Re-press. As soon as Spike discovered punk, he wasted no time forming Reptile Ranch (Walesโ own Scritti Politti), starting a label (Z Block), and releasing the compilation of the Cardiff scene, Is The War Over? After an act dropped out of the cooperatively-funded venture, Spike approached the disbanded Young Marble Giants to contribute a track or two. Bemused, they agreed to reform, and it wasnโt long before Rough Trade rang the public phone listed on the back cover of the LP to poach the combo, leading to an album which hit immediately and has inspired hundreds of artists since. All the while, Spike worked with Debbie Pritchard in a number of unheard bands - but thatโs another tale. After YMGโs breakup, singer Alison Statton started Weekend with Spike and Simon Booth, a project which saw chart success and the birth of a nouveau-retro style as individualistic as YMGโs, one later co-opted by lesser acts. Weekend, too, split after their debut album. Despite Weekend having become Alisonโs second big act, Rough Trade passed on her next project with Spike. Vinyl Japan stepped in to release the duoโs debut, Tidal Blues and other releases followed, but as real life, jobs, and children beckoned, both Alison and Spike stepped away from music . . for more than twenty years. Their return is both unexpected. Bimini Twist is the work of the two alone. Apart from some vocal tracking in a local studio to best capture Alisonโs still wondrous voice - everything was recorded in their homes, much of it โliveโ, and these new songs show the duoโs charm and diversity, featuring Alisonโs most personal lyrics and Spikeโs peculiar musical genius.
