Vs. (Mission of Burma album)

Whereas 1981's Signals, Calls, and Marches was notable for its accessible and organized qualities, Vs. saw Mission of Burma make a deliberate effort to record the chaos and noise that characterized their live performances. To help capture their live sound, the album was recorded in a large room at Normandy Sound studios in Rhode Island. The songs on the album feature a greater presence of band member Martin Swope's electronic and tape sound effects than with the band's previous recordings. Mission of Burma guitarist Roger Miller considered Vs. to be the band's best recording, and among the greatest rock and roll albums ever made. ==Critical reception==

Vs. has been well received by critics, immediately receiving positive reviews from publications like The New York Times. In a pre-release review of the track "Trem Two," The Boston Phoenix said "it sounds like the creation, destruction, and rebirth of the universe in four minutes." Despite strong reviews, the noisier sound caused the album to be considered less appropriate for radio airplay than previous Mission of Burma recordings. In his retrospective review, Mark Deming of AllMusic opined that Vs. saw Mission of Burma "[mature] into a band whose sound was as distinctive as anyone of its generation. [...] It's daunting to imagine just how far Mission of Burma could have taken its music had Roger Miller's hearing problems not caused the band to break up the following year, but regardless of lost potential, very few American bands from the 1980s released an album as ambitious or as powerful as Vs." ==Legacy==

The album ranked at number 49 on Pitchfork's "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s" list. In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album number 25 on their list of the 40 Greatest Punk Albums. ==Track listing==

Note • The Matador Definitive Edition CD has the same bonus tracks, but they are in a different order: "Laugh the World Away", "Forget", “Progress", "OK/No Way". ==Personnel==

Mission of Burma • Martin Swope – tape operation, percussion, cover and sleeve design • Clint Conley – bass guitar, vocals, percussion, cover and sleeve design • Roger Miller – guitar, vocals, piano, trumpet, percussion, cover and sleeve design • Peter Prescott – drums, vocals, percussion, cover and sleeve design Technical • Richard W. Harte – production • John Kiehl – engineering • Holly Anderson – cover and sleeve design • Diane Bergamasco – sleeve photography ==References==