Reviews for SUB-STANCE (released 13 Jan, 2003)

A Broad Abroad by Jo-Ann Greene

Goldmine #594, May 2, 2003

Department S were one of the bands that emerged out of the late 1970s British punk scene but never, ever, truly fit there. Fronted by the flamboyantly mysterious Vaughn Toulouse, the group developed out of an imaginary band, Guns For Hire, whose renown exploded nationwide after the "members" flooded the market with badges and T-shirts advertising the group. Encouraged by the interest that a band could garner simply from having a catchy name - including, believe it or not, a coterie of scenesters who frequently insisted that they'd actually seen the band play - the men responsible picked up their instruments. Having earned the interest of The Specials' Terry Hall, they cut a 2-Tone flavored demo that won them a record deal, then promptly played a shambolic live show that saw them feted as rock's latest second coming. So, they did what all self-respecting legends do and self-destructed on the spot - only to promptly reform as Department S. Over the next two years, that band would live up to all the promise (and much of the hype) expended on Guns For Hire, debuting with the still-classic, much praised minor hit single "Is Vic There?" in 1980. The following year they signed with Stiff Records and cut an excellent album - only to reel with horror when they discovered that the label had no intention of releasing it. Rather, when a couple of further singles failed to pick up on the interest generated by "Is Vic There?," Stiff dropped them, leaving the group to fold up their tent in 1982. A decade later, this sad story reached its tragic conclusion when Toulouse died of an AIDS-related illness. The Department S catalog began stirring soon after, the first reissues appearing on the Mau Mau label in 1993. Now the entire catalog, including that unreleased album, five live tracks and an early demo, has been gathered together on Sub-Stance (LTM, U.K.), a 22-track anthology that should go a long way in re-establishing Department S as every bit the legend they once threatened to be.

From Mohair Sweets:

Fans of Department S will agree on two things; their stay was too short, but the results were definitely sweet.

Department S' modernist approach - freely drawing on influences as wide ranging as Roxy Music, the Clash, Kraftwerk, and the nascent Mod revival - included the utilization of synths, dance percussives, creative guitar flourishes, and futuristic fashion and then served it all up with an edgy knowingness, cunning, and passion. The band were definitely "mods" in the truest sense of the word; be seen, be heard, be cool, stay one step ahead style-wise, and always, always stay firmly in the groove. A run of classic - though shockingly only mid and low-level chart entries - singles and energetic, high-profile stage appearances solidified a growing legions of fans (Smash Hits cover shots and Top of The Pops appearances didn't hurt either) but sadly it all went pear shaped after the label (Stiff) started dicking about, terminated their contract and refused to let the newly recorded LP out of their hands for anything less than a whole heap of cash. Oh well, shit happens. Especially in the music biz!

For all the lost followers who have been pining for a hot new collection of the band's recorded legacy what we now have here is the all the singles and their b-sides (no foreign versions though), some killer live tracks showing just how good these guys really were, and a rare unreleased demo track in "Another Route Home." Y'know they can tout all the rubbish of the 80s they want on their "Lost 80s Weekends" and all that kind of crap but Department S fans know who the real heroes of the 80s were. Vic is here!

From Uncut magazine, March 2003:

With NYC's bright new hopes (Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) openly worshipping at the altar of scratchy early-80s UK punk-funk (PiL, Gang of Four), it now seems doubly outrageous that Department S were denied the release of this like-minded debut at the time - "Whatever Happened To The Blues" alone is 20 years ahead of Radio 4. An even greater shame that singer Vaughn Toulouse (who died of AIDS in 1991) isn't around to savour the overdue recognition this should grant him.

- Simon Goddard

From Whisperin & Hollerin:

As we all know, the road to pop stardom is littered with also-rans and chancers, many who can easily and deservedly be dismissed as 'One-Hit Wonders.'

But fate can also be equally cruel to artists who show true potential and fall by the wayside due to a combination of bad luck, circumstances and - often - a gross lack of faith from the self same record company that initially welcomed the unfortunate band to their collective bosom.

DEPARTMENT S sadly fell into this latter category. Those of you out there who can still recall them will no doubt remember their one (actually bloody great) brush with stardom, the punchily atmospheric "Is Vic There?" that hit the Top 30 in April 1981 and brought Top Of The Pops appearances, unstoppable hype and - perhaps inevitably - the band's premature crash and burn barely 12 months later.

Over (crikey) two decades later on, "...Vic" still sounds as potent and smart as ever, led by Mike Herbage's scorching guitar, mysterioso keyboards and Vaughn Toulouse's charismatic baritone. It's as impressive an introduction as any band could wish for, but it's by no means the whole story, as "Sub-Stance" proves, proffering 22 tracks in all; ransacking the band's entire (and unfortunately slim) archive.

The first 12 tracks are DEPARTMENT S's criminally unreleased album (Stiff rejected it, refusing to release the master tapes for less than £50,000, thus causing the band to splinter) and listening to it now you wonder why they invested such little faith in this fine quintet as these songs drip with charisma and distinctiveness. Indeed, while DEPARTMENT S may have been spawned by two disparate movements (Mod and New Romantic respectively), by the time they got to record these songs - with BLONDIE engineer David Tickle at the controls - they were a powerhouse.

For starters, it's hard to see why "...Vic"s follow-up singles failed, as the manic "Going Left Right" and the dark and challenging "I Want" are within hailing distance of similar genius, but there are loads of other fine tunes here: indeed "Ode To Koln," the strident opener "Of All The Lost Followers" and the band's under-exposed secret weapon "Clap Now" are the equal of any of the singles.

Musically, too, DEPARTMENT S seemed to have it cracked. In Mike Herbage they had a ceaselessly powerful and inventive guitarist; in Vaughn Toulouse they had a nicely arrogant front man with a great line in acerbic wordplay (check "Clap Now" and the sarcastic, but sinister ego overload of "I Want" and you'll see what I mean) and the meatily effective Tony Lordan/ Stuart Mizon rhythm section had a propensity for bastardised disco beats good enough to challenge Blondie or the Gang Of Four respectively.

The remainder of the collection hardly lets the side down, either. Tracks 13-17 represent DEPT S at their best live, running through the singles, "Clap Now" and the unrecorded "Tell Me About It" with verve, consistency and power to spare. "Tell Me..." is considerably more commercial than most of the band's material, but even when they gave it up to the funk like so many white boy outfits at the time they retained their integrity.

Intriguingly, the final clutch of B-sides and out-takes maintain the standard. OK, the daft cover of T-REX's "Solid Gold Easy Action" could be happily jettisoned, but the brilliant "She's Expecting You", "Monte Carlo Or Bust" and Toulouse's ironic suicide scenario "Put All The Crosses In The Right Boxes" suggest that DEPARTMENT S - like all great bands - had established their own special identity with their B-sides alone.

Pressure, circumstances and ego tragically curtailed DEPARTMENT S's obviously enormous potential and the terrible premature death of Vaughn Toulouse from an AIDS-related illness in 1991 places an incredibly sad post-script at the end of the story. Nonetheless, "Substance" is a more than welcome release that should ensure Toulouse and co's work gains at least real posthumous attention. However belated, respect is unquestionably due here. (9/10)

TIM PEACOCK

From Leonard's Lair.com:

History tells us that 'Is Vic There?' was the highlight of Department S's career. A supposed one-hit wonder, the single found its way into the top 30 back in 1980 thanks to increased airplay for this hitherto underground hit. Not for the first time though, the commercial success killed the band. Faced with the pressure of a record company clamouring for more hits, the members soon split; deciding to do what in modern terms would be to 'keep it real' rather than sell out. Until now the album remained unreleased but the ever-exhaustive LTM Records have seen fit to issue the whole album with various bonus tracks. Although never quite being at the top of the game in their two main forms of music i.e. post-punk and new wave, this is a skeleton worth retrieving from the cupboard. In front man Vaughn Toulouse they had a voice whose demeanour and monotone made him a charismatic figure. They successfully negotiated the usual morose routes by developing a knack for expediency and aggression. There's the white-funk of 'Fighting Irish' and singles 'I Want' and 'Going Left Right' matched 'Is Vic There?' for swagger and military precision. The five live recordings even surpass the originals in some cases, 'Clap Now' in particular packs a much bigger punch than the Substance version. 'Tell Me About It' was their shot at a more commercial route and to be fair it does not compromise their earlier vigour at all. With B-sides of the calibre of 'Put All The Crosses In The Right Boxes' they make as competitive rivals for The Nightingales for lyrical bite and incisiveness. Happily, there's enough material here to rank them above the usual 'Where Are They Now?' status.

To order your copy of Sub-Stance today, please go here (if you live in the US, go here).

Back to News page

©2000-2005 Splat! ;)