Rather like THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, Boston's MISSION OF BURMA'S posthumous reputation precedes them, with a glut of fantastic American performers ranging from HUSKER DU, SONIC YOUTH and REM (whose "Green" Tour featured an impassioned reading of "Academy Fight Song") citing them as a vital influence.
In many respects, Burma are the cult band personified, leaving behind a small, but tantalisingly well formed back catalogue (only officially one full-length LP, a couple of EPS and singles, mostly for the Ace Of Hearts label) and imploding before their quality control could wane in the early 1980s. However, Burma called it a day because of guitarist/ vocalist ROGER MILLER'S serious hearing impairment (not a death, thankfully) and the fact that the original quartet have finally reformed to play the 2002 ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES event and more has given Rykodisc the opportunity to re-issue their canon again.
We're hoping to also cover both "Vs" and "The Horrible Truth About Burma"CDS, but for starters you need to immerse yourself in "Signals, Calls And Marches" as it includes both "Academy Fight Song" and "That's When I Reach For My Revolver", arguably MISSION OF BURMA'S most famous songs - the latter probably more by association, as MOBY and GRAHAM COXON have recorded covers during the past five years or so.
Even though your reviewer's already well versed in Burma lore, coming cold to "Signals…" after a lay off is still a revelatory experience. Indeed, as soon as Burma crunch into that menacing staccato intro to "Academy Fight Song," the old ears are pricking up.
There's not a millimetre of slack here. MISSION OF BURMA purveyed an ultra-tight new wave sound, with an appropriately militaristic, drilled hardcore edge. PETER PRESCOTT'S scattershot drumming and CLINT CONLEY'S metronomic bass relentlessly drive proceedings along, with MILLER'S shellshocked guitar detonations and the trio's barked vocals keeping the adrenaline pumping furiously.
The fourth Burma member, MARTIN SWOPE, was their secret weapon. Although PERE UBU had already patented the "great tunes intercut with weird noisy shit" approach to perfection until after "Dub Housing", Swope was the first full-time tape loop operator/ manipulator to work with a rock band. Live, he would filter his sounds into the band's melting pot from a booth at the far end of the hall, and on record his contributions are every bit as telling. On "Academy Fight Song" his looming FX shadow the song's melody lines and on "Red" his otherworldly theremin-style interruptions take the track to another plane altogether.
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As the band's moniker suggests, however, MISSION OF BURMA operated as a troop with everyone's input essential to the plot. Miller had the larger quota of song writing credits, although bassist Conley wrote "Academy…" and "…Revolver". Cop a listen to "Outlaw," though, with its' bitten - off, bucking riffs and Prescott's nervy, disco drumming and tell me you've heard a half dozen outfits with a frisson of this excitement in the past twelve months. Go on. Bet you can't!
As I suggested earlier, MISSION OF BURMA were unfortunately curtailed prematurely by Miller's hearing problem in the early 1980s, although Prescott went on to make thought provoking records with VOLCANO SUNS, and later Swope teamed up with Miller (on keyboards) for EXQUISITE CORPSE.
These are all other stories, though. "Signals, Calls And Marches" is your first port of call, soldier. So don't ask questions of rank, just obey orders. You'll be glad you did. As they suggest during "Academy Fight Song", this music "has a strange allure."
They're not wrong. It intensifies with time, too.
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