Skip to content
fbn17cd.jpg

A Certain Ratio \ I'd Like To See You Again [FBN 17 CD]

A remastered and expanded CD edition of I'd Like To See You Again, the third studio album by Manchester postpunk funk group A Certain Ratio, originally released by Factory Records in October 1982.

I'd Like To See You Again was the last Ratio album to feature the original quintet of Donald Johnson, Jeremy Kerr, Martin Moscrop, Simon Topping and Peter Terrell, and saw the band move from the ethereal textures of Sextet towards a more stripped-down sound, influenced by the Latin and electrofunk scene in New York. Stand out tracks include rubber-thumbed bass workout Touch, vocoderized percussion excursion Show Case and the minimalist, muscular grooves of Guess Who?, which was also issued as a 12" single on Factory Benelux.

The remastered CD features 5 bonus tracks, including the 7" and 12" versions of dancefloor classic Knife Slits Water, flipside Tumba Rhumba, an exclusive Benelux remix of Guess Who?, and undervalued single I Need Someone Tonite, issued in 1983 and the first Ratio record to feature keys player Andy Connell.

CD tracklist:

1. Touch
2. Saturn
3. Hot Knights
4. I'd Like To See You Again
5. Show Case
6. Sesamo Apriti a Corco Vada
7. Axis
8. Guess Who?
9. Knife Slits Water (7" version)
10. Tumba Rhumba
11. I Need Someone Tonite
12. Guess Who? (Remix)
13. Knife Slits Water (12" version)

DELETED

A Certain Ratio - I'd Like To See You Again [FBN 17 CD]

Reviews:

"Class trip to the land of the good groove. Wish I'd been there - rhythmic sophistication developed under the influence of then-current disco, funk and South American music, and the five bonus tracks make for a very happy package" (Spex, 07/2005)

"ACR had always been influenced by American disco and funk, but here that influence became more pronounced than ever. Opener Touch is perhaps the slickest, catchiest bit of R&B that Parliament never recorded, and Hot Knights features a swinging beat with some squishy analog synth to keep it bouyed. The highlight though is Axis, which features some truly jaw-dropping bass work from Jeremy Kerr and grooves languidly on a foundation of tightly syncopated beats and well-placed keyboard riffs" (brainwashed.com, 08/2005)

"In contrast to earlier ACR releases, this feels like an escape from the constraints of glum post-punk noises, and instead the direction is informed by the sounds of New York clubs, leading to a more danceable set which has lasted the distance of 20-plus years very well. The rhythms are applied to exemplary effect on Touch, Guess Who? and Knife Slits Water, and five years into the 21st century much of this record could still attract a crowd on to the dancefloor" (Leonard's Lair, 07/2005)

"Touch is arguably the album's best track, bumping along on Kerr's mother of all rubber-thumb basslines and a distinctly bouncy positivity which suits ACR remarkably well. Both Axis and Saturn also serve up lithe funk based around disciplined trumpet work and DoJo's busy high-hat. The cream of the bonus tracks include the brilliant Knife Slits Water (tingly, atmospheric noir on the 7" mix) and the brasher post-Topping single I Need Someone Tonite, which signposts ACR's future direction on Force in 1985" (Whisperin' & Hollerin' 07/2005)