Emodrill Bang

Deluxe six CD box, boasting the entire recorded output of Biff Bang Pow! With the bonus of everything issued by The Laughing Apple. Curated with the full support of Alan McGee and other band members, the clamshell set also adds a raft of previously unissued demos and live material. Plus tracks from an abandoned album, Sixteen Velvet Fridays and a handful of previously undocumented songs. And a Laughing Apple CD also adds some hitherto unheard demos by Alan with the band Newspeak (pre-Laughing Apple). This is the ultimate tribute to one of the unsung talents of the C86 generation of indie bands. Biff Bang Pow! Were formed by Alan McGee around the same time he founded Creation Records in 1983. Biff Bang Pow! Made seven albums and a handful of singles - many of which were indie hits - before they finally dissolved in 1992.

Billy Bang long ago earned his reputation as an engaging leader and violin soloist in avant-garde circles. Luckily that has not stifled his abilities and ambition to play in more straight-ahead settings as he does on Big Bang Theory…

Violinist Billy Bang is equally at home whether performing heady, modern-jazz-style improvisation or when churning out a straightforward swing vibe within mainstream contexts. Here, saxophonist/flutist Sonny Fortune, pianist John Hicks, and others lend their wares to this generally invigorating 2001 production. Based upon his Vietnam War experiences, Bang and associates meld Southeast Asian modalities with Western scales and bouncy swing vamps amid a few tenderly executed ballads…

Violinist Billy Bang uses the same instrumentation on this set as on his previous The Fire From Within, although his sextet had two new members: trumpeter Roy Campbell and drummer Zen Matsuura. A more rhythmic album, this melodic avant-garde set rewards repeated listenings and has an impressive amount of variety.