I first heard the Wake in the early 90s after picking up their TALK ABOUT THE PAST (FAC 88) 12inch - and knowing only two things about the band at this point (1) they're on Factory and (2) they've got Vini Reilly [of the Durutti Column] guesting on keys. Two very good things.

From the introductory wash of ARP QUADRA Synth to the rolling bass line - I was hooked. The Wake are, without a doubt, one of the most underrated Factory bands.

Perhaps, now with James Nice's Les Temps Modernes label reissuing all their material to date on CD with bonus tracks, they can be properly evaluated as one of the greatest post-punk bands of the early eighties.

This release, HERE COMES EVERYBODY, includes the Glasgow band's first full album proper for Factory (FACT 130) plus subsequent non-album single releases.

The album contains the excessively brilliant opener OH PAMELA about how meanings can change over time. This not some sappy pop song about how relationships can go terribly wrong. It is filled with just enough distance, edge, and anguish to make this meditation on memory sublime.

This release also includes tracks off their singles for Factory TALK ABOUT THE PAST, OF THE MATTER, and SOMETHING THAT NO ONE ELSE COULD BRING

. I should perhaps mention comparisons to Joy Division's Ian Curtis, particularly in regards to Ceasar's deep vocals, abound. Ceasar did in fact, sing 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' with various Factory musicians on stage during the Factory All-Stars performance at the Hacienda in the early 80s.

With current trends paving the way for a heightened consciousness of post-punk bands, room in your collection should be made for THE WAKE.

Suggested tracks:
OH PAMELA, MELANCHOLY MAN, TORN CALENDER, ALL I ASKED YOU TO DO, TALK ABOUT THE PAST, PLASTIC FLOWERS.