GENRE: Rock, New Wave
FORMAT: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered + CD
CAT No: TWI 016
RELEASED BY: Les Disques Du Crépuscule
Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls is the debut album by post/punk icon Pauline Murray, co-produced by revered sonic architect Martin 'Zero' Hannett in 1980.
Recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios, the album offered 11 slices of modern electronic pop written by Pauline and partner Robert Blamire and marked a radical departure from their shared past in pioneering punk band Penetration. As well producer/arrangers Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins (aka the Invisible Girls), the album features a stellar cast of guest musicians including John Maher (Buzzcocks) and Vini Reilly (Durutti Column). Indeed Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls presents almost as a Factory record, exquisitely sleeved by Peter Saville and Trevor Key.
Stand-out tracks include popular singles Dream Sequence and Mr X, with the newly remastered album now augmented on CD (TWI 016 CD) by a wealth of bonus material including non-album singles, live recordings (from tours in 1980 and 1981) and a John Peel session from March 1980. The vinyl version (TWI 016) augments the album with singles, the Peel session, and an exclusive bonus CD of instrumental versions - a must for Hannett scholars!
"It's a bit of a missing link album," says Pauline today. "Written and recorded after punk, but before Martin Rushent and the Human League made airy pop respectable again. We chose the other Martin in 1980 because we wanted the incredible sounds he achieved for Joy Division and Magazine. Thundertunes, basically."
Cover art by Trevor Key and Peter Saville. Detailed liner notes. Available on double CD, gatefold double vinyl + bonus instrumental CD and MP3 copy, and digital download (MP3).