The Jazz Butcher - Big Questions: The Gift of Music, Vol. 2

All Music Guide

Here is another Jazz Butcher sampler platter; as the record's subtitle implies, this is a collection of singles which is essentially an update of the 1985 release The Gift of Music. The songs are mostly drawn from 1985 to 1987 records such as Sex and Travel, Discreet Gentlefolk, and various EP side projects; three of these tracks appear in identical versions on the Mercury label collection Bloody Nonsense, while a fourth song, "The Human Jungle," appears in a greatly expanded version here. Sound quality is good and track sequence is effective. This is an interesting album to get if Bloody Nonsense is unavailable. First releases of this LP also include a bonus 7" EP of cover songs by Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and others, recorded from live performances. [NOTE: some copies contain a bonus 7" EP, Glass Records HMMM 002]

- David Cleary, All Music Guide