Mission of Burma is one of my favorite bands of all time and not just because they're probably THE greatest Boston band ever. When looking back on the progression of my musical tastes over the past few years, something I think I do a little too often, I can trace a pretty significant split to the moment I heard MoB. When I was in high school, my boss and all the dudes that worked at Ace Ticket with me would talk about this band that I had never heard of like they were the lost key to Boston's coolness. I remember thinking from the name that they were some cheesy 80s new wave. Then one day my freshman year in Madison I was in the late great The Den on State St. browsing the CDs and stumbled upon the best of collection A Gun To The Head. My whole listening world basically exploded. They still hold a special place for me even if I don't listen to their Ace of Hearts years that much any more (The Obliterati is the only one I still play), but that's gonna change today when I buy the complete set of reissues.
I honestly don't think I've been this excited to buy a new record in a long time, and it's partly because I'm in LA right now and am going to get my hands on these at my favorite record store in the world, Amoeba. But really, I'm excited because Matador just did this right for so many reasons, and it's great to see a label do something like this for a band that I really love. It feels like an event. Idolator shared a similar enthusiasm for these reissues, but this is more like an event to me. The discs were even remastered by Rick Harte, a pioneer of indie music and one of Boston's most important underground figures, the dude who signed Burma to his label and put out their legendary singles in the early 80s. Even though the band has had one of the most remarkable comebacks ever, it feels good to know that their original material is going to be appreciated all at once like this.
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