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Just South of Heaven

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Just South of Heaven
EP by
Released1985
RecordedJuly 1985
StudioStrongroom, London
GenrePost-punk, punk blues
Length28:20
LabelMute
Crime & the City Solution chronology
The Dangling Man
(1985)
Just South of Heaven
(1985)
Room of Lights
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
NMEfavorable[2]
Trouser Pressvery favorable[3]

Just South of Heaven is an EP by Crime & the City Solution, released in 1985 through Mute Records.

Reception

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The EP received quite favorable reviews upon release. Mat Snow, writing for NME, noted similarities of the band's sound to that of The Birthday Party and compared Bonney's vocals to "Tom Waits throwing up into a fried-egg sandwich." He writes however, that "Harvey, Soundtracks and the Howard brothers are developing into something equally commanding [to that of The Birthday Party's music] [...] should Simon Bonney ever outgrow this fetishism, then Crime and the City Solution will achieve the truly distinct greatness promised by this record. They're just a kiss away from the pearly gates."[2] Writing for Trouser Press, David Sheridan called the album "cleaner and more powerful [than The Dangling Man EP]: all six tracks work well. Howard's guitar is as strong as ever, but piano and organ figure just as prominently. A hauntingly beautiful record by a well- integrated band."[3]

Allmusic went on to pick the EP as the highlight of the band's discography, with Robert Gordon writing: "Aussies with a gothic vision of the American South."[1]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Rose Blue"Bronwyn Adams, Simon BonneyEpic Soundtracks4:50
2."The Coal Train"Simon BonneyMick Harvey5:55
3."Stolen & Stealing"Bronwyn AdamsEpic Soundtracks3:20
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Five Stone Walls"Simon BonneyMick Harvey4:15
2."Trouble Come This Morning"Bronwyn Adams, Simon BonneyRowland S. Howard4:30
3."The Wailing Wall"Bronwyn Adams, Simon BonneyRowland S. Howard5:30

Personnel

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Crime & the City Solution
Production and additional personnel

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1985) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart[4] 3

References

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  1. ^ a b Gordon, Robert. "Just South of Heaven". Allmusic. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Outta The Black & Into The Ether // Articles // NME – September 21, 1985". rowland-s-howard.com.
  3. ^ a b "TrouserPress.com :: Crime and the City Solution". www.trouserpress.com.
  4. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)