Some of the Interesting Things You'll See on a Long-Distance Flight

They Say...

Review by Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Perhaps more important for what it represents than what it is, Some of the Interesting Things You'll See on a Long Distance Flight is still a compelling document of a fascinating multi-artist tour that, in some respects, was a logical conclusion for the overtly artistic impulses driving European post-punk. Documenting a variety of performances from 1982's Dialogue North-South tour throughout Western Europe, the tour itself was a combination of a traditional enough rock tour and a series of art performances, emphasizing experimentation and at times extreme visual presentation among a series of acts affiliated with the Crepescule label. Initially released on cassette in 1983, then on CD in 1991 and once again in 2006 with differing track listings, the collection draws on a variety of different sets on different evenings, though compiled smoothly enough, for the most part, to seem like a straight documentation, with performances interspersed by samples of Minny Pops' Wally Van Middendorp's MC patter. Three Richard Jobson pieces begin the full set, each featuring backing from members of Tuxedomoon, with "Pavillion Pole" the hauntingly best of the three, followed by three songs from the Durutti Column, a standout being the brief, just-written-for-the-tour "For Friends in Belgium." Four selections from Paul Haig and Rhythm of Life follow -- Haig, then in the full grips of his rejection of rock & roll for electronic dance and soul, sounds less revolutionary than he must have seen in some circles at the time, but the bubbling "Chance" and the rougher scrabble of "Glory" still work. Antena appear for two selections, including their notable cover of "The Boy from Ipanema," while the Names conclude things with five selections of its somewhat derivative but still enjoyable epic post-punk in a Joy Division/Comsat Angels style. Liner notes from James Nice, revised for the 2006 re-release, include the entirety of a U.K. press piece reviewing a performance date in detail, as well as the original concert program.