The World We Knew

Frenzi Records presents a deluxe double disc remaster of The World We Knew, the third studio album by maverick American artist Tav Falco and his wreckabilly combo Panther Burns.Raised in rural Arkansas, Tav Falco formed the first incarnation of Panther Burns in Memphis in 1979, offering an artful mix of punk, garage, rockabilly and art damage influences, sharing stages with the likes of The Cramps and The Gun Club. Legendary friend and mentor Alex Chilton (ex-Box Tops and Big Star) orchestrated their acclaimed debut long player Behind the Magnolia Curtain for Rough Trade, before going on to produce the next three Panther Burns albums, using vintage Memphis studios such as Ardent, Sam Phillips Recording and Easley McCain. The World We Knew is the third Panther Burns album, cut with Chilton in 1987. In a sense, it was a self-conscious and conceptual look back upon the trajectory of the group seven years into our existence, explains Tav. Fuelled by an era that was rapidly coming to an end, or had already ended, slipping away into the bleakness and softness of the Memphis night. Stand-out tracks include She s a Bad Motorcycle, Ditch Digging, and Tav original Cuban Rebel Girl from the bonus Shake Rag EP. Disc 2 offers a previously unreleased live recording from the Babylone Club in Bordeaux from April 1987.Tav Falco & Panther Burns have been cited as an influence by everyone from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to The Fall, Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized. Renegade Tav Falco explores a highly personal vision of rock n roll, enthused Edwin Pouncey in The Wire in November 2014. Possessed by a wide range of influences that range from country and blues, novelty numbers and punk rock, to La Monte Young styled drone. But Falco has earned the right to stand shoulder to shoulder with the musicians and artists he so fervently admires. The World We Knew is released through bespoke imprint Frenzi in an attractive tri-fold digipack. Also released are deluxe 2xCD editions of Return of the Blue Panther (1990) and Life Sentence in the Cathouse (1991), plus best of anthology Hip Flask.