THROBBING GRISTLE - PART TWO - THE ENDLESS NOT @ 15

 

Marking its 15th anniversary today is the reunion album from Throbbing Gristle, Part Two - The Endless Not, which was released by Mute Records on this day, April 1st, 2007. More of a “re-birthing” than a reunion, it was the first fully realized studio album produced by the group since 20 Jazz Funk Greats in 1979.

The road to Part Two began back in 2002 with the reactivation of Industrial Records under Mute’s umbrella and the release of the sprawling TG24 box set of live recordings. This was concurrent with a museum exhibit of TG memorabilia and ephemera, which was held at the Cabinet Gallery in London in December. The occasion of this event was the catalyst for the four members of TG to come together again for the first time since disbanding in 1981. With the old wounds mostly mitigated by the passing of time, Mute began a process of encouraging the group to explore the potential of working together again, even if for only very specific and limited purposes.

The initial results of these efforts manifested in a planned one-off reunion performance to be called RE:TG. It was to have been part of a music festival put on by All Tomorrow’s Parties featuring an impressive lineup of groups who had been, in some way, inspired or influenced by TG. The event was well into being realized when it was abruptly cancelled due to logistical reasons beyond the groups control. However, the momentum of putting this together left the group in a position where they felt compelled to offer a performance, regardless of the situation with the festival. This resulted in the now legendary Astoria gig on May 15th, 2005, almost 23 years exactly since TG’s last appearance on stage.

The preparation for this performance involved the group going to the studio, not only to rehearse, but to come up with new material for the show. In typical TG fashion, they didn’t want this to be merely a “best of” set of fan favorites. They wanted to showcase how the individual members had progressed as artists and demonstrate what that development meant in terms of a 21st century incarnation of TG. Some of the material created during these sessions became the four track TG NOW EP, which was a souvenir release made available in a limited edition for the RE:TG event. The success of those recordings and the live performance then became the impetus to push beyond what they had foreseen as a one-time event.

After the Astoria show, other performances followed and more time was spent in the studio to work on additional materials with the objective of creating a full album of new TG compositions. Those efforts eventually culminated in the realization of Part Two - The Endless Not. The finished album featured all new material, save a reworking of Almost a Kiss from the NOW EP. Like the DOA album from 1978, Part Two features four individual solo tracks from each member, though Gen’s track was a collaboration with his Thee Majesty partner, Bryin Dall. Overall, the album offers a fully updated manifestation of Throbbing Gristle’s sound, with their collective knowledge and experience gained over the preceding decades readily apparent in the sophistication of the production. It was unmistakably “TG”, but that beast had evolved and grown into something new and vibrant. There was no rehashing of obvious old tropes and no nostalgia for their bygone glory days. This was 21st century TG for the present day and beyond.

The album was minimally packaged for the CD release with only a card insert in the front featuring a photo of Mount Kailash taken by Martin Gray. The initial run of the CD included a “totemic gift”, the production of which was overseen by Peter Christopherson at his compound in Thailand. The primary run included one of four items encased in the spine of the CD tray. Each was made from one of the following materials: bone, wood, rubber or copper. A fifth stainless steel totem was made available in a Japanese edition of the CD. A sixth totemic gift was made of 23 carat gold.

Critical reception for the album was generally very positive, as was the response from fans, though there were those who were not so enthusiastic about it all. Personally, I felt it was something of a minor miracle to be able to get a brand new album of TG music, something I never expected to happen prior to the reunion rumblings that began in 2002. I loved hearing how this creature could come back to life after so long and, not only exist, but be more than it had been in the past. Perhaps the overt confrontational nature of “classic” era TG was gone, but this was light years away from the kinds of rehash “oldies” reunion efforts that you see from most other aging bands.

TG would continue in this reconstituted form until December of 2010, when it would all come apart, first with the abrupt, mysterious departure of Genesis P-Orridge at the beginning of a short European tour, and then with the sudden death of Peter Christopherson. During their reunion era, they would release a number of recordings along with NOW and Part Two, but nothing which constituted a full, proper studio album. Third Mind Movements was essentially a collection of improves captured during the Desertshore Installation and 32nd Annual report is a live recreation of their first LP. Their Desertshore project would eventually materialize in 2012 under the X-TG banner, without Genesis being involved, so Part Two stands, like the mountain on its cover, as the sole complete manifestation of 21st century TG. Whether or not we’ll see anything else materialize from this era remains a mystery as Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti now remain as the sole gatekeepers of the TG archive. I suspect there are many recordings, both studio and live, which could be released at some point in the future, but no word has come in terms of any specifics. For now, this is what we’ve got to mark this creative period. It’s an album that sits along side a host of other releases from that year by the members of the group. It was a remarkable period with new albums from TG, Psychic TV, Sleazy’s post-Coil project, Threshold HouseBoys Choir, Carter Tutti & Thee Majesty. All in all, 2007 was a banner year to be a fan of the music created by these four remarkable individuals.