LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

This is, no doubt, one of the greatest records ever made. Great sleeve, great lyrics, great songs, a total D.I.Y. attitude, experimentation -but far more than just that. Oh, this precious thing has also been described as "one of the definitive musical statements of the Twentieth Century". Wow. Now available again. A fantastic reissue on heavy vinyl and with a free 7" EP !!When the SWELL MAPS released "A Trip To Marineville" in 1979, they had already been playing together for seven years: you can guess they had some clear ideas of what they were doing. A crazy quilt of punk energy and Krautrock-influenced clatter, this album has been described as "A CULTURAL ARTIFACT TO CHERISH FOREVER. See it, buy it, that's all that really needs to be said". A breathless child tells you "Say! THAT'S a swell map..." then Epic sweeps his hand from right to left along the piano, and a reckless musical voyage explodes. Every song in this album is a different, equally interesting trip, but we can highlight the gigantic "Vertical Slum" and his Bolan-esque lyrics ending in the massed chant "The Weather! The Leather!", "Spitfire Parade" ("Having nothing isn't much of a pose"), the extremely beautiful piano of "Don't Throw Ashtrays at me", the Maps classic "Midget Submarine"! with its killer dual guitar riff over a driving relentless beat and a sublime Sudden vocal (not only one of the best lyricists of his age but a unique singer too), a gradual descent from superb punk rock into total experimentation all in the course of one track. Also stands gloriously "Full Moon In My Pocket", with Nikki screeching, gibbering and growling his way to the mantra "I got a full moon in my port sight / I got a full moon in my tail light" until an impromptu coughing session occurs as part of the performance, the incendiary "BLAM!", the orgy of insanity, tension and mystery called "Gunboats", and the end with the equally experimental "Adventuring Into Basketry" and the precious "My Little Shoppes Just Around the Corner"... In one sentence, each song is a highlight!DELUXE PACKAGE!!! Limited edition of 1000 copies, 180 gram vinyl, gatefold jacket, additional inner jackets with liner notes, and lots of bonus tracks from the era not included on the original record, and also a bonus 7" EP with 4 songs! Project developed and supervised by Nikki Sudden himself.
Track listing: (including bonus tracks not on the original LP of 1979!!): H.S. Art; Another Song; Vertical Slum; Spitfire Parade; Harmony In Your Bathroom; Don't Throw Ashtrays At Me!; Midget Submarines; Bridge Head (part nine); Full Moon In My Pocket; BLAM!!; Full Moon (reprise); Gunboats; Adventuring Into Basketry; My Lil Shoppes 'Round The Corner; International Rescue; Black Velvet (Berry Street Remix); Forest Fire, One Of The Crowd; Winter Rainbow.Bonus EP: Loin Of The Surf; Doctor At Cake; Steven Does; Bronze And Baby Shoes