This labour of love from the seminal New York duo’s manager Paul Smith and long-time UK champion Howard Thompson, who had the fortunate habit of capturing their confrontational live shows on his trusty cassette recorder, spreads 13 sets over six CDs. It could be seen as a daunting prospect and will certainly bemuse non-fans but devotees of the outfit who, in effect, pioneered electronic dance music and tamed the machines its made on, will enrapture true believers. 30 years on Suicide still sound like nothing on Earth although proudly imbued with New York street culture from Alan Vega’s gutter howling to Marty Rev’s beloved street corner doowop. The box, which comes with fabulous memorabilia-stuffed booklet, includes the infamous ’23 Minutes Over Brussels’ riot and their missile-strewn Music Machine appearance supporting The Clash, both up there with Iggy’s Metallic K.O. for artist-audience conflict. The lo-fi sound quality picks up the crowd noise but the wwaves of booing and cvatcalls add to the edgy atmosphere. Even eleven versions of ‘Ghostrider’ or ‘Rocket USA’ don’t pall as each set, from CBGBs to Berlin, is wildly-different, each underscoring how Suicide fearlessly went where no one had dared go before and haven’t since, even though some have tried. It’s also the ultimate punk rock artefact. An awesome body of pure history.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs