Product Description Originally released as an EP in the early nineties. This one has extra tracks to make it a full length. Review After the band reformed in the late '90s, Better Youth Organization began releasing both new and reissued albums from Leatherface to popular and critical acclaim. The first reissue was their first album, Cherry Knowle, which demonstrated a band trying to form a musical force by melding elements from Motorhead and Husker Du, usually to rather bland punk metallic success. The second reissue from BYO is the final album by Leatherface in the band's first incarnation; recorded in December 1993 within a month or two of their initial breakup, the album is appropriately called The Last. The original release had only eight tracks, ending up with Ba Ba Ba Ba Boo, Frankie Stubbs' goofy send-up of early Tom Waits. The original album provided some of the best substance for a comparision to Husker Du; note the seventh track, Winsome, Losesome, sung by drummer Andrew Laing with a clearer and slightly higher-register voice than the usual gruff and hoarse-voiced lead man Stubbs. Every other track of the original eight album songs are damned good, from Little White God on. Daylight Comes is the highlight, performed with onrushing speed and capped off by Laing's frenzied use of the double bass pedal. On the other side of the reissue are eight additional songs recorded without the other guitarist, Dickie Hammond, and swapping Chris Mackintosh for Laing behind the drums. Recorded in June 1994 in France, these additional tracks add little to the legacy of Leatherface, providing little else than uninspired B-side material and coming close to making a caricature of the band's sound, almost harking back to their mediocre punk metal first album. After The Last, the members of Leatherface went their separate ways, before bassist Andy Crighton's suicide in 1998 brought the surviving group back together to record both a split LP with Hot Water Music and the full-length Horsebox, which would prove to be some of the greatest music they'd ever made. --Jeremy Salmon, All Music Guide
W**K
Equally brilliant and frustrating
Leatherface's posthumous (well, at the time anyway) "The Last" was a double-edged sword: the music was the strongest and most imaginative of an already brilliant career, true, but the record was never finished. What you have here is the quartet's final six studio recordings, plus two more tracks swiped from the prior "Mackem Bastards" single. Those two aren't much (a Snuff cover and a Louie Armstrong imitation), but the other six are breathtaking. "Little White God" remains stupefying: reggae-influenced, sure, but no neo-ska nonsense to speak of. "Daylight Comes" remains one of the band's finest straight-punk songs, but the truly show-stopping moment is the one that breaks the mold: "Shipyards", with nothing more than piano, bass and drums backing Frankie Stubbs' one-of-a-kind voice and insightful lyrics. Truly breathtaking.Is "The Last" worth the import dime? Absolutely, especially in terms of quality-over-quantity. But be sure to save some of your allowance for "Horsebox", their forthcoming new LP, because it truly fufills "The Last"'s enormous promise.
B**E
Finally back in print - with a little bonus for the fans!
It's about time this cd was available domestically. But instead of just putting out the original print of The Last, BYO decided to up the ante and put in the Pope (Frank Stubbs first post-Leatherface project) record in as well. All in all this is a great cd for the fans.Track by track there is a lot of bittersweet songs on this cd. Little White God, the discs opener (and my personal favorite song) is a story about Heroin abuse. And the Pope songs continue the theme presented in The Last. Overall though there is a feeling of hopefulness perhaps in Stubbs' trademark gritty vocals, that leave the listener with a warm feeling. There is a reason that this band is revered in the underground, and this cd just proves it further.
C**S
Five Stars
sweet score from one of my fav bands
J**I
Super Psychedelic , no flower, just POWER
CD arrived fast. I first bought this on vinyl in 1996- 3 guitars, 2 drums & a bass. Sadly few people know about this album, recorded in Toe Rag Studio London, where many 'big names' record now (Jack White etc). I guess it may be too much for some peoples ears, but the musicianship is totally STAGGERING- smartly put together. This will easily run rings around much of the best music out there. It is Raw Spirit captured in studio. If you like to fly 'Hard' then give this album the air space it deserves. I hope Candle Mambo can find some more copies of this incredible album so that more folks get to hear it. Play it LOUD & listen out for the guitar trickery & bang on timing. This one truly RUMBLES- GET IT!!
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