defining albums..?’ Extra of a superb pop anomaly slightly than sometimes 80’s, says Ged Babey, of the sister-led guitar-band who ought to’ve gone on to greater issues. 

Reissued in particular new packages, ‘Let It Bee’ can be out there as a 2x CD in digipak with 36 web page booklet, ‘Bee-sides’, dwell tracks and demos. Or, as a 1x LP gatefold honey yellow vinyl with new liner notes from Tracey Belland.

I had virtually forgotten how good Voice of the Beehive have been. An incredible dwell band too.

On the time, 1988, they have been by no means fairly thought to be ‘innovative’ or extremely cool, just like the Jesus and Mary Chain or Cocteau Twins say. However a riot of color, positivity and catchy tunes they have been a Youngsters TV and High of the Pops type of band  – that means extra enjoyable and thrilling than anyone else on the present, with a touch of unpredictability with their unrehearsed ‘dance routines’.

I Say Nothing and Don’t Name Me Child have been the 2 Huge Hits – and sound timelessly sensible nonetheless, however the much less profitable I Stroll The Earth tops them each.

The unique Let It Bee album I had on cassette and it spent extra time in my spouse’s in-car tape-deck than on the home-stereo. Appropriately sufficient maybe because the final monitor was the excellent There’s A Barbarian In The Again of my Automobile – a co-write with Zodiac Mindwarp – and essentially the most rockin’ track on the album, full with curiously bleeped out expletive.

Voice of The Beehive additionally had a mellow and melancholy facet with the slower, melodic Sorrow Floats and The Man In The Moon.   They have been as a lot a throwback to the Sixties concord of bands just like the Mamas & The Papas as a sparky Go-Go’s influenced new wave band.  The success of kooky one-offs the B-52’s meant there was certain to be an viewers for them and the Insanity connection meant instantaneous consideration from radio and music press.

Cynically maybe, they have been considered as a music-biz band slightly than struggling unbiased artists like say, the Primitives, however at the very least they weren’t artless, apparent fame-chasers like Transvision Vamp. The nation affect and layered harmonies meant they’d extra of a kinship with the late, nice Kirsty MacColl. With the advantage of hindsight, Voice of the Beehive, have been a incredible and under-appreciated band.

Because the press launch says…

Fashioned by sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland in California in 1986 the duo fled the sleazy politics of the American music trade in favour of exploring the British indie scene. Teaming up with ex-Insanity members Mark Bedford and Daniel ‘Woody’ Woodgate together with Mike Jones and Martin Brett, they shaped Voice Of The Beehive. With a sunny exterior of glowing guitars, an lively rhythm part and lyrics that reveal each youthful optimism and a slicing cynicism, they went on to attain a sequence of 5 prime 40 hits.

With its acerbic wit, sexual politics and outsider power, ‘Let It Bee’ kicks in opposition to the pricks with all of the self-empowered efficiency of the modern pop firmament.

The highly effective dwell chops of the band, mixed with the power and stage presence of Tracey and Melissa, made Voice of the Beehive indie darlings and one of many hottest dwell bands on the London scene. These two swinging Californian ponytails, dressed within the day’s most interesting dayglo, bangles, and Doc Martens, made Voice of The Beehive irresistible to report label drones circling the honey pot. Below the wing supervisor Andy Ross, they launched debut single Only a Metropolis on his Meals label after which signed to London Data for his or her debut album.

In addition to being constants in music weeklies NME and Melody Maker, the sister’s vibrant garments and interesting personalities have been made for late 80s TV, with the TV AM sofa, High of the Pops and a hungover look on seminal youngsters’s TV present The Large Awake Membership, serving to propel their singles I Say Nothing and Don’t Name Me Child into the High 40.

There was much more to the band than met the attention, as significantly the two CD version reveals:

Their selection of canopy variations on numerous classes and b-sides have been indicative of a breadth in style and an ear for a track they may make their very own.  The Velvet Undergrounds Jesus is a spine-tingly stunning model and the Comsat Angels Independence Day takes a cult traditional and provides it pop sparkle while retaining it’s angst and funky.

A model of Blondies In The Flesh is notice excellent however can’t enhance on perfection, simply match it.  A model of 5 Toes Excessive & Rising is enjoyable however a canopy of Led Zeppelin’s D’ya Maker is a puzzling concept which turns a naff track into gold.

I by no means knew that the Beehive sisters had a dad who was beforehand in American doo-wop act The 4 Preps, which explains their love of all types of types of music from throughout the a long time.  This was the bands power, however maybe partly why they didn’t have extra success. They didn’t hop aboard any passing developments or bandwagons and caught to conventional first rate song-writing.

The press launch notes the ‘sexual politics’ within the sisters lyrics.  It was just about taken without any consideration within the 80’s that younger ladies ‘impressed by punk’ to some extent, had a no-bullshit angle to sexism.  The songs are extra relatable accounts of relationships with Don’t Name Me Child being about friendship with an ex with a brand new girlfriend, slightly than a millie-tant diatribe. I Say Nothing disses indiscreet gossip-girls. The track lyrics have been good, sussed and funky principally.

Tattoo Music may be very attention-grabbing from a socio-historical viewpoint – the feminine narrator needs a tattoo of her loved-ones face as an alternative of a marriage – in order that when he’s (inevitably gone or) away she will keep in mind his face. Pre-dating the celeb tattoo growth and mainstreaming of ink.

The incredible sleeve notes by Tracy give background to the songs and the bands back-story.  There’s a nice story about Zodiac Mindwarp, who was an entire sweetie it seems.

There are some first rate dwell variations and the odd unreleased monitor, like Cartoon Metropolis and total this can be a actually robust reissue – nostalgia and timeless music. A band who weren’t as broadly appreciated as they need to’ve been and the expanded Let It Bee appears to include all their greatest work.  It’s a buzz, cock.

Purchase from selection of shops

All phrases Ged Babey