Dig Archaeology, Vol. 2: 1975-1986

The second of three volumes in the Space Negros' Dig Archaeology series of rare and unreleased tracks is both the most "difficult" and the one with the most interest to people who are not necessarily Space Negros fans. This set, which covers the period from 1975 to 1986, features Erik Lindgren's earliest and most chaotic recordings, including the sneering "All Punked Out" and the dryly humorous "Music for Safety Ed Class," along with a couple more of the Space Negros' patented reworkings of earlier hits, including a Residents-like deconstruction of the Music Machine's "Talk Talk" and a version of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" every bit as weird as the one the Cardigans did a couple decades later. (Other highlights include all the tracks from a legendary 1981 flexidisc, Tell White Lies, and the tracks from the 1986 U.K.-only LP Pink Noise that hadn't already shown up on Dig Archaeology, Vol. 1.) Also, this set, unlike the other two, features contributions from the Space Negros' early lineup, which featured a pre-Mission of Burma Roger Miller and Martin Swope on guitar and tape manipulations. ~ Stewart Mason