It’s been around four years since At The Drive-In's separation. ATDI divided into two bands The Mars Volta and Sparta. Fans were likewise divided into two camps, die-hards of one band or the other, but all fans will be reunited for this new release. Fearless records just put out an At The Drive-In anthology entitled “This Station Is Non-Operational,” and it delivers two great things. One, fans like myself, who never got to attend one of the El Paso boys' fiery live performances, now get a DVD compilation with 72 minutes of ATDI live snippets. Two, you get a great ATDI CD with 18 tracks and loaded with singles, split singles, split EPs, and unreleased performances, including two covers: A Smith’s cover of “This Night Has Opened My Eyes,” and a Pink Floyd cover “Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk.”
The anthology is packed with classics like “One Armed Scissor,” "Metronome Arthritis," “198d,” “Chanbara,” “Pickpocket,” “Lopsided,” “Enfilade,” and even a tribal/dub remix of “Rascuache.” The disc also includes B-Sides from “Relationship of Command”, and “In/Casino/Out.”
The bonus DVD comes with videos for “One Armed Scissor,” “Metronome Arthritis,” and the stunning true-story video of “Invalid Litter Dept.,” plus some great footage entitled Operations Manual, which shows the band recording in the studio.
At The Drive-In was by far one of the best punk/rock bands of the last decade and for people like myself who fell in love with them after the split, we should be so grateful for Fearless Records and the band members for putting out this anthology. It’s a comprehensive introduction for this ground breaking, multi-talented El Paso band. Until a reunion show is announced, this disc is your E ticket. |