The Love of "No rest for the wicked" (1985)

[Guillaume]

I don't know if there's a thread about this album so, if there is one, be free to delete this thread!

So, what is your opinion about NMA's second album and the last one featuring Stuart Morrow?

I found this little review on amazon UK...nice!:

"
5.0 out of 5 stars Post punk gem
9 June 2016
Format: Audio CD

"NMA were one of the most underrated and certainly best of the UK post-punk scene and better than many more lauded acts such as Joy Division. Those were times when bands weren't afraid of being political though it's a shame that many fine politically charged bands from that time that were overtly left wing never got mainstream attention e.g. The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Three Johns, Gang of Four, The Redskins etc. However, being political doesn't mean you have to be dull and worthy. NMA rocked like a bar steward. For me No Rest showcases the band at their angry and pumped up best propelled by one of the best rhythm sections ever to have graced rock music. This was bassman Stuart Morrow's 2nd and final album with NMA and his flatpicked lines are crackers one and all though the highlight is the opener. No doubt he's one of the best bassists to have come out of the UK. The late Rob Heaton was a monster behind the drum kit and of his generation for my money only Budgie from the Banshees was an equal. Out front Slade the Leveller penned some of the best lyrics of the age while adding some minimalist but tasteful guitar phrasing leaving the lead work mainly to Morrow, similar to the way Pete Townsend often left the flash stuff to John Entwhistle. Anyway this is a cracker of an album and a must for any newbies interested in the UK post-punk scene"

 

[Master Ray]

'No Rest For The Wicked'... oh, so many things to say!

It's a fine album.  I'd certainly take it over 'Vengeance'... the first album was all about a bunch of young men laying a bit of loud and fast stuff down with little idea of what may or may not transpire in their 'career'  (I appreciate that a silly comment like that is just my concept of that scenario...) but NRFTW has so much more depth to it and I think that the continuing evolution of Mr Morrow's wonderful bass sound is one of the reasons why I like it better than 'Vengeance'.  Not the 'best of all', the songwriting is much stronger and more diverse (c'mon, Better Than Them, Grandmothers Footsteps, No Greater Love, all superb!) but the subsequent loss of Mr Morrow was, indeed, such an unfortunate thing... especially as it seems to be one of those scenarios where some young folks don't communicate properly... see the 'Between Dog And Wolf' film and, as a sidenote, how The Smiths broke up...   

But back to the love of NRFTW...  it's such a fine album but not one I listen to all that often these days, simply because after hundreds of listens over the last three decades, I can't find anything new in it and can play it back in my head at random moments!

Any other opinions out there are welcome...

[Guillaume]

'No Rest For The Wicked'... oh, so many things to say!

It's a fine album.  I'd certainly take it over 'Vengeance'... the first album was all about a bunch of young men laying a bit of loud and fast stuff down with little idea of what may or may not transpire in their 'career'  (I appreciate that a silly comment like that is just my concept of that scenario...) but NRFTW has so much more depth to it and I think that the continuing evolution of Mr Morrow's wonderful bass sound is one of the reasons why I like it better than 'Vengeance'.  Not the 'best of all', the songwriting is much stronger and more diverse (c'mon, Better Than Them, Grandmothers Footsteps, No Greater Love, all superb!)

"No rest for the wicked" is a more nuanced, subtle album in its music than "Vengeance" which was mostly raw punk with melodies!
But i don't know which one i like the most, between these two albums...probably NRFTW because many of my favourite songs from the "Vengeance" era are not on "Vengeance" itself!..."The price" (one of my favourite NMA tracks ever), "1984", "No man's land", "Waiting". 

Back to NRFTW...i think that's a good album, only real flaw IMO is the sound production, a bit grating, very 80's with its reverb, etc.
But NMA's first experiments with the folk sounds ("Better than them", "Drag it down" and the great closing track "The attack")...i also love "Frightened", "Ambition"...but NMA's peaks were yet to come with Moose's two next albums, IMO NMA's masterpieces:
"The ghost of Cain" and "Thunder and consolation".
 

[Pol]

At the time I preferred the rawness of vengeance, it was more what I was into at the time having grown up into slf, Kennedy's etc . I still look back at vengeance as being probably the most important album of my life, it came along at the right time for me  -  just turned 17 unemployed Thatcher government etc , hence the vengeance tattoo in the album's font . Not gonna disagree with anything about no rest tho , a natural progression for nma for future greatness

[ruckedout]

Better than them, what a great song by the way. As intros go

'So you wanna dance yeah, well dance to this' get me out.

I won't bore you with the whole intro but Justin finishes by saying 'ha ha  we're better than them...' obviously better than them.

Then the best in my opinion is - 'okay  let's do it' whirlwind.

[Shush]

I have waxed lyrical several times on this forum about my love of this album and would feel laboured to go into great detail again. But, it was the first NMA album I listened to after showing an interest in the band. I would still say it is my favourite album of all time. Better than them my fave on the album, but any of the first three tracks a close rival. I think it is interesting how much different it sounds to Vengeance, and then a different sound again with the Ghost of Cain, but that is what makes the band so intriguing. -- Two equally fine albums along with so many that followed.

[Guillaume]

Great moments in music:

https://www.mattcatchpole.com/great-moments-in-music-no-48-no-rest-by-new-model-army/