Just South of Heaven

Just South of Heaven
EP by Crime & the City Solution
Released	1985
Recorded	July 1985
Studio	Strongroom, London
Genre	Post-punk, punk blues
Length	28:20
Label	Mute
Crime & the City Solution chronology
The Dangling Man (1985) Just South of Heaven (1985) Room of Lights (1986)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
NME	favorable [2]
Trouser Press	very favorable [3]

Just South of Heaven is an EP by Crime & the City Solution, released in 1985 through Mute Records.

Reception

The EP received favorable reviews upon release. Mat Snow, writing for NME , noted similarities of the band's sound to that of The Birthday Party and compared Bonney's vocals to "Tom Waits throwing up into a fried-egg sandwich." He writes however, that "Harvey, Soundtracks and the Howard brothers are developing into something equally commanding [to that of The Birthday Party's music] [...] should Simon Bonney ever outgrow this fetishism, then Crime and the City Solution will achieve the truly distinct greatness promised by this record. They're just a kiss away from the pearly gates." ^[2] Writing for Trouser Press , David Sheridan called the album "cleaner and more powerful [than The Dangling Man EP]: all six tracks work well. Howard's guitar is as strong as ever, but piano and organ figure just as prominently. A hauntingly beautiful record by a well- integrated band." ^[3]

Allmusic went on to pick the EP as the highlight of the band's discography, with Robert Gordon writing: "Aussies with a gothic vision of the American South." ^[1]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Rose Blue"	Bronwyn Adams, Simon Bonney	Epic Soundtracks	4:50
2.	"The Coal Train"	Simon Bonney	Mick Harvey	5:55
3.	"Stolen & Stealing"	Bronwyn Adams	Epic Soundtracks	3:20

Side two

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Five Stone Walls"	Simon Bonney	Mick Harvey	4:15
2.	"Trouble Come This Morning"	Bronwyn Adams, Simon Bonney	Rowland S. Howard	4:30
3.	"The Wailing Wall"	Bronwyn Adams, Simon Bonney	Rowland S. Howard	5:30

Personnel

Crime & the City Solution

• Simon Bonney  – vocals
• Mick Harvey  – electric guitar (track 1), organ (tracks 1, 4), piano (tracks 2, 4), acoustic guitar (tracks 2, 3, 5), slide guitar (track 6)
• Rowland S. Howard  – electric guitar (tracks 2, 4–6), slide guitar (track 2), feedback (track 3), piano (track 1, 5), organ (track 6), saxophone (track 6)
• Harry Howard  – bass (tracks 1, 2, 4–6), acoustic guitar (track 3)
• Epic Soundtracks  – drums (tracks 1–5), piano (track 3), organ (track 3), bell (track 4), brush drums (track 6) ^[4]

Production and additional personnel

• Bronwyn Adams – painting
• Flood  – engineering

Charts

Chart (1985)	Peak position
UK Indie Chart [5]	3

References

1. Gordon, Robert. "Just South of Heaven". Allmusic. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
2. "Outta The Black & Into The Ether // Articles // NME – September 21, 1985". rowland-s-howard.com.
3. "TrouserPress.com :: Crime and the City Solution". www.trouserpress.com.
4. https://www.discogs.com/master/1437390-Crime-The-City-Solution-Just-South-Of-Heaven/image/SW1hZ2U6MjMxMDQwMjg=
5. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.