''Early'' is a 2005 compilation by Scritti Politti which collects singles and EPs recorded in the first years of the band's existence, during its early incarnation as a DIY

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

act characterised by an experimental musical approach and leftist political concerns.AllMusic (review)
/ref> Following these recordings, leader Green Gartside would abandon the group's avant-garde leanings and attempt a more commercial musical direction.

Music

The group's sound on these early recordings has been described by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

as "scrappy, taut, and forthrightly experimental in style, utilizing abrupt changes, rhythmic displacements, and gritty and discordant harmonies tempered by Gartside's sweet vocalizing of impenetrably obscure lyrics, vaguely political in sense but temporal and abstract in meaning." ''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

'' characterized these songs as "what happens when you combine Marxism,

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...

, and post-punk

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 1979: A rickety, alien pulse, as made by a band that insisted on printing the production costs of every single on the sleeve."Pitchfork
/ref>

Track listing

All tracks written by Green Gartside, Nial Jinks, Keith Morley except tracks 12–13, written by Green Gartside.

Original releases

*Tracks 1–3 from "Skank Bloc Bologna" single (1978) *Tracks 4–7 from ''Work in Progress 2nd Peel Session'' (1979) *Tracks 8–11 from ''4 A Sides'' (1979) *Tracks 12–13 from The "Sweetest Girl" single (1981)

Personnel

Scritti Politti

* Green Gartside – vocals, guitar *Nial Jinks – bass (tracks 1–11) *Tom Morley – drums (tracks 1–11)

Additional personnel

* Robert Wyatt – piano (track 12)

References

{{Scritti Politti 2005 compilation albums Scritti Politti albums Rough Trade Records compilation albums Post-punk compilation albums