young team revisited

Two fairly early soundscapes from Glasgow's Mogwai which run together almost seamlessly and build on the spidery experimental elegance of Tom Verlaine at his most concise, or Chicago collective, Tortoise.

It's a Sunday thing. Rebus on a bus pass; a restricted service.

The first cut - recorded by Andy Miller - was released in January 1997, coupled with "Helicon 1", on a vinyl 7" distributed through Wurlitzer Jukebox and features the line-up as listed. It was reissued months later on the retrospective CD, "Ten Rapid", on Rock Action.

"Tracy" can be found on their debut LP - recorded and mixed at MCM Studios, Hamilton, in the summer of the same year - with Teenage Fanclub's Brendan O'Hare attending drums in uncharacteristically restrained fashion. O' Hare also provided photography originally utilized on the cover, subsequently revised for its 2008 re-release, but vacated the chair before "Young Team" hit the shops. The line-up since then has oscillated to accommodate minor changes in direction.

Stuart Braithwaite: bass, guitar;
Martin Bulloch: drums (drumkit), guitar;
John Cummings: guitar, bass;
Dominic Aitchison: guitar, bass.

▼ MOGWAI: HELICON 2 from "New Paths To Helicon" 45 (Wurlitzer Jukebox) 1997 (UK)
▼ MOGWAI: TRACY from "Young Team" CD (Chemikal Underground) 1997 (UK)