Gyrate (album)

Gyrate
Studio album by Pylon
Released	1980
Studio	Stone Mountain, Atlanta, Georgia, US [1]
Genre	New wave post-punk [2]
Label	DB
Producer	Bruce Baxter Kevin Dunn Pylon
Pylon chronology
Gyrate (1980) Chomp (1983)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Pitchfork	8.8/10 [4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[6]

Gyrate is the debut studio album by American rock band Pylon, released in 1980 by record label DB.

In a 1981 Trouser Press review of Gyrate, Jon Young noted the album had "forceful rhythms and a kooky aura...jagged broken-glass textures and earnestly overbearing lyrics." He said the band has a "nervous, paranoid vibe," similar to the early Talking Heads. Young concludes, "Pylon prods and prods and prods." ^[7]

Track listing

• All songs written and arranged by Pylon, except where noted (Current Copyright: Pylon Music Two / Administered by BMG Bumblebee (BMI) ^[8]

Side A

1. "Volume" – 4:10
2. "Feast on My Heart" – 3:28 (Pylon, with additional lyrics by Craig Woodall)
3. "Precaution" – 2:45
4. "Weather Radio" – 2:08
5. "The Human Body" – 3:00
6. "Read a Book" – 1:55

Side B

1. "Driving School" – 3:47†
2. "Gravity" – 2:31
3. "Danger" – 5:32
4. "Working Is No Problem" – 3:24
5. "Stop It" – 2:59

† The original DB Records pressing of the LP in 1980 opened with the tune "Driving School" on Side B; The 1988 DB Records reissue removed the song, replacing it with "Recent Title". Later reissue versions, such as the CD below, featured both tunes.

Gyrate Plus – 2007 reissue

1. "Cool" – 3:21
2. "Dub" – 4:42
3. "Volume" – 4:17
4. "Feast on My Heart" – 3:34
5. "Precaution" – 2:52
6. "Weather Radio" – 2:15
7. "Human Body" – 3:07
8. "Read a Book" – 2:00
9. "Driving School" – 3:54
10. "Recent Title" – 2:27
11. "Gravity" – 2:39
12. "Danger" – 5:39
13. "Working Is No Problem" – 3:32
14. "Stop It" – 3:05
15. "Danger!!" – 5:40
16. "Functionality" – 4:29

• Tracks 1 and 2 are from the "Cool"/"Dub" single released in 1979; tracks 3 to 14 from Gyrate; track 15 from 10-inch 45 RPM released in UK and as a 12-inch EP in the US and Italy in 1980; track 16 is a studio demo previously unreleased.

Gyrate (Remastered) – 2020 reissue
Side A

1. ”Volume” – 4:10
2. ”Feast” – On My Heart 3:28
3. ”Precaution” – 2:45
4. ”Weather Radio” – 2:08
5. ”The Human Body” – 3:00
6. ”Read A Book” – 1:55

Side B

1. ”Driving School” – 3:47
2. ”Gravity” – 2:31
3. ”Danger” – 5:32
4. ”Working Is No Problem” – 3:24
5. ”Stop It” – 2:59

• Remastered from the original tapes and reissued by New West Records in 2020 on vinyl, CD and digital. Also, part of ‘Box’— a definitive Boxset of Pylon’s early output. ^[8]

Personnel

• Vanessa Ellison – vocals
• Randy Bewley – guitar
• Michael Lachowski – bass
• Curtis Crowe – drums

References

1. Hale, Grace E. (2020). Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture. University of North Carolina Press. p. 82. ISBN   978-1-469-65488-1.
2. "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste . 30 August 2016.
3. Mason, Stewart. "Gyrate – Pylon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved May 12, 2016.
4. Bowers, William (November 28, 2007). "Pylon: Gyrate Plus Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork . Retrieved May 12, 2016.
5. Christgau, Robert (December 13, 2007). "Debut from Eighties Dance-Rock Band Who Taught R.E.M. a Thing or Two". Rolling Stone . Retrieved May 12, 2016.
6. "Pylon – Pylon | Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved May 12, 2016.
7. Young, Jon (April 1981). "Hit and Run". Trouser Press . Vol. 8, no. 2. New York. p. 51. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
8. https://www.discogs.com/release/21465673-Pylon-Gyrate

External links

• Gyrate at Discogs (list of releases)