Οι Magic de Spell είναι από τα παλιότερα και από τα πιο σημαντικά σχήματα στην Ελληνική ανεξάρτητη σκηνή. Το ξεκίνημά τους σηματοδότησε και την απαρχή του πανκ κινήματος σε ελληνικό έδαφος, και έτσι ήταν ο ήχος τους αρχικά, ώσπου προχώρησαν σε post punk και new wave ήχο. Το άλμπουμ που σας παρουσιάζουμε καλύπτει την αγγλόφωνη περίοδο 1980-1989 (κατά προσέγγιση) και τιτλοφορείται "A Story (The Best and the Rest)" και κυκλοφόρησε από την Music Box International το 1991 σε διπλό βινύλιο. Είναι επίσης δύσκολο να βρεθεί όπως και τα περισσότερα από τα πρώτα τους αγγλόφωνα LPs. Το άλμπουμ αυτό περιλαμβάνει επιλογή υλικού από τους πρώτους αυτούς 3 δίσκους, από το πρώτο 7'' του 1981, καθώς και αρκετά ακυκλοφόρητα τραγούδια τους σε στούντιο ή ζωντανές εκτελέσεις.Ας γυρίσουμε πάλι στη συλλογή "A Story (The Best and the Rest)" και στα "σκοτεινά" χρόνια της δεκαετίας του 80. Ο ήχος των MdS είναι σαφώς επηρεασμένος από το Αγγλικό κίνημα punk και post punk, τους Sex Pistols, Stranglers, Joy Division, Siouxsie & the Banshees, και άλλα πιο μελωδικά και synth pop ακούσματα όπως Human League, Ultravox, Talk Talk κ.α. Αυτό σημαίνει πως αν ανατρέξει κανείς στη δισκογραφία τους θα αντιληφθεί αυτή την αλλαγή προοδευτικά από το πρώτο 7'' ("Nightmare"-1981), μετά το "A Body in a Snare" LP-1982, "Kiss the Mirror" LP-1984, "Cpt. Blind" LP-1985. Ειδικότερα, στο "Cpt. Blind" είναι πλέον ξεκάθαρη η επιρροή της synth pop new wave σκηνής, σε αντίθεση με την πιο παλιά και σκοτεινή επιρροή των Siouxsie, Joy Division, και των Stranglers. Όλα αυτά συνυπάρχουν στο διπλό αυτό δίσκο. Ακούστε τους Magic de Spell στα καλύτερα και τα σπανιότερά τους.
Magic de Spell: A Story (the best and the rest) 2LP, 1991 MBI
01.A Story 02.A Body In A Snare
03.Poor Johnny's Lonely Blues
04.Valse
05.C'Est
06.Screenplay
07.Pearls
08.(And The Burned) Puppet
09.My Wall
10.Faces
11.Desire
12.The Fall (Re - Remix)
13.Brainwash (TV Line) (Demo)
14.Thriller (Magica De Spell Soundtrack)
15.Death (Live At Sofita, Christmas 1982)
16.Root Out (Master Unreleased)
17.Chains Of Love (Rehearsal In Studio)
18.Motorcycle Boy (Demo)
19.Religion Uber Alles (Live At Aktio, Summer 1984)
Magic de Spell are one of the oldest and most important groups of the Greek alternative rock scene. In the beginning they played punk rock, they were one of the first to do that in Greece, later they evolved and transformed into post punk and new wave group. The LP we are presenting covers only their english-speaking verse period by approximation 1980-1989, entitled "A Story (The Best and the Rest)", released by Music Box International on double vinyl in 1991. It is a hard-to-find record just like their first three LPs. "A Story (The Best and the Rest)" 2LP includes selected material from the first three records and the first 7'', as well as several unreleased demos or live songs.
We are making a rather unorthodox highlight of their story by pointing out their new wave/post punk period, and still going back in time. Later on we plan to present some of their albums individually. What is important about Magic de Spell is that they have been a very progressive minded group existing in a rather difficult period for alternative rock music in Greece. That was more or less a fact for most rock groups during the 80's, however eventually things were getting better for them. Now as for Magic de Spell, they started in point zero, constantly experimenting with their sound during the first 9 years. From 1991 and on, they became a totally different group, changed their music style and used Greek verse instead of English. Nowadays, that is how they are known to most people, however there’s nothing to blame them about, because a rock group should evolve and change constantly, as it's commonly said "a rolling stone never gets any grass".
Let's go back to "A Story", and the obscure 80's. In the first years, MdS were obviously influenced by the English punk and post punk movement like the Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Stranglers, Siouxsie & the Banshees, etc, and other more melodic styles of synth pop like Human League, Ultravox, Talk Talk, etc. One will perceive those changes throughout the years and their releases: the "Nightmares" 7''-1980, the "A Body in a Snare" LP-1982, "Kiss the Mirror" LP-1984, and "Cpt. Blind" LP-1985. Especially in "Cpt. Blind" the synth pop influence is clear cut, compared to the previous and moodier influence of Siouxsie, Joy Division and the Stranglers. All these co-exist in this double record. Listen to Magic de Spell in their best and rarest!!
