The bonus disc included with Greatest Hits contains nine tracks, all of them obscure enough to warrant inclusion here. There is the never released single version of “The Old Man Smiled” from Heathen Earth for example. And quite a few oddball non-LP B-sides, and weird mixes are included also. As is the case with all of these reissues, the printed material Cosey has included from her personal collection adds insight and context. In something of an inside joke the album was dedicated to Mr. Quiet Village himself, Martin Denny.
All five of these expertly repackaged editions of Throbbing Gristle’s Industrial Records output are really dedicated to their lost friend and colleague, “Sleazy,“ though - who passed away in 2010.
There is nothing sleazy about what T.G. accomplished during their time together however. Although they only lasted as a functioning unit from 1977 to 1980, they produced some of the most unforgettable music ever. T.G. tried so many different things as a group, that pinning them down to any specific style or genre is simply impossible. But for the curious, I would recommend Greatest Hits as a great place to start. They managed to choose a fairly representative mix of their music here, and who knows - one may even come away with a new appreciation for the concept of “Entertainment Through Pain.”
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