Domo Arigato [CD/DVD]

by The Durutti Column

Overview

A live recording in Japan from 1985, where Durutti and Reilly had built up a considerable reputation and fan base, Domo Arigato is a well-recorded and performed treat, showing the then-current lineup performing songs old and new for an appreciative audience. At this point, Reilly and Mitchell performed with trumpeter Tim Kellet and violist John Metcalfe, who were able to help replicate more recent, classically inspired songs and to reinterpret earlier material as well with skill and style, along with throwing in a completely new song or two along the way. Starting with the first Durutti track ever, Return's "Sketch for Summer," prefaced by as low-key an introduction from Reilly as anyone could ever deliver, Domo Arigato brings the group's studio work to exquisite life. Hearing Mitchell's percussion work in addition to some gentle drum machine pacing, rather than the straightforward rhythm box of the original, makes for wonderful listening, while Reilly's guitar work is unsurprisingly excellent. Immediately followed up with a triumphant, slightly extended version of LC's "Sketch for Dawn" that hits a polite but effective dance groove and last charging solo toward its end, it makes for a wonderful one-two punch. Without Mercy appears via selections from that lengthy work, including the separate Say What You Mean reduction "Little Mercy" and "Mercy Dance," which takes the distinctly funky part of the composition and turns it into a quick, fun jam. Kellet and Metcalfe do a fine job interpreting the fuller arrangements and performances from that album onto their respective instruments, unavoidably losing some of the variation but none of the attractive complexity. If a sole highlight had to be picked, the performance of the Ian Curtis tribute "Missing Boy" would likely have to be it, building on the fragile energy and wistful remembrance from the original in spades to result in a powerful interpretation, Reilly's singing echoed from a far depth. The 1998 reissue includes three studio works recorded around the same time, starting with the fine L.A. tribute "Our Lady of the Angels," partially recorded in the city itself. Equally intriguing is the group's first recorded cover version, the Jefferson Airplane classic "White Rabbit," with guest vocals from Debi Diamond. [Domo Arigato was released as a CD/DVD set in 2017.] ~ Ned Raggett

Product Details

Release Date:	05/26/2017
Label:	Factory Benelux
UPC:	0708527071557
Rank:	2800

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Sketch for Summer
2. Sketch for Dawn
3. Mercy Theme
4. A Little Mercy
5. Jacqueline
6. Dream of a Child
7. Mercy Dance
8. The Room
9. E.E.
10. Blind Elevator Girl
11. Tomorrow
12. The For Belgian Friends
13. The Missing Boy
14. Self Portrait
15. Audience Noise

Disc 2

16. Sketch for Summer
17. Sketch for Dawn
18. Party
19. Never Known
20. Mercy Theme
21. A Little Mercy
22. Jacqueline
23. Dream of a Child
24. Mercy Dance
25. A Silence
26. The Room
27. E.E.
28. Pauline
29. Conduct
30. Tomorrow

Disc 3

31. Blind Elevator Girl
32. The Beggar
33. For Belgian Friends
34. The Missing Boy
35. Self Portrait
36. Shetch for Dawn
37. Sketch for Summer
38. Jacqueline
39. Without Mercy [Version]
40. Love Fading
41. Take Some Time Out/Messidor
42. Never Known
43. Dream of a Child

Disc 4

44. Sketch for Summer
45. Sketch for Dawn
46. A Little Mercy
47. Mercy Dance
48. The Room
49. E.E.
50. Blind Elevator Girl
51. For Belgian Friends
52. The Missing Boy

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Durutti Column   Primary Artist
Vini Reilly   DX-7,Piano,Guitar,Vocals
Tim Kellett   Trumpet
Bruce Mitchell   Drums,Xylophone,Percussion,Dmx
John Metcalfe   Viola

Technical Credits

Vini Reilly   Composer
Hideki Kukizaki   Editing Engineer
David Meachen   Transfers,Authoring
Anthony Wilson   Engineer,Producer
Norio Okada   Engineer
Peter Beckmann   Restoration
The Durutti Column   Producer