In a bizarre turn of events,
Fire Engines were more talked about than ever in 2005. Decades before the development, two very different bands --
the Candyskins and
Meat Whiplash -- named themselves after separate sides of a
Fire Engines single.
Alan McGee's early Creation roster, home to
Meat Whiplash, had
Fire Engines aftershocks running all the way through it. Another early Creation band,
the Jesus and Mary Chain, carried all the spirit of
Fire Engines, from ramshackle arrangements to crowd-baiting 15-minute gigs. But all these things happened long before resources like the internet, popular bands like the heavily indebted
Franz Ferdinand, and the rise of neo-post-punk. Despite being brought up with increasing frequency,
Fire Engines' studio recordings, while gathered nearly in total on a 1992 compilation, were long out of print by 2005.
Codex Teenage Premonition, based around early versions and live material, unlike the straightforward
Scritti Politti and
Orange Juice reissues that appeared earlier in the year, appeared instead. Whether intentional or not, the backwards move fits in perfectly with the band's evasive, unorthodox approach. A reissue of the band's officially released studio recordings would've made a lot more sense, but this gets the point across, and it's not as if the proper studio material is a night-and-day difference in execution and sound quality. The disc begins with five songs recorded in August, 1980, including both sides of the "Get Up and Use Me" single; two of the remaining three songs would be re-recorded for
Lubricate Your Living Room. Nine following tracks come from a pair of audience-taped gigs that provide decent sound quality despite the circumstances. Vibrant versions of "Discord" and "Candyskin" come from a 1981 session for
John Peel. And then, at the end, a reconvened
Fire Engines delightfully stumble and stammer through
Franz Ferdinand's "Jacqueline," sounding almost exactly like the band of old, as if leader Davey Henderson hadn't spent any time as, or with,
Win or
Nectarine No. 9. (The cover originated on a 2004 single featuring a
Franz Ferdinand take on "Get Up and Use Me.") Needling, frantic, terse and lean,
Fire Engines songs aren't much concerned with melody or anyone's idea of classic songwriting, but their sounds shoot straight up the spine, sending nervous energy through the body of the most relaxed listener. Scrappier than both
Josef K and early
Orange Juice (just two of the band's Scottish contemporaries),
Fire Engines plowed through everything with a fearless, wired glee.