The Horrible Truth About Burma

The Horrible Truth About Burma
Live album by Mission of Burma
Released	1985
Recorded	Boston, Chicago, New York, Detroit during 1983 final tour
Genre	Post-punk
Length	39:15 (original/remaster), 54:16 (with bonus tracks), 52:30 (Ryko CD)
Label	Original release, Ace of Hearts; 2008 reissue, Matador Records OLE-732
Producer	Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma chronology
Vs. (1982) The Horrible Truth About Burma (1985) ONoffON (2004)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Austin Chronicle	[2]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[3]
PopMatters	[4]
Robert Christgau	B[5]

The Horrible Truth About Burma is a collection of live recordings by Boston-based post-punk band Mission of Burma,^[6] recorded during their 1983 farewell tour. The band had decided to call it quits because leader Roger Miller's chronic tinnitus had reached a dangerous level;^[7] he is seen wearing shooting-range-style protective headphones on stage in a photo accompanying the album's liner notes ^[8]

Originally released in 1985 by Boston indie label Ace of Hearts, the album was first reissued in 1997 by Ryko, then in "Standard" and "Definitive" editions by Matador in 2008. The Definitive version of the CD and the vinyl release also include a DVD of the full evening set at the Bradford, as well as the VHS version of the show for posterity.

Track listing (Original 1985 release)

All songs written by Roger Miller except as indicated:

Side One

1. "Tremolo" (Clint Conley) – Detroit – 4:11
2. "Peking Spring" (Conley) – Boston (Bradford Hotel) – 3:44
3. "Dumbells" – Chicago – 2:17
4. "New Disco" – Chicago – 3:25
5. "Dirt" (Conley) – Chicago – 3:40
6. "Go Fun Burn Man" (Conley) – Boston (The Channel) – 1:56 (2:20 with the silence at the end of side 1)

Side Two

1. "1970" (The Stooges) – New York – 3:35
2. "Blackboard" (Peter Prescott) – New York – 3:08
3. "He Is, She Is" –– Boston (Bradford Hotel) 2:43 (4:03 with crowd chatter)
4. "Heart of Darkness" (Pere Ubu) – Chicago – 8:55

Bonus tracks on the 2008 Remaster

The vinyl came with an extra 12" with two songs per side. The CD release just adds these to the end of the album.

1. "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" (Conley) – New York – 3:38
2. "Weatherbox" – Detroit – 3:21
3. "Trem Two" – New York – 4:21
4. "Learn How" (Prescott) – Detroit – 3:44

The 1997 Ryko CD release substituted "Weatherbox" for "Red". Otherwise it has the same tracks but in a different order. It also eliminates all of the crowd chatter and silence at the end of some tracks.

1. "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" (Conley) – New York – 3:38
2. "Tremolo" (Conley) – Detroit – 4:08
3. "Dumbells" – Chicago – 2:07
4. "Peking Spring" (Conley) – Boston (Bradford Hotel) – 3:41
5. "1970" (The Stooges) – New York – 3:35
6. "Learn How" (Prescott) – Detroit – 3:33
7. "New Disco" – Chicago – 3:26
8. "Dirt" (Conley) – Chicago – 3:29
9. "Red" – 3:48
10. "Heart of Darkness" (Pere Ubu) – Chicago – 8:54
11. "Trem Two" – New York – 4:31
12. "Blackboard" (Prescott) – New York – 3:08
13. "He Is, She Is" – Boston (Bradford Hotel) 2:43
14. "Go Fun Burn Man" (Conley) – Boston (The Channel) – 1:56

Personnel

• Clint Conley – Bass, vocals, percussion
• Roger Miller – Guitar, vocals, piano, trumpet, percussion
• Peter Prescott – Drums, vocals, percussion
• Martin Swope – Tape manipulations, loops, percussion

References

1. Deming, Mark. "The Horrible Truth About Burma - Mission of Burma". Allmusic. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
3. Masters, Marc (March 24, 2008). "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Mission of Burma: Signals, Calls, and Marches / Vs. / The Horrible Truth About Burma". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
6. Official web site notes on album
7. Release notes at CDUniverse
8. Review and commentary on album at nudeasthenews.com

External links

• www.missionofburma.com – Official Mission of Burma web page
• Mission of Burma collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive