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The Comsat Angels Album Reviews 4out of 5
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From Beyond 2

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Subtitled as a compilation of Sheffield's finest post-punk enthusiasts between the years 1987-1995, From Beyond 2 assembles cuts from the albums released during that period with unreleased versions and varius offshoots of the band thrown in for good measure. As is often the case though, the best tracks have been heard before and what fine tracks they are. Whereas their contemporaries U2 achieved success with bombast and over-the-top arrangements to achieve success and Echo And The Bunnymen created orchestrated soundscapes, the Comsats became a reliable band which concentrated on producing fine music rather than personality and gimmicks. Although their first three albums released between 1980 and 1982 formed a remarkable body of work, 1991's 'My Minds Eye' demonstrated real, undiminished ability; augmented by understated guitar and glacial keyboard textures tracks like 'Mystery Plane', 'Always Near' (acoustic mix on this compilation) and the simply exquisite 'Shiva Descending' were dark, mysterious and utterly memorable but were never really destined for chart success. Their last proper album was sporadically very good and two of the best tracks are cherry-picked here with the more rock-oriented 'Valley Of The Nile' and the sparser but no less impressive 'Sailor'. Despite being perennial underachievers in commercial stakes (although they were very popular in the Benelux region) there is a happy ending to the story with, most notably, Kevin Bacon producing for the likes of Finley Quaye and Ian Brown whilst the others continue to be heavily involved in the music world in one way or another.
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  Track Listing
01 A Sound
02 My Minds Eye
03 I Hear A New World
04 Mystery Plane
05 Always Near
06 Ice Sculpture
07 Goddess
08 Valley Of The Nile (Acoustic Mix)
09 Venus Hunter (Demo Version)
Standout Track Shiva Descending
11 I Wanna Destroy You
12 Sailor
13 Waves (By Steve Fellows)
14 Not Yours (By Bacon & Quarmby)
15 We Must Be Bad

Standout Track = Standout Track

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Weblink:
http://www.comsatangels.net/
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Also Recommended:
Bell Hollow - Bell Hollow, Sons Of The Burgess Shale
Calla - Televise, Collisions
Comsat Angels, The - Waiting For A Miracle, Sleep No More, Fiction, Land, 7 Day Weekend, My Minds Eye
Lucy Show, The - Mania
Mission, The - Aura
Sad Lovers And Giants - E-mail From Eternity: The Best Of Sad Lovers And Giants
Stills, The - Logic Will Break Your Heart
Whipping Boy - Whipping Boy
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