Then Jerico were heart-throbs to many, a group who landed their recording contract with London Records following a performance at New York’s Limelight Club in 1983. It’s shortly after this that the wider public were introduced to the band, releasing their debut single ‘The Big Sweep’ in 1985. A year when movie director John Hughes released the film The Breakfast Club, which became a movie for a generation. I reference said film because when listening to ‘The Big Sweep’ for the first time in nearly 40 years, I realise just how much it had the feel of the numbers used on its soundtrack. Not surprising I suppose, as coming from the same time, artists would feed off the looks and sounds available. But what was surprising is that the band weren’t to release their debut album for a further 2 years.
This, then, is a suitable time to start our journey, with the CD boxset produced by Cherry Red providing the band’s output for London Records, collected here across 4 CDs. Their debut album, released in 1987 is First (The Sound Of Music). This is less Breakfast Club, and more Pretty In Pink, the feel of the record possessing a similarity to The Psychedelic Furs. It is less the typical teenage album, and more of a damn good rock LP. It held 10 tracks, but excluded the band’s first two singles, albeit comprised their following four. It wasn’t that ‘…Big Sweep’, or ‘Fault’, weren’t good singles, but perhaps they wanted to develop their own sound, rather than being accused by critics like myself of hanging on a certain other band’s coat-tails.
Well it worked. The third single ‘Muscle Deep’ spoke big-time for the band and their sixth single ‘The Motive’ finally broke the UK top 20. The additional seven tracks that are featured here, apart from their first aforementioned two singles, include the Tokyo Mix of ‘Blessed Days’ and the Dub version of ‘Fault’, remixed by Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer Julian Mendelsohn, a favoured engineer of mine. To continue, we also get the 7 inch of ‘The Motive’, as well as an extended version to ‘Prairie Rose’. This is the incarnation of the album that should have seen its release in 1987, but would have seen the album becoming a double. So all these later, on CD, it realises its true worth. The production on those early singles are as wide as the shoulder pads that were popular at the time and the remixes varied with an airy feel. Disc 2 continues on the theme of the first album, including further remixes, B-sides and live versions. The second disc does play as if it were an extension to the album, those additional tracks slotting in perfectly. The additional tracks, B-sides and remixed versions, having been written at a similar time, makes this an engaging listen.
The third disc introduces the band’s second album, Big Area, and, in 1989, this was where I finally succumbed to the band. Just hearing the album’s title track was enough. I have spoken of the airy element produced by the band; well again, this was something that was at work on the album’s title track, sliding guitar solos, with Mark’s vocals following in the same vein. This saw the album beat its predecessor, reaching number four in the UK charts. Another ten track album, this time with a further six added – a collection of B-sides and remixes and unlike the single-heavy First (The Sound Of Music), only had 3 singles that were taken from it.
With the second of those,‘What Does It Take?’, features the shared vocal of Belinda Carlisle, and this expanded version again adds to this by featuring remixes and B-sides. The first of these is ‘Trampled Underfoot’ and whereas this Led Zeppelin cover is a recording that might have been resigned to the status of a B-side or bonus track,‘What Does It Take’ and ’Sugar Box’, are great tracks in themselves, making this collection a worthwhile resource.
Following these first three discs, covering the band’s recorded output for London Records, the collection takes it one stage further, by assembling From The Vaults. This sees more obscure mixes and demos, along with regular versions of the singles, and mixes made for the US market, some of which have been released on CD for the first time. On this fourth disc we hear what has been called the Nightmare Mix to The Motive, an interesting title and although being over six and a half minutes, didn’t quite live up to its title. I was expecting something a little more. More satisfying are the USA Remixes of ‘Let Her Fall’ and ‘The Motive’. Coming to the final tracks featured, these are the demo versions taken from the First (The Sound Of Music) period, with the exception of ‘The Word’ (this particular track was featured as a live version on the second disc). These demo versions offer what I hear as a playful element to the performance. These are in no way rough, but rather feature what might be seen as a near-finished quality, the best moments arguably being ‘Quiet Place’, another track with an airy quality and the track that follows, ‘Play Dead’, featuring a greater Celtic quality than the album version. Interestingly it’s the final track here ‘The Motive’, that begins to sound like a demo, almost as if you are sitting behind the mixing desk, displaying the eloquence of production.
I might be accused of referring to these expanded editions, provided by Cherry Red as being the best thing since sliced bread, but I find it worthwhile to hear tracks provided this way. As someone who grew up locating remixes and alternate versions of songs, it’s good to have these collected in one place and in some cases released for the first time on CD. Then Jerico continues as a band, but with vocalist Mark Shaw as the remaining member.
Before The Future… is an exceptional release, collecting these versions together, a worthwhile exercise for hopeless record collectors and critics like myself.
