Josef K- The Only Fun in Town (1981) / Sorry for Laughing (1990) / Young and Stupid (1987) MP3 & FLAC

"So I'll disappear through the crack in the wall, and the memories I leave
will be nothing at all."

Despite Josef K's brief existence (they decided to disband after releasing only one album), they proved to be one of the more influential bands of their era, which only serves to remind what a dynamic and utterly unpredictable time Post-Punk's early years actually were. Staunchly unconventional, the band formed in 1979 and almost immediately became a charter member of the burgeoning Scottish Post-Punk scene, especially after signing with Postcard records, a legendary Scottish indie label run by Alan Horne who also issued Orange Juice's early singles. Josef K frontman Paul Haig: "Alan Horne was desperate to become Scotland's answer to Andy Warhol, and Postcard Records was more conceptual than corporate. Really, Alan kept a few papers in a top drawer in his flat- that was Postcard [....] There was some pushiness from him to be more accessible, like Orange Juice. He really didn't like our trebly guitars and our noisiness." Despite Horne's reservations about the commercial viability of the band's sound, Josef K released several critically-lauded singles before recording their debut album, Sorry for Laughing, in late 1980; however, on the eve of the album's release the following year, the band decided to scrap it, claiming the album sounded too polished. In actuality, Sorry for Laughing, though not representative of Josef K's live sound at the time, did seem to open up a number of new sonic vistas for the band, as it tempered their trademark abrasiveness a bit in the service of a slightly more arty and fully-formed sound. On the title track, the band comes across as something like a version of Joy Division with grander pop inclinations, and on the stunning, "Endless Soul," Josef K edges into territories unknown as they carve out an abrasively poppy sound that proves to be a heady counterpoint to Haig's nervy croon. Now without an album to release, the band returned to the studio and hammered out The Only Fun in Town in less than a week. Haig: "When we recorded The Only Fun in Town, we wanted to keep our live sound as much as possible. We thrashed it out in a really short time- it only took six days- and on purpose we mixed the album low because we wanted to keep that live feel, which again in hindsight was pretty stupid. Afterwards we made things slightly more polished, but the album was still pretty abrasive." Whereas Sorry for Laughing suggested a band edging toward a slightly more open, approachable sound, The Only Fun in Town is a torrid and uncompromising blast of trebly alienation. On lead track "Fun 'n Frenzy," a spidery Television-inspired lead guitar figure is counter-balanced with some dissonant chording from the rhythm guitar, setting up a strange, almost surf-rock feel for Haig's razor's edge croon. One of the re-recorded songs that benefits greatly from the less-polished approach of The Only Fun in Town is "Sorry for Laughing," which, while certainly sounding more shambolic, contains one of Haig's best vocal performances- he is far more convincing here than on the earlier version. Ironically, after having gone to the trouble of recording a new debut album because the original, according to Haig, sounded "flat and disinfected," the new album was roundly panned by the critics, with NME actually claiming, "Josef K have cheapened themselves and cheated the world." The band dissolved soon thereafter, but in another ironic twist worthy of their name, twenty years later they became one of the most influential bands of the original Post-Punk era. Haig: "Josef K were the ultimate band for me. It was so intense, a way of life, a very special thing. And that's proved by the fact people are still interested in what we did."

The Only Fun in Town / Sorry for Laughing   

(Rev-ola/Creation U.K. ~ 1999/1981 ~ Remastered)

Tracklist-

-The Only Fun in Town

 1. Fun 'n Frenzy  (2:06)

 2. Revelation  (4:17)

 3. Crazy to Exist  (2:59)

 4. It's Kinda Funny  (3:30)

 5. The Angle  (2:43)

 6. Forever Drone  (2:01)

 7. Heart of Song  (2:54)

 8. 16 Years  (2:32)

 9. Citizens  (3:01)

10. Sorry for Laughing  (3:13)

-Sorry for Laughing

11. Fun 'n Frenzy  (2:11)

12. Heads Watch  (2:07)

13. Drone  (3:08)

14. Sense of Guilt  (3:05)

15. Art of Things  (2:20)

16. Crazy to Exist  (3:03)

17. Citizens  (3:06)

18. Variation of Scene  (3:31)

19. Terry's Show Lies  (2:48)

20. No Glory  (2:35)

21. Endless Soul  (2:31)

22. Sorry for Laughing  (3:22)

MU: Lossy (MP3@320)

MU: Lossless (FLAC)

Young and Stupid   

(Les Temps Modernes ~ 2002/1987 ~ Remastered Edition)

Tracklist-

 1. Romance  (2:54)

 2. Chance Meeting  (2:58)

 3. Radio Drill Time  (4:06)

 4. Crazy to Exist (Live)  (3:01)

 5. It's Kinda Funny  (3:40)

 6. Final Request  (2:18)

 7. Sorry for Laughing  (3:01)

 8. Revelation  (4:16)

 9. Chance Meeting  (3:07)

10. Pictures (Of Cindy)  (2:19)

11. The Angle (One Angle)  (2:42)

12. The Angle (Second Angle)  (2:36)

13. The Missionary  (3:49)

14. Heart of Song  (3:20)

15. Applebush  (2:20)

16. Heaven Sent  (3:35)

17. Endless Soul  (2:25)

18. Radio Drill Time (Demo)  (4:18)

19. Torn Mentor  (5:13)

20. Night Ritual  (2:45)

21. Adoration (Live- Aug. 16, 1981)  (4:42)

MU: Lossy (MP3@320)

MU: Lossless (FLAC)