album // Mute Bank Compilation
This compilation was released, presumably as a mail-order
only item, to promote Mute Records's direct store,
Mute Bank. Mute Bank was based at 429 Harrow Road
in London, Mute's HQ for many years which also housed their Worldwide
studio. Upon the establishment of Mute Bank, it was easier than
ever before to mine the Mute back catalogue, with the label releasing
two supporting glossy catalogues containing a wealth of biographical
information on their artists as well as full discographies of the
label's releases.
Key to Mute Bank's initial appeal was the legend,
included in Mute Bank Compilation's CD booklet, 'You are invited
to visit us at this address.' The notion of being able to nip along
to Mute's offices to pick up some much-coveted release from one
of their myriad artists was, to a fan living outside of London,
absolutely fascinating. Sadly, with Mute's relocation from 429 Harrow
Road sometime into the EMI ownership, Mute Bank ceased to be open
to visitors, and now exists only as a web shop fulfilled by recordstore.co.uk
(whose registered address in Wright's Lane, in the shadow of Harrods
and Harvey Nicols, is also Mute Artists' offices).
My friend Andy provided me with an insight into
what a visit to Mute Bank was like. 'I went once to buy Erasure
12”s. You had to buzz the front door to Mute and the receptionist
let you into the small reception. There was an area to the left
on the ground floor, which is where they stored the Mute Bank stock,
but you weren't allowed in there. Me and a friend sat on the seats
in the window which were on top of radiators waiting for the stock
to come out. They also used to have window displays there occasionally,
and I remember there being a massive thing to promote an Erasure
I Say, I Say, I Say release, with lots of sunflowers in
the style of the 'Run To The Sun' sleeve artwork. I think David
Baker from I Start Counting / Fortran
5 / Komputer was in there at reception
talking to someone about synths.'
Mute Bank Compilation is an extensive, 33-track
exploration of the Mute back catalogue, and also features some contributions
from the catalogues of The Grey Area, Blast
First, NovaMute and Thirteenth
Hour Recordings sub-labels. As a showcase for an indie
label at the absolute pinnacle of their importance, Mute Bank
Compilation is an excellent introduction to Mute's enduring
appeal. There are, however, no exclusives, unless you count the
version of Depeche Mode's 'Walking In My Shoes'
from Songs Of Faith And Devotion Live which fades in and
out at either end or the Video Edit of Juno Reactor's
sublime 'High Energy Protons'. But if, like me, you're a completist
sucker for all things Mute, this could be for you.
2xcd:
1.1. Barry Adamson 'The Snowball Effect'
1.2. The Balanescu Quartet 'The Model'
1.3. Simon Bonney 'Don't Walk Away From Love'
1.4. Cabaret Voltaire 'Nag Nag Nag'
1.5. Can 'Mushroom'
1.6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 'Nobody's Baby Now'
1.7. Depeche Mode 'Walking In My Shoes'
1.8. Dinosaur Jr 'Freak Scene'
1.9. Einstürzende Neubauten & Anita Lane 'Blume'
1.10. Erasure 'Always'
1.11. Fortran 5 'Time To Dream (Original Version)'
1.12. Diamanda Galas 'You're Mine'
1.13. Holger Hiller 'Whippets'
1.14. Inspiral Carpets 'Saturn 5'
1.15. Juno Reactor 'High Energy Protons (Video Edit)'
1.16. Laibach 'The Final Countdown (Euro Mix)'
1.17. Miranda Sex Garden 'Peepshow'
1.18. Moby 'Feeling So Real (Edit)'
2.1 Nitzer Ebb 'Kick It'
2.2 Non 'Cleanliness And Order'
2.3 Parallax 'Push For The Love Of Life (Savage Mix)'
2.4 Plastikman 'Plastique (Short Mix)
2.5 Rancho Diablo 'Chicken World'
2.6 Renegade Soundwave 'Positive ID'
2.7 Rosa Mota 'Hopey (Rerecorded Single Version)'
2.8 Sonic Youth 'Teen Age Riot'
2.9 SPK 'In Flagrante Delicto (Excerpt From)'
2.10 Mark Stewart 'Hysteria'
2.11 3. Phase 'Voo Doo Pop'
2.12 Throbbing Gristle 'Hot On The Heels Of Love'
2.13 Frank Tovey & The Pyros 'The Liberty Tree'
2.14 Wire 'Kidney Bingos'
2.15 Yazoo 'Winter Kills'
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