New Model Army were not immediate to me, but I knew I did like the songs. This was back around the time of Thunder and Consolation came out and the time of the cassette. I was working at a radio station at the time and, like most of my fellow classmates at college knew 51st State who either loved, or were infuriated by it. I was friends with a rather dogmatic punk rock fan and he dismissed NMA on the basis of....their long hair. I tried to explain it away as simply a response to the austerity of the Thatcher regime, and the resulting scissor shortage. I reckoned my reply was no stupider than his dismissal. But I meander.
As a result of this, I thought, moronic basis for rejecting a group, I recorded Ghost of Cain and Thunder and Consolation onto a cassette. As for their immediacy, they did take a couple listens, though even one convinced me they were something beyond the ordinary punk band and that those who were dismissing them as a one-hit wonder, based on 51st State, weren't listening closely enough (likewise, the poor Vapors. Another story). I'd been a fan of Oi for its collective sounding spirit but found its lack of melodicism and real intelligence in the lyrics to be a drawback. NMA sounded like an adult evolution from that, which I was all in favor of. For reasons all my own, 'Lovesongs' took my breath away the first time I heard it, and The Hunt grabbed me by the throat the second time when I realized what it was about.
T&C was a lot more immediate. The very first time I heard Stupid Questions, Inheritance and Green and Grey they slammed right into me, and I knew there was something special about this group. They were communicating with me in a way other groups didn't. They shared my love and fear of life and expressed it so eloquently. A few more listens and they became a permanent part of me. I was also reading that pompous prat, Robert Christgau who is at least capable of provoking me. He had given NMA grades between B's and A's. Despite his annoying grading system, I figured any so-called punk band who merited even his praise were worth my ongoing attention. The next thing I got was the Small Town England which instantly captivated me. It took everything I loved about the 76-77 punk rock sound and combined it flawlessly with the advances of post-punk groups I loved, like Gang of Four.
Overall, their albums are seldom immediate. I hated LOHC at first. HATED it. Thought it was slick pop and they were done for. But that one has grown on me as well and is now as much a favorite as any of the others. I can't even rate their albums on a scale of favorite or least, because each one can uniquely capture whatever state of mind I'm in at the moment.
Sorry to drone on so. I'm brand new hear and so glad to be among others who share my love for this unique group. I am the only person I know who will even give them the time of day. Their loss. I can't imagine a world without New Model Army now. To paraphrase XTC, they're my 'soul coal'.
