A BOX OF...
Modern English - A BOX OF... Modern English (17 x CDs)
Gather in, let’s talk about Modern English, because their story is far richer, stranger and more rewarding than the single song most people know them for.
They began in Colchester in 1979, part of that art‑school post‑punk wave where young musicians were experimenting with sound, texture and mood rather than chasing chart success. Early Modern English were angular, abrasive and wonderfully odd. Mesh & Lace from 1981 is the clearest snapshot of that beginning, metallic guitars, stark rhythms, surreal imagery, and a sense of emotional distance that felt completely in step with the era’s underground energy. They weren’t trying to be accessible, they were trying to be interesting.
But something changed as they moved into the early ’80s. The band didn’t abandon their experimental roots; they simply learned how to fold melody and warmth into the tension. After the Snow and Ricochet Days brought a shimmering, romantic quality to their sound, still atmospheric, still dreamlike, but suddenly capable of reaching a wider audience. “I Melt With You” became the unexpected breakthrough, a song that carried their introspective style into mainstream consciousness without compromising who they were.
Their later albums show a band continually reshaping its identity. Stop Start and Pillow Lips explored more polished production and personal songwriting. Soundtrack and Take Me to the Trees returned to the atmospheric guitar‑driven feel of their early years, but with the maturity of musicians who had lived through several eras of change. Even the most recent record, 1 2 3 4, carries that same blend of clarity and introspection, proof that they never lost the thread of what made them Modern English in the first place.
Popularity? They were never a chart‑chasing band. They had one global hit, yes, but their real legacy sits in the albums, in the way they balanced art‑school abstraction with emotional resonance. Their live recordings, from In Concert to After the Snow – Live from Indigo at The O2, show how strong that connection remains. They’re a band whose music ages well because it was never built on trends, it was built on atmosphere, feeling and craft.
So what can you expect from this set is there full development from the fractured post‑punk beginnings, the melodic and romantic middle period, the reflective later years, and the rare tracks that fill in the spaces between. Mesh & Lace gives you the raw experimentation. Ricochet Days and Stop Start show the band at their most expansive. Pillow Lips captures their early ’90s shift. The compilations and live albums reveal how their songs breathe on stage. Take Me to the Trees and 1 2 3 4 prove they’re still capable of making music that feels both familiar and new.
In short, this collection lets you hear Modern English as they really are, not just the band behind one iconic song, but artists who spent four decades exploring mood, texture and emotion. It’s a journey worth taking, and every album in this set adds a different shade to the picture. (B)
Included in the set are the following albums:
Mesh & Lace [1981]
After the Snow [1982]
Ricochet Days [1984]
Drowning Man, Early Demos & Peel Sessions [1985]
Stop Start [1986]
Pillow Lips [1990]
Everything's Mad [1996]
Life in The Gladhouse 1980-1984, The Best Of. [2001]
In Concert [2008]
Modern English (Live) [2008]
Soundtrack [2010]
Blister [2012]
Rarities and The Unreleased [2014]
Take Me to The Trees [2017]
After The Snow, Live From Indigo At The O2 (Live) [2021]
1 2 3 4 [2024]
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As a bonus I have included my compilation titled Modern English A Listening Experience (A Butterboy Compilation)...
This set is built to guide a listener through a complete emotional journey. It begins with sounds that feel tight and tense, like a space that has not yet opened. These early tracks move in sharp lines and repeating patterns, creating a sense of anticipation. As the sequence continues, the music becomes brighter and more spacious. The tones stretch outward, the rhythms soften, and the voice becomes warmer. This shift feels like stepping from a narrow corridor into open air.
The middle of the set carries the listener forward with steady movement. The songs feel wider, more colourful, and more confident. They create a sensation of travelling, not standing still. Later tracks introduce calm and reflection. The sounds become smoother, the pace slows, and the atmosphere deepens. It feels like watching light change across a landscape.
The final pieces return to energy and purpose. They move with clarity and strength, echoing the beginning but with greater focus. The journey ends not in silence, but in momentum. This set works because it changes shape as it moves, offering tension, lift, warmth, depth, and renewal in one continuous line. (B)
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BONUS CD ONLY
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Track lists
Mesh & Lace [1981]
01 Modern English - Gathering Dust 4:16
02 Modern English - 16 Days 4:36
03 Modern English - Just a Thought 4:08
04 Modern English - Move in Light 4:45
05 Modern English - Grief 6:28
06 Modern English - The Token Man 6:31
07 Modern English - A Viable Commerical 4:25
08 Modern English - Black Houses 5:44
09 Modern English - Dance of Devotion 5:52
10 Modern English - Smiles and Laughter 3:12
11 Modern English - Mesh and Lace 4:18
12 Modern English - Tranquillity 7:01
13 Modern English - Home 3:51
14 Modern English - Swans on Glass 4:35
15 Modern English - Incident 2:38
After the Snow [1982]
01 Modern English - Someone's Calling 4:01
02 Modern English - Life in the Gladhouse 4:20
03 Modern English - Face of Wood 5:54
04 Modern English - Dawn Chorus 4:45
05 Modern English - I Melt With You 4:11
06 Modern English - After the Snow 3:51
07 Modern English - Carry Me Down 5:24
08 Modern English - Tables Turning 4:35
09 Modern English - Someone's Calling (remix) 3:46
10 Modern English - Life in the Gladhouse (remix) 5:00
11 Modern English - I Melt With You (7" mix) 3:50
12 Modern English - The Prize 3:32
13 Modern English - Life in the Gladhouse 5:55
14 Modern English - The Choicest View 11:39
Ricochet Days [1984]
01 Modern English - Rainbow End 3:06
02 Modern English - Machines 5:39
03 Modern English - Spinning Me Round 4:51
04 Modern English - Ricochet Days 5:12
05 Modern English - Hands Across The Sea 4:53
06 Modern English - Blue Waves 4:00
07 Modern English - Heart 6:58
08 Modern English - Chapter 12 3:57
09 Modern English - Chapter 12 (12-inch remix) (bonus track) 4:36
10 Modern English - Ringing in The Change (bonus track) 4:09
11 Modern English - Reflection (bonus track) 4:19
12 Modern English - Breaking Away (demo) 2:53
Drowning Man, Early Demos & Peel Sessions [1985]
01 Modern English - 2001 (Demo 1979) 3:44
02 Modern English - Coming From You (Demo 1979) 5:54
03 Modern English - Feel it (Demo 1979) 3:52
04 Modern English - The Plunge (Demo 1979) 3:19
05 Modern English - Sitting (Demo 1979) 1:45
06 Modern English - Silent World (Demo 1979) 6:01
07 Modern English - Sixteen Days (Peel Session 11-11-1980) 2:48
08 Modern English - Black Houses (Peel Session 11-11-1980) 4:48
09 Modern English - Mesh & Lace (Peel Session 11-11-1980) 4:35
10 Modern English - A Viable Commercial (Peel Session 11-11-1980) 4:42
11 Modern English - Someone's Calling (Peel Session 07-10-1981) 3:44
12 Modern English - Face of Wood (Peel Session 07-10-1981) 6:46
13 Modern English - Being Peeled (Peel Session 07-10-1981) 9:02
14 Modern English - Drowning Man (Drowning Man 7'' A-side 1979) 3:39
15 Modern English - Silent World (Drowning Man 7'' B-side 1979) 4:52
Stop Start [1986]
01 Modern English - The Border 4:07
02 Modern English - Ink and Paper 3:57
03 Modern English - Night Train 3:06
04 Modern English - I Don't Know The Answer 3:11
05 Modern English - Love Breaks Down 5:23
06 Modern English - Breaking Away 4:03
07 Modern English - The Greatest Show 4:50
08 Modern English - Love Forever 3:30
09 Modern English - Start Stop / Stop Start 5:48
Pillow Lips [1990]
01 Modern English - I Melt With You 3:56
02 Modern English - Life's Rich Tapestry 4:05
03 Modern English - Beauty 2:25
04 Modern English - You're Too Much 2:29
05 Modern English - Beautiful People 3:11
06 Modern English - Care About You 2:56
07 Modern English - Let's All Dream 2:35
08 Modern English - Coming Up for Air 3:47
09 Modern English - Pillow Lips 3:31
10 Modern English - Take Me Away 3:44
11 Modern English - I Melt With You (Stop The Radio Mix) 4:02
12 Modern English - I Melt With You (Rock The Radio Mix) 4:19
13 Modern English - Life's Rich Tapestry (Tokes' Rich 7' Mix) 4:14
14 Modern English - Life's Rich Tapestry (Doves Groovy 7' Mix) 4:25
Everything's Mad [1996]
01 Modern English - The Planet 3:41
02 Modern English - That's Right 3:49
03 Modern English - Waves (When I Cum) 4:28
04 Modern English - Heaven 2:38
05 Modern English - I Can't Breathe 2:29
06 Modern English - Here We Go Again 3:32
07 Modern English - I Don't Know Anything 2:37
08 Modern English - Elastic 2:21
09 Modern English - Flim One 3:25
10 Modern English - The Killing Screens 4:07
Life in The Gladhouse 1980-1984, The Best Of. [2001]
01 Modern English - 16 Days 4:37
02 Modern English - Gathering Dust 4:21
03 Modern English - I Melt With You 3:48
04 Modern English - Mesh and Lace 4:18
05 Modern English - Black Houses 5:42
06 Modern English - After The Snow 3:49
07 Modern English - Rainbows End 3:06
08 Modern English - Smiles and Laughter 3:10
09 Modern English - Ricochet Days 5:13
10 Modern English - Dawn Chorus 4:41
11 Modern English - Carry Me Down 5:24
12 Modern English - Machines 5:53
13 Modern English - Heart 6:56
14 Modern English - Swans on Glass 4:34
15 Modern English - Blue Waves 3:57
16 Modern English - Life in The Gladhouse 5:03
In Concert [2008]
01 Modern English - I Melt With You 4:37
02 Modern English - Up in The Brain 3:06
03 Modern English - It’s Okay 4:01
04 Modern English - Here Comes The Failure 3:27
05 Modern English - Blister 5:39
06 Modern English - 24 Part Personality 4:53
07 Modern English - Soundtrack 6:17
08 Modern English - Deep Sea Diver 4:30
09 Modern English - After The Snow 3:41
10 Modern English - Ricochet 2:51
11 Modern English - Life in The Gladhouse 5:26
12 Modern English - Hands Across The Sea 5:46
Modern English (Live) [2008]
01 Modern English - I Melt With You (Live) 4:37
02 Modern English - Ricochet Days (Live) 2:48
03 Modern English - After the Snow (Live) 3:39
04 Modern English - Blister (Live) 5:37
05 Modern English - Deep Sea Diver (Live) 4:28
06 Modern English - 24 Part Personality (Live) 4:51
07 Modern English - Hands Across The Sea (Live) 5:44
08 Modern English - Here Comes The Failure (Live) 3:25
09 Modern English - It's OK (Live) 3:59
10 Modern English - Life in The Gladhouse (Live) 5:23
11 Modern English - Soundtrack (Live) 6:15
12 Modern English - Up in The Brain (Live) 3:04
Soundtrack [2010]
01 Modern English - It's OK 3:13
02 Modern English - Blister 2:55
03 Modern English - Bomb 2:44
04 Modern English - Soundtrack 6:06
05 Modern English - Call Me 5:05
06 Modern English - Here Comes The Failure 3:13
07 Modern English - The Lowdown 5:05
08 Modern English - Up Here in The Brain 3:12
09 Modern English - Deep Sea Diver 3:29
10 Modern English - Antique Future 1:49
11 Modern English - Fin 5:49
Blister [2012]
01 Modern English - Blister (Live) 5:37
02 Modern English - After the Snow (Live) 3:39
03 Modern English - Deep Sea Diver (Live) 4:28
04 Modern English - Hands Across the Sea (Live) 5:44
05 Modern English - It's Okay (Live) 3:59
06 Modern English - Here Comes the Failure (Live) 3:25
07 Modern English - Part Personality (Live) 4:51
08 Modern English - I Melt With You (Live) 4:37
09 Modern English - Up in the Brain (Live) 3:04
10 Modern English - Life in the Gladhouse (Live) 5:23
11 Modern English - Ricochet (Live) 2:48
12 Modern English - Soundtrack (Live) 6:15
Rarities and The Unreleased [2014]
01 Modern English - I Can't Breathe (Without You) 2:37
02 Modern English - I Don't Know Anything 2:37
03 Modern English - Here We Go Again 4:08
04 Modern English - Film One 3:25
05 Modern English - Hold On 3:06
06 Modern English - Inside of Me 2:26
07 Modern English - Inside The Light 2:28
08 Modern English - Game of Love 3:06
09 Modern English - The Killing Screens 4:07
Take Me to The Trees [2017]
01 Modern English - Youre Corrupt 3:17
02 Modern English - Trees 4:47
03 Modern English - Moonbeam 3:31
04 Modern English - Something's Going On 4:15
05 Modern English - Dark Cloud 2:27
06 Modern English - Sweet Revenge 3:55
07 Modern English - I Feel Small 4:33
08 Modern English - Come Out of Your Hole 5:02
09 Modern English - Flood of Light 3:50
10 Modern English - It Don't Seem Right 4:04
After The Snow, Live From Indigo At The O2 (Live) [2021]
01 Modern English - Someone's Calling (Live) 4:44
02 Modern English - Life in The Gladhouse (Live) 5:00
03 Modern English - Face of Wood (Live) 6:39
04 Modern English - Dawn Chorus (Live) 5:23
05 Modern English - I Melt With You (Live) 4:48
06 Modern English - After The Snow (Live) 3:53
07 Modern English - Carry Me Down (Live) 5:46
08 Modern English - Tables Turning (Live) 5:01
1 2 3 4 [2024]
01 Modern English - Long in The Tooth 2:39
02 Modern English - Not My Leader 2:34
03 Modern English - Not Fake 3:54
04 Modern English - Exploding 5:18
05 Modern English - Plastic 3:12
06 Modern English - Crazy Lovers 3:05
07 Modern English - I Know Your Soul 3:24
08 Modern English - Genius 3:45
09 Modern English - Out to Lunch 3:45
10 Modern English - Voices 4:58
BONUS A Listening Experience (A Butterboy Compilation)
01 Modern English - Gathering Dust 4:16
02 Modern English - Mesh and Lace 4:18
03 Modern English - 16 Days 4:36
04 Modern English - After the Snow 3:51
05 Modern English - Someone's Calling 4:01
06 Modern English - Life in the Gladhouse 5:55
07 Modern English - I Melt With You 4:11
08 Modern English - Ricochet Days 5:12
09 Modern English - Hands Across The Sea 4:53
10 Modern English - Chapter 12 3:57
11 Modern English - Start Stop / Stop Start 5:48
12 Modern English - Ink and Paper 3:57
13 Modern English - Pillow Lips 3:31
14 Modern English - Beautiful People 3:11
15 Modern English - Soundtrack 6:06
16 Modern English - Blister 2:55
17 Modern English - Trees 4:47
18 Modern English - Moonbeam 3:31
19 Modern English - Long in The Tooth 2:39
20 Modern English - Not My Leader 2:34
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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