STANDARD 3LP Formed in South London in the mid-1980s by Robert Hampson, Loop blazed a trail with their potent mix of motorik beats and heavy guitar riffs, recording a trio of brilliant albums that set the indie charts alight before imploding in 1990 after the release of album number three, A Gilded Eternity. As critics enthused at the time, Loop were the sound of Suicide jamming with the Stooges aboard a spaceship built by Hawkwind and piloted by CAN. They were post-psychedelic, pre-shoegaze figureheads in a world of anodyne pop jangle and baggy rhythms, and even their closest contemporaries like Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine didn’t plough such a distinctive furrow as theirs. “Twelves” details: Remastered from the original tapes by Kevin Metcalf and then reissued for the first time in 2009 as part of the WORLD IN YOUR EYES 3CD set on Reactor. Now re-mastered for vinyl and re-cut to lacquers by Shawn Joseph /Optimum Mastering and issued as TWELVES. (ref: the 3 x 7” set SEVENS released 2020) Each side of this 3LP set has one of the 12”s in full, 16 Dreams / Spinning / Collision / Black Sun / Arc-Lite..as well as the promo only LIVE 12” Prisma Uber Europa. The 12” cover of each LP has the relevant sleeve on each side to recreate the original sleeve image, and each 12” side will have labels as close to the original designs as possible. Hear Loop expand their sound from the Stooges / Velvets / garage pyschout of “16 Dreams”, into the “Spinning” era and then develop their motorik fuzzed-out nihilistic pummel through the “Collision” and “Black Sun” EPs to finish this set with the “Arc-Lite” side, possibly Loop at their most visceral. Unable to be pigeon holed like most bands of this time, their live shows also wiped the floor with everyone as evidenced on the “Prisma Uber Europa” 12”. Not reissued on vinyl when first remastered, now its time. PLAY LOUD
