Review Summary: The (Sadly) Thwarted Pop Career Of Danielle Dax
An extraordinary, artistic genius who amassed a large and loyal international underground cult following, but really should have been huge mainstream. While her earlier albums, 'Pop Eyes' and 'Jesus Egg That Wept', were clearly not designed for radio, later efforts such as 'Inky Bloaters' and 'Blast The Human Flower' were more accessible, the extracted singles from both projects enjoying success on independent charts. Why oh why isn't she a HUGE star!!! Anyone familiar with Dax's work will nod in agreement with me on that!
This compilation, compiled by Dax herself on her own Biter of Thorpe label, features many of her B-sides and rare cuts like 'Cold Sweat', 'Hate On Sight' (with Shock Headed Peters) and 'Defiled'. The music mainly is from her mid to late 80s period, with nothing included from 'Blast The Human Flower' (which had been released on Sire Records), which is a shame, but more than likely due to licensing issues. Still, everything here certainly proves what an artistic genius Dax truly is. Her music is, literally, impossible to label as it's all over the map: Indie, rock, art-pop, house, dance...This blend of styles makes her work all the more compelling and Dax is nothing but unique throughout.
Her most radio-friendly, pop-oriented, and straight-forward number has to be the immensely catchy 'Whistling For His Love', which SHOULD have been a huge hit; it's a song for the masses. However, Dax certainly never gave into commercialism (thankfully) and while she proved she was adept at making a catchy pop number, her forte remained her uncanny experimental flair for music of the most arty kind.
A good range of tracks here, from the enormous club hit 'Cat House', which is still as infectious as ever, to the equally contagious 'Big Hollow Man', both landing somewhere between rock, dance, indie and psychedelic. Then there's her quirky solo debut single 'Yummer Yummer Man', her scathing ode to Margaret Thatcher on 'Bad Miss M', set to a marching county & western sound, the ethereal (which could describe the entire album!) tone of 'Up In Arms', the swirling Middle Eastern sounds on 'Where The Flies Are', and the more sensitive ballad 'When I Was Young', which still has an edge.
One of the most innovative and influential Avant Garde artists of her time, I would love to see Dax's critically-acclaimed work be re-discovered on a wider level. For newcomers, this is a great compilation to start (either this or 'Dark Adapted Eye' released on the Sire label).
Ian Phillips
