The 4P's

Remembering one of the lesser-feted, but no less deserving bands to emerge from the early -'80s punk meltdown, 4 P's is the story of Dead Man's Shadow, a West London band that may have arrived a little late in the day (they formed in 1980), but nevertheless blazed with a purity that had not been sighted since the movement's heyday, way back then. They were implausibly young — three members of the group were 16, the fourth was 17. But "Neighbours," their debut single, was one of the year's most scorching 45s and when, in 1982, Dead Man's Shadow finally got around to an album, it too emerged as one of the era's finest — a 14-track leviathan that looked back towards some of the earlier 45s ("Neighbours" and "Danger UXB" are both featured), but was more intent on a punchy energy and melodic splendor that truly saw them carving fresh paths for the future — a story told on 1984's To Mohammed a Mountain album. Even here, however, 4 P's is bolstered by the two 45s that followed its recording, "Flower in the Gun" and the tremendous "Toleration Street," while a further 11 bonus tracks trace back through the earlier catalog to pick up the remainder of the band's 1980-82 output. The resultant anthology emerges among the most unexpectedly essential in the entire Captain Oi! catalog.