Psychedelic Furs

"Should God Forget" is a 1997 2-disc compilation of the British post-punk band The Psychedelic Furs. This release features not only greatest hits, but alternate tracks, obscure songs and live versions not available elsewhere. Examples of each include "Pretty In Pink" (original version), "Merry Go Round" (alternate of "Yes I Do"), a cover of "Mack the Knife" and a live cut of "Get a Room."

This triple-pack is excellent value, featuring the first three (& best) albums by Psychedlic Furs: 1980s eponymous debut, 1981's Talk Talk Talk & 82's Forever Now. The Psychedelic Furs is one of the fine debut albums of that era- up there with Crocodiles, The Affectionate Punch, Kilimanjaro, The Modern Dance & 3 Imaginary Boys. Here The Furs presented their original sound- Richard Butler's cracked Iggy Pop in hell vocals, minimal drumbeats, sinister sax, leftfield pop. It opens with the epic India- which builds up from a swirling post-punk equivalent of Led Zep (see also Echo & Bunnymen's Going UP) to a pulsing new wave rocker- a great sense of drama & the ultimate opening track (Richard Butler's almost trademark rap appearing).

In the Psychedelic Furs' early days, the band and critics alike described their sound as "beautiful chaos". It was the swirling, barely-hinged yet strangely elegant result of a two-guitar, six-man lineup of musicians whose sense of style and attitude were far more polished than their technical aptitude. That was 40 years ago.

This is a brand new album of present-past psych-pop music.
My friend, Kilda Defnut, says that Methuselah could have loved this record during his rebellious teen years, which theoretically, could have lasted for a hundred years or more.
Now, I am no Biblical scholar, but I carbon date the sound of this one to about 1965-68, give or take a radioactive isotope or two. But, to be specific, Chicago’s Lucille Furs are a new band that breathes fresh life into the very vintage sound of psych rock and Baroque pop. And they are good! They are good like The Pretty Things’ S.F. Sorrow, The Electric Prunes, Blossom Toes’ We Were Ever So Clean, The Kinks’ “Well Respected Man” and “Plastic Man,” and (holy cow!) The Beatles as they turned from “Help” to “I’m Only Sleeping.”

The “Hypnotic Pandemonium” of Lucille Furs has been alternately described as “poetic rhythm,” “sophisticated and mellow” and “dream beat-pop”. The group describes themselves simply as “baroque pop.” The Music Manual UK describes them as “one of the hottest offerings to come out of Chicago.”