Sub Pop finally realise their goal of releasing feedtime (the ‘f’ is lowercase), a longtime staff favourite and a heavy influence on the label’s early artistes (notably Mudhoney).

A vintage blues swagger via roots rock and the late 70s that didn\’t come from an established clique. A pure strain of rock and roll with a relentless mechanical propulsion. It was the perfect symbiosis of syncopation – minimalist rock that carried a thunderous atmosphere of reckless intoxication and intense personal pain but with a self-assured ease amongst the chaos.

‘the Aberrant years’ collects the entire output of feedtime’s 1978-1989 line up, including their self-titled debut, ‘shovel’, ‘Cooper S’ and ‘suction’, plus gobs of rare bonus tracks and extensive liner notes by band biographer Leon O’Regan in a full-colour booklet.

Available as a 4CD set, 4LP set and digital download. The 4LP edition is limited to 1,000 copies.

This is perfect sound and pure art. Avant-garde pub-rock. All hail the concrete urban blues.

Disc 1 – ‘feedtime’ (December 1985). feedtime’s debut album. Two tracks from 1985’s ‘Why March When You Can Riot?!’.

Disc 2 – ‘shovel’ (January 1987). The second feedtime album carried the band to an international audience.

Disc 3 – ‘Cooper S’ (May 1988). On feedtime’s 1988 covers album, ‘Cooper S’, the band take on their influences, including The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Lee Hazlewood, The Stooges, Slade, an EE Cummings poem, The Easybeats, and an intense reworking of The Animals’ ‘We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place’.

Disc 4 – ‘suction’ (September 1989). The fourth album builds the cacophony and intensity of earlier material into a broader sound. Tracks such as ‘Pumping A Line’ show the band in full flight and perfectly capture the minimal essence of feedtime. Blues was also at the fore, with
Dominic and Peter from The Backsliders providing steel-guitar and vocals on ‘I’ll Be Rested’.