When we think of rock's more controversial, subversive elements to have come from the punk era we generally refer to The Sex Pistols' Jubilee mayhem and the Bill Grundy incident or, at a push, Crass's furious anarcho-hippie invective and their demonisation for their views on the Falklands in the years that followed. However, in our continuing efforts to worship/ vilify these individuals' achievements, we tend to forget one collective who were maybe the most subversive of the lot: THROBBING GRISTLE.
Admittedly, TG'S determinedly underground stance ensured they were always enigmatic and elusive, but - lest we forget - they were still denounced as "Wreckers Of Civilisation" (a term they no doubt loved) by the late Tory MP Sir Nicholas Fairbairn and were known for disturbing set-pieces such as displaying soiled undergarments in their stage set and recording 'songs' about the gas the Nazis used in the concentration camps before they finally split up in 1981 and leader Genesis P.Orridge went on to form the equally controversial Psychic TV.
Along the way, though, TG also found the time to record some determinedly out-there music, which - despite their contemporary punk credentials - was mostly of the primitive, yet pioneering, electronic-based nature. Consquently, the notion of modern day producers who have been influenced by TG's still-futuristic output being allowed to overhaul and reshape some of the band's best tracks sounds an intriguing idea.
And, for the most part, the results suggest it is a good enough idea, though - in the way the Can remixes album "Sacrilege" was an interesting sister piece rather than an improvement on the source material - "Mutant TG" doesn't really get close in terms of bettering some truly disturbing, but excellent original tracks.
That said, most of the eight 'renovations' here are worthwhile deviations. Motor, for instance, add some seriously overloaded analogous hum to the already disquieting "Persuasion", while Hedonastik's tribal, industrial beats'n'techno ensure "What A Day" now sounds disjointed and terrifying.
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Elsewhere, it doesn't work so well. Disappointingly, TG members Chris and Cosey (here as Carter Tutti) actually diminish the power of the genuinely scary "Hamburger Lady" burns victim story by reducing it to a minimalist, oddball throb, although the nadir is surely Carl Craig's grey, repetitive re-tooling of "Still Walking", which commits the cardinal sin of being boring, frankly.
However, Craig makes amends with his cool remix of "Hot On The Heels Of Love", where he inserts a sinewy, motorik groove to complement the whipcrack snare and allows Gen's obscene phone call vocals to filter through where necessary. Excellent, as is Andy Weatherall's Two Lone Swordsmen's take of "United," which retains most of Gen's otherworldly, Aleister Crowley-referencing vocals, but creates a compressed disco aura as a new vehicle. It is (he says uneasily) almost recognisable pop music and is surely the best thing here.
Certainly, "Mutant TG" is only really essential if you have a working knowledge of Gen and co's weird, but often remarkable electro-guerrilla past and - if not - you really need to buy the new "Taste Of TG" compilation first to get any kind of a grip on the singular minds who produced such a feverishly uncompromising catalogue. Hardened veterans, though, will surely find fascination with these ectoplasmic new sonic shapes.
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