Plankton: The First 20 Years

Description

Plankton: The First 20 Years is a multi-artist compilation featuring selected tracks by various Plankton-signed artists, independently released on Plankton Records in 1998.

Okay, so I’m a huge fan of Plankton, I admit. With most major Christian labels concentrating their efforts on US imports, good though they are, it’s great to see a label that is committed to developing the market for British artists. They may be small but over the last 20 years they’ve brought out some real classics and this CD gives a real insight into their catalogue over the years. It kicks off with two tracks from Sea Stone, the band that got it all rolling in the first place, «Rolling Stone» and «All This And A Giro Too» (Simon Law at this most Hendixesque). The album brings together classic cuts from Ben Okafor, Out Of Darkness, Catch 22, Peter Ward, Medals and many others. Of course all of Simon’s bands are included as well as Sea Stone; you’ve also got Intransit, Newshounds and a healthy dose of Fresh Claim, including a brand new song «Imagination Of Your Heart (This Is Not The End)». Of course it wouldn’t be a Plankton compilation without a spot of satire from Marc Carley, so «Jesus Is Ace» is included here as well as «The Calling» from his 1988 collaboration with Geoff Mann, ‘In Difference’. Many of the songs have never been on CD before and one or two have never been released at all before, making this a gem of an album from a label without which Greenbelt or indeed the whole British CCM scene would just not be the same. [Andy Long, Cross Rhythms, August 1998]

Independent UK Christian record label Plankton Records have released two special compilation albums to celebrate an impressive 40 years of releasing music – an achievement well worth celebrating. This first volume, ‘Plankton. The First 20 Years’ covers some of the music they released from their beginning back in May 1978, up until 1998.

Considering Plankton literally started in the month I was born, which gives away my age somewhat, there is a lot of music here that I understandably won’t remember! Starting off with a couple of tracks from Sea Stone dating back to the late 70s and early 80s, the songs are distorted guitar dominant in that Oasis/Beatles kind of way, and you can imagine them rocking the Cavern Club with their easy going vibe, traditional drums and down to earth vocals. The style moves into more of a punk sound, Sex Pistol style, for Solid Air’s «Promises Promises».

If you ever owned one of those Best Rock Anthems in the Universe Ever volume 3 compilations, well you’ll feel at home here. This is decent quality, good-old-fashioned-rock-music, back when not every song had to have electro bleeps and peeps. It’s refreshing to hear guitars sounding like proper electric guitars, and vocals that haven’t been fed through a million FX processors. Seriously, every song takes you back to that wonderful era of ‘real’ bands, with just guitars, drums and rock vocals. What’s not to like?!

Catch 22’s «Freeway To Paradise» has a more reflective, emotional, atmospheric rock feel – a bit like «In The Air Tonight» meets, well anything by Foreigner really. I have to say, I love it – I want to be stood listening to it in a crowd with lighters raised aloft (kids, that’s what we did before we had phones). Fresh Claim’s «Visions Never Sleep» shows more than a nod towards Bowie, vocally (as does the following track «The Calling» by Marc Catley & Geoff Mann), while the guitars would make Clapton proud. And what’s that I hear, the first sign of some keyboards breaking through? This track has it all.

Things take a turn as we approach the 90s, well they did didn’t they, and Zipcodes provide a more disco/pop sound on «Got My Reasons», before «Blue Blood» by Medals opens with a piano (sounds like the start of ‘that’ Evanescence song) before the driving rock guitar returns.

I’m only half way through the album and already I want to describe every song in minute details – so in the interest of keeping this on point, the excellent bass on «In Times of Rain» (Fresh Claim) is well worth a mention, as is the drumming and reggae feel of «Living In A Suitcase» (Ben Okafor).

Whilst I really shouldn’t compare every track to a 70s or 80s band it sounds like, there’s a definite Deep Purple «Smoke On The Water» vibe to the fabulous guitar intro on «Walk On The Water» by Out Of Darkness. You even get a bit of acid-jazz on «Celebrate» (True Addiction), while «Defiled» by Fresh Claim reminds me of «Come Together» (covered by everyone who’s anyone over the years).

Picking out my standout tracks is practically impossible, as there were so many songs here I loved. Yes the music takes me back to a time when I first discovered music, but that doesn’t make this irrelevant to today’s world. Preserving a crucial piece of musical history is only one factor with this album – inspiring a new generation of artists and giving them a sense of the fundamentals of what you can do with raw instruments is equally important. If you fancy discovering (or rediscovering) decent honest rock music – this album is an experience you shouldn’t miss out on. Keep an eye out of our review of the next volume in this series, ‘The Second Twenty Years’. [Loader Than The Music, November 2018]

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CD tracklist:

01. Sea Stone – Rolling Stone – 3:24
02. Sea Stone – All This and a Giro Too – 3:51
03. Solid Air – Promises Promises – 3:13
04. Intransit – Troubled Vision – 3:33
05. Catch 22 – Freeway to Paradise – 4:20
06. Pete Ward – Shameful Secret – 4:42
07. Fresh Claim – Visions Never Sleep (’92 Remix) – 3:54
08. Marc Catley & Geoff Mann – The Calling – 4:01
09. Zipcodes – Got My Reasons – 3:25
10. Medals – Blue Blood – 3:19
11. Trevor Speaks – In My Blood – 2:13
12. Fresh Claim – In Times of Rain (Over You) – 3:23
13. Marc Catley – Jesus is Ace – 2:17
14. Ben Okafor – Living in a Suitcase – 3:20
15. Out of Darkness – Walk on the Water – 4:58
16. True Addiction – Celebrate – 3:09
17. Newshounds – Come and Talk About Jesus (Chattabox Theme) – 1:38
18. Fresh Claim – Defiled – 3:04
19. Fresh Claim – Kyrie Eleison (Lord, Have Mercy) – 2:45
20. Stuart Elwin – Silhouettes & Shadows (Dox Mix) – 3:46
21. Fresh Claim – Imagination of Your Heart (This is the End) – 5:12