Review:

on 2011-02-20 CharlesMartel Said:

Compilations get a bad rap from purists. Somehow they are seen by purists as not the real thing. A collection of tasters for people who want to dip into a band without really getting into them. I have always thought this unfair. Lately, a number of compilations have been released which go beyond that, however, and are more appropriately classified as anthologies. "Stepping out of Line" is one such anthology - it combines the first two studio albums by the band together with rarities, B-Sides, sessions and demos. 37 tracks in all, in one album. Now tell me, who would not go for something like this?



The Au Pairs were something different. Out of the chaos that was punk emerged a new breed of angry young men and, occasionally, women. The fanciful revolution had failed to achieve and the new breed were usually more thoughtful, introspective and had a darker take on the world in which they lived. Starting with Joy Division, the post punks, as they would later be called, shaped British independent music scene for over a decade and some would argue their influence is still felt today.



The Au Pairs took their musical lead from the Gang of Four, with the same stark and sharp guitars, only overlaying a more rhythmic, often danceable beat. The difference was that they were passionately feminist and, in Lesley Wood, had one of the few openly lesbian musicians in the business. Their first album, "Playing With A Different Sex", was able to display the band in a positive light and remains their outstanding work. The result of the melding of the ideology and the music was a feminist political message overlaying a taut rhythm section with some great tunes. Tracks such as "Diet", "It's Obvious" and "We Are Cool" dealt with the feminist agenda, while "Armagh" had a wider reach, dealing with many forms of repression in a supposedly democratic and civilised society. At the time, the band were severely criticised over "Armagh" when Jane Munro stated that she supported the IRA bombing campaign in Ulster but not on the UK mainland. In retrospect, it was a stupid thing to say. Their songs also covered such things as prostitution -"Kerb Crawler" - and even fake orgasms - "Come Again". Yet they never lost sight of the need to anchor themselves in good sounds.



Their second album, "Sense and Sensuality", continued that theme, but the sound was at the same time more mature and more fractious. Tensions which would eventually become too much for the band were evident, but the music was still cutting edge and forthright in its views. Tracks such as "Sex Without Stress" continued the themes of equality of the sexes and female emancipation, while others, such as "Stepping out of Line" were just damn cool songs.



In spite of the obvious political message of their music, the Au Pairs were first and foremost a damn good band. This anthology contains such gems as a remix of "Headache for Michelle", the single version of "It's Obvious" (which I always thought was the better version, in truth) and a number of unreleased demos from 1983 which never made it to album and some tracks from BBC sessions. What is remarkable is that, 26 years on from the release of "Playing with a Different Sex", the message is still as pertinent as ever and the failure of those in authority to learn from the mistakes of the past ever more shameful.
Rating: 7/10