APPENDIX FIVE
There is an argument that Sextet marks a moment when music was at its most open to different influences and ideas. Soon interests would become more focused, ideas more concentrated, and this would last for some years. That is a massive generalisation, of course, but with Sextet at least it could be argued the pull of both T.S. Monk and Throbbing Gristle are felt, which is a good thing. The policy was integration rather than obliteration. And ACR‟s links with TG were very real. Peter Christopherson did the sleeve for To Each ... for better or worse. The trademark ACR trumpet sound echoed Cosey and Chris‟ use of cornets. And in December 1980 ACR played at a TG psychic rally in Heaven, which was billed as “beyond jazz funk”. TG had released their 20 Jazz Funk Greats, and while this hardly messed up the minds of suburban kids with Maze car stickers it must have caused some confusion among Industrial camp followers. For all the talk of irony and shock tactics there was no doubt TG could produce very functional music of astonishing depth and beauty. It‟s easy to think of Edwyn Collins at the start of the „80s insisting people had got the Velvet Underground all wrong, and that they weren‟t this horrible dark, depressing group. Many people will have first heard Throbbing Gristle via the subversively sweet pop song United on the Zigzag/Business Unusual small labels compilation, along with Thomas Leer, Robert Rental, UK Subs and Outcasts. It seems perfectly reasonable to envisage the ACR camp listening to TG‟s Heathen Earth and then going out dancing to Herbie Hancock. It‟s not an either/or situation. And it wasn‟t all one-way traffic. Pigbag‟s Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag debut 12” took off with support from the funk DJs and dancers. The same with Was (Not Was) and Tom Tom Club. Hewan Clarke has mentioned that he would play tracks from PiL‟s Metal Box when DJing in clubs. At the time Swamp Children might share a bill with Prince Far I. And ESG would play at the opening night of The Haçienda and the closing night of the Paradise Garage.