The Durutti Column - A Night In New York (1987 Remaster) (1999)

This is the CD reissue of Live at the Bottom Line New York, which was originally released on cassette in 1987 and is presented here with one bonus track added and tape hiss subtracted. The Durutti Column is really just guitarist Vini Reilly, but for this performance he is helped out by violist John Metcalfe and percussionist Bruce Mitchell. Reilly's forte is the sweet-toned, slowly evolving instrumental. The aptly named "Arpeggiator" makes as good an introduction to his art as any; it's built on a repeating cascade of guitar arpeggios around which the drums beat politely while the viola slithers snakily in the background. Other tracks, such as "Our Lady of the Angels" and "Miss Haynes," make more extensive use of the delay pedal, to sometimes haunting and always lovely effect. Music this repetitive shouldn't be as consistently interesting as Reilly's is, and the fact that he can pull it off is a credit to his impressive taste and musicianship. His singing, however, is a credit to neither, and it mars the otherwise very pleasant "Missing Boy," "U.S.P." (the CD bonus track) and "Tomorrow." Recommended anyway.