ALBUMS: Super Furry Animals – Fuzzy Logic & Zoom

Welsh superstars Super Furry Animals release a reissue of their landmark album, Fuzzy Logic, on Friday (04.11.16) along with a new compilation album, ‘Zoom’. We have given them a listen, and here’s the verdict…

Fuzzy Logic is widely regarded as the bands finest hour, and twenty years after its original release here we are again discussing it. The new reissue doesn’t come across as a desperate money grabbing effort, as rereleases so often can do. They have remastered the classics that saw them rocket to fame from Cardiff’s backstreets and accompanied them with some new additions that fans will not want to miss.

The two disc set is split into four sections, on disc one we have the two parts titled Fuzzy Logic and B-Sides & B-Sides and Such. Pretty self explanatory, but the B-Sides and Such section adds a nice touch for any fans, making the first disc more of a ‘complete 1996’ collection.

The second disc is where the unheard stuff really shows itself. Firstly we get a whole host of unreleased demos, previously unheard, recorded prior to the albums creation in 1995. Included amongst the fifteen demos are Hanging With Howard Marks recorded in Fulham and fan favourite Hometown Unicorn recorded back in their native Wales, from a 1995 recording session in Llaefaelog.

The final instalment of the album is ten live tracks the 1996 Phoenix Festival. This is the best part of this deluxe album set, showcasing their early live performances which were a major part of their rise to indie-psych prominence. A very aesthetically pleasing lyrics sheet is also included as a pull out with this album.

Zoom is what you expect from a compilation album, with a few niceties thrown in too. The two disc, thirty-seven track double album contains every single the band have released from 1995 until now, as well as some of their more popular album tracks for good measure. This also includes a pull out, but this one contains all the album artwork from their illustrious career and some pictures of the band from years gone by.

The only issue with this double release for me is that if you plan to buy both and listen through you will hear some tracks, such as ‘Something 4 The Weekend’, four times. This will be in the form or two recorded versions, a demo and a live track, but in fairness there is enough material over the four discs to break that up. I recommend for any fans, or possibly for a Christmas gift to a fan, and it is certainly something anyone who has collected their previous albums needs to have to top of their collection.