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Word Salad (album)

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1979 studio album by Fischer-Z
Word Salad
Studio album by Fischer-Z
Released4 May 1979
StudioEden Studios, Chiswick, London; Wessex Sound Studios, Highbury, London
GenreNew wave
Length37:00
LabelUnited Artists
ProducerMike Howlett
Fischer-Z chronology
Word Salad
(1979) 		Going Deaf for a Living
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
Smash Hits(favourable)

Word Salad is a 1979 debut album by Fischer-Z. John Watts and Steve Skolnik formed the band in 1976 whilst at Brunel University. John Watts had been travelling up and down the country playing the club circuit. Fischer-Z was playing a crossover of the new wave, punk and reggae genres. In 1978, the band secured a record deal with United Artists, alongside the Buzzcocks, The Stranglers and Dr. Feelgood.

Track listing

All tracks composed by John Watts; except where noted.

  1. "Pretty Paracetamol" (also known as: "First Impressions", but this name doesn't usually feature on the CD releases) – 3:57
  2. "Acrobats" (Watts, David Graham) – 2:42
  3. "The Worker" – 3:36
  4. "Spiders" (Watts, Steve Skolnik) – 1:42
  5. "Remember Russia" – 3:29
  6. "The French Let Her" (Watts, Steve Skolnik) – 3:21
  7. "Lies" – 3:57
  8. "Wax Dolls" – 2:46
  9. "Headlines" – 3:21
  10. "Nice to Know" – 2:52
  11. "Billy and the Motorway Police" (Watts, David Graham) – 2:11
  12. "Lemmings" (Watts, Steve Skolnik) – 3:02

Personnel

Fischer-Z
  • John Watts - lead vocals, guitar
  • Steve Skolnik - keyboards, vocals
  • David Graham - bass guitar
  • Steve Liddle - drums, percussion
Technical
  • Gary Edwards, Aldo Bocca - recording engineer
  • John Pasche - art direction, design
  • John Wedge - photography

Notes

  • The songs "Wax Dolls", "Remember Russia", "The Worker" and "Pretty Paracetamol" (although named on single release as "First Impressions") were used as singles. "The Worker" being the most successful, hitting #53 on the UK charts (Note: The 7" single version of "The Worker" is slightly remixed from the album and emphasises the keyboards. This version has yet to appear on CD to date).
  • The album was first released on CD in 1989. In 1997 "Disky Communications Europe" re-released the album under the title "The Worker". It included two bonus tracks: "Limbo" and "Marliese"; the first appearing on Fischer-Z's second album Going Deaf For A Living, and the latter appearing on their third, Red Skies Over Paradise. In 2005, Disky re-released this version again, this time simply going by the title "Fischer-Z".

References

  1. "NME". NME. 28 April 1979. p. 4.
  2. Word Salad at AllMusic
  3. White, Cliff. "Albums". Smash Hits (July 26 – August 8, 1979): 25.
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