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Children's Hour: Looking for the Sun

One of the more surprising reunions of recent times (in an era strangely heavy with reunions), which resulted in one of the most exciting live shows I've seen this year. Seems that the release of this CD on Failsafe Records inspired Chris Matthews, Grant Fell and Bevan Sweeney to give Children's Hour a go on stage again, after all the history which had passed since this extraordinary band split in 1984. (The various guises of the Chickens and bassist Johhny Pierce's tragic suicide.) This album collects and remasters 14 of the band's live recordings - previously a single, an EP and some compilation inclusions were all that was available. Hints of what was to come from the Headless Chickens are here in a raw, vicious form. Few songwriters have Matthews' talent for evocative turns of phrase: "Passing catlike under the table, we lost 8 of our 9 lives" (from the title track). Matthews' liner notes helpfully explain the inspirations for most of the songs, and reminisce about their original recordings. If you loved Children's Hour the first time around, or if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, grab this.