The Lords Of The New Church - The Method to Our Madness (2016) [HDtracks]

Phrases don't get much more oxymoronic than "punk supergroup," but there's no getting around it: The Lords of the New Church had a pedigree no punk band could match. Lead singer Stiv Bators had spearheaded the Dead Boys, one of America's preeminent young, loud and snotty outfits, while guitarist Brian James was the guitarist for the Damned, who, along with the Pistols and the Clash, were in the first wave and first rank of Britain's punk groups. The rest of the band were no slouches, either; bassist Dave Tregugna and drummer Nick Turner hailed from Sham 69 and the Barracudas, respectively, two acts not quite as hallowed but each highly-esteemed. Anticipation was high among the leather jacket and Mohawk set, therefore, when their debut album came out in 1982, but the Lords, secure in their punk bona-fides, brought a highly stylized look and a new melodic polish to the music, which alienated some followers but brought a whole new element into their fan base. Furthermore, what the music lacked in fury, the band made up for with incendiary live shows which often ended up with Bators doing physical harm to himself (and reputedly being clinically dead for several minutes after one gig). Now, Real Gone Music is reissuing The Method to Our Madness, the third album and last with the original line-up, from this seminal post-punk group, complete with notes by Scott Schinder. Out of print for years time to fill a gaping hole in your post-punk collection.