Young American Recordings

If you were to look on amazon.com for the most expensive, brand new, out-of-print audio CD, you may be surprised at what you discover. No it's not a rare Beatles import or a limited edition Rolling Stones CD that lays claim to the heftiest price tag… but rather a seminal, yet wildly under appreciated album entitled Something to Believe In by the underground, post-punk rock band apb.

Hailing from Aberdeen, Scotland, apb released a series of claustrophobic 12" singles that found their way over the Atlantic in the early 1980's. This culminated in the band's 1985 debut LP release Something to Believe In, which was best described as 'a driving mix of neo-funk urgency and post-punk dynamics." Anchored by the throbbing dance-punk of lead track, 'Shoot You Down," coupled with singer Iain Slater's commanding bass lines and heavily accented vocals, apb gained a cult following in the States. College radio became a huge supporter of the band especially on the east coast. Songs like 'What Kind of Girl," 'One Day," and 'Rainy Day," remained in rotation alongside the classic 'Shoot You Down." This radio success allowed apb to tour the United States on twelve separate occasions with artists like The Clash and James Brown. And their influence on today's music scene is immeasurable with bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Faint, The Rapture, and LCD Soundsystem borrowing from apb's dance rock fusion.

So, some twenty years after the urgency of tracks like 'Shoot You Down" and 'Talk To Me," could be found booming from The Ritz in New York City, Young American is pleased to release Something to Believe In in it's entirety, along with a second CD of live material and rare, unreleased recordings (February 21, 2006). Following the release of Something to Believe In, Young American in connection with the BBC, present apb's complete Radio 1 sessions. Included on this CD are recordings from BBC studio sessions including 8 tracks from the band's legendary John Peel Sessions. John Peel was a huge fan of apb which allowed the band to record sessions for the network on six separate occasions.