That Petrol Emotion

Every Future Has A Beginning: An Anthology 1984-1994

DEMON Wiry if workmanlike 121-track career compilation.

One can’t help wondering how That Petrol Emotion might have sounded if comedic fisherman Paul Whitehouse hadn’t failed his audition to be their vocalist. (In fairness, he was inebriated on the day).

The band chugged away for a decade, never quite swept up by any movement, gathering a loyal fan base and great reviews but no crossover traction. For devotees they boldly burned pathways through alt.rock, indie and early sampling, foreseeing Madchester’s baggy scene.

For laymen they tried a bit of everything but none of it quite stuck. The Northern Irish, London-based band, formed by the O’Neill brothers from The Undertones, gave their American singer solid melodies and muscular, practical riffs to work with. Crisp pop songs like Big Decision and It’s A Good Thing broke free of the moorings of the compressed production.

This anthology, curated by the band, brings seven discs – their five albums, one live, plus a generous dollop of B-sides, remixes and fan club-only releases – with a book and memorabilia. Those album titles – Manic Pop Thrill, Babble, End Of The Millennium Psychosis Blues, Chemicrazy, Fireproof – suggest intentions that may have come across in concerts; a will to start fires. Certainly they weren’t shy of political statements. The records, though, generally feel reined in and repressed, conveying a sense that they’d have loved to cut loose and stray from standard structures. It’s on the third album that they hit their best groove, with Cellophane and Candy Love Satellite fusing passion and fun. In those moments they’re cooking with gas.