Freq Revisited

Robert Calvert's fourth solo album, originally released in the U.K. only, was indeed "revisited" for this U.S. reissue, courtesy of a Matt Green makeover that emphasized the original album's most dramatic qualities, while erasing those that most dated it — namely, conversation recorded on the picket line during the lengthy miners' strike that both crippled and polarized the U.K. during the early '80s. The songs themselves are essentially untouched — some subtle remixing and overdubbing does little to disturb the purity of Calvert's own vision; and such future classics as "All the Machines Are Quiet" and "Ned Ludd" actually benefit from the process. Indeed, the fact that they were even being heard again was something of a minor marvel — all but ignored during Calvert's own lifetime, Freq was likewise overlooked even when predecessors Captain Lockheed and Lucky Leif were being loudly championed by the early-'90s space rock crew. This affectionately managed release remedied that oversight, and introduced a new generation to one of Calvert's most personal visions. The bonus tracks (both sides of an obscure Flicknife 45) were welcome, too.