The Jasmine Minks - Cut Me Deep: The Anthology 1984-2014 (2014)

The Jasmine Minks weren't one of Creation's better-known bands, certainly not one of the groups one would associate with the label on first thought. That being said, they crafted one of the label's earliest pop triumphs with the 1984 single "Think!" and released three excellent albums and numerous great singles between 1984 and 1989 that helped define the label's early sound. Jangling, heartfelt, and with Byrds influences on their sleeve, the group melded skittering rhythms with insistent melodies on their earliest singles, then settled into a calmer, more thoughtful approach as they progressed. The highlight of this era is the magical "Cut Me Deep," which is the kind of mature pop the Go-Betweens patented. This fine collection rounds up early singles, EPs, and album tracks made for Creation, in addition to sampling a comeback album made in 2001 for Alan McGee's Poptones label. It also grabs a track from a one-off single made in 2002 for the Bus Stop label and adds a newly recorded song, "Christine," that re-forms the original lineup of the band for the first time since 1986. A more casual fan would be wise to seek out the one-disc Revenge Of… collection, but anyone who wants to dive deep into the Jasmine Minks' catalog will be well served by Cut Me Deep.

TRACKLIST

CD1:

01 - Think! (Single A-Side)
02 - Work For Nothing ("Think!" B-Side)
03 - Where The Traffic Goes (Single A-Side)
04 - Mr. Magic ("Where The Traffic Goes" B-Side)
05 - The Thirty Second Set Up (from "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven")
06 - What's Gone Wrong (from "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven")
07 - Somers Town (from "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven")
08 - Ghost Of A Young Man (from "One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go To Heaven")
09 - What's Happening (Single A-Side)
10 - Black And Blue ("What's Happening" B-Side)
11 - I Don't Know
12 - Cold Heart
13 - Choice
14 - The Ballad Of Johnny Eye
15 - Work
16 - Sunset (from "Sunset")
17 - Like You
18 - Painting/Arguing
19 - You Take My Freedom
20 - Cry For A Man
21 - World's No Place ("Cold Heart" B-Side)
22 - You Got Me Wrong ("Cold Heart" B-Side)
23 - Forces Network (AFM Version) ("Cold Heart" B-Side)
24 - Veronica (from "Another Age")
25 - Still Waiting (from "Another Age")
26 - Summer! Where? (from "Another Age")
27 - Follow Me Away (from "Another Age")
28 - Playing For Keeps (from "Scratch The Surface")

CD2:

01 - Cut Me Deep (from "Another Age")
02 - Living Out Your Dreams (from "Another Age")
03 - Don't Wait Too Long (from "Another Age")
04 - Nothing Can Stop Me (from "Another Age")
05 - Soul Station (from "Another Age")
06 - Time For You (from "Another Age")
07 - Another Age (from "Another Age")
08 - Sad (from "Another Age")
09 - Lost And Living (from "Scratch The Surface")
10 - Little Things (from "Scratch The Surface")
11 - I've Lost Her (from "Scratch The Surface")
12 - Marcella (from "Scratch The Surface")
13 - Misery (from "Scratch The Surface")
14 - Take (from "Scratch The Surface")
15 - Reaching Out (from "Scratch The Surface")
16 - Shiny And Black (from "Scratch The Surface")
17 - Scratch The Surface (from "Scratch The Surface")
18 - Daddy Dog (Featuring Tommy Sheridan)
19 - Midnight And I (from "Popartglory")
20 - Popartglory (from "Popartglory")
21 - Poppy White (from "Poppy White EP")
22 - Blown Away ("I Heard I Wish It Would Be Rain" B-Side)
23 - Christine