Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls

When original 1977 Manchester punk band Penetration split up in 1979, singer Pauline Murray immediately went solo, taking bassist/boyfriend Robert Blamire with her and putting together a "dream team" backing group hard to beat. The Invisible Girls include the LP's legendary producer, Martin Hannett (who gives this 1980 LP his trademark Joy Division/first New Order LP sound; boy has that dated well), as well as Buzzcocks drummer extraordinaire John Maher (Penetration covered Buzzcocks' "Nostalgia" on their first LP, Moving Targets) and guest appearances from Durruti Column's Vini Reilly, the then unknown Wayne Hussey, and Bernard Sumner. With this kind of unbelievable talent as support, Murray flourishes. The second and final Penetration LP, Coming Up for Air, had already posited her as a post-punk star, mining ground similar to the later Skids, or a less primitive, more tuneful early Banshees. Here, with Hannett's far-away, odd sound leading the way, she makes a more subconscious, skillful pop album, full of dark touches, such as discordant piano, flanged basslines, Maher's insistent beat, and strange little background guitar parts. The material is all excellent, especially the knockout opener "Screaming in the Darkness" and the Magazine-like single "Mr. X." This was one of the most inspired and unique solo LPs the punk generation produced. [Les Disques du Crépuscule's remastered and expanded edition, released in 2014, added nonalbum tracks, a Peel Session, and live recordings.]