The Affectionate Punch

The Affectionate Punch
Studio album by The Associates
Released	August 1, 1980
Studio	Morgan Studios
Genre	Post-punk new wave
Length	41:25
Label	Fiction
Producer	Mike Hedges Chris Parry
The Associates chronology
The Affectionate Punch (1980) Fourth Drawer Down (1981)

The Affectionate Punch is the debut studio album by Scottish post-punk/new wave band The Associates. It was released on 1 August 1980 by record label Fiction.

Release

The Affectionate Punch was released on 1 August 1980. Michael Dempsey and John Murphy featured in promotional shots and the accompanying tour but did not perform on the record.

"The Affectionate Punch" and "Would I... Bounce Back" were released as singles to little commercial success.

Remix

The album was remixed and re-released in 1982 by order of The Associates' new record company Warner Bros. Records. The remixed record retained all the old tracks but was given typical '80s production values such as new synthesizers as well as some re-recorded vocals by Billy Mackenzie. Both Mackenzie and Rankine expressed dissatisfaction with the results. For years this was the only version available on CD, as the master tapes for the original had been lost. However, a duplicate was later found and the album was reissued by Virgin Records in 2005.

The remixed versions of "A Matter of Gender" and "A" were also released as singles in 1982.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
BBC Music	favourable[2]
NME	very favourable[3]

Upon its release, The Affectionate Punch was praised by Paul Morley of the NME, who called it "a kind of masterpiece".^[3]

Contemporary reviews have also been favourable, with BBC Music reviewer Chris Jones writing "Few bands today would dare to be so audacious".^[2]

Track listing

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Affectionate Punch"	3.30
2.	"Amused As Always"	4.20
3.	"Logan Time"	4.12
4.	"Paper House"	4.54
5.	"Transport to Central"	5.02

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Matter of Gender"	4.30
2.	"Even Dogs in the Wild"	3.23
3.	"Would I... Bounce Back"	3.59
4.	"Deeply Concerned"	3.38
5.	"A"	3.57

2005 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
11.	"You Were Young"	4.04
12.	"Janice"	2.35
13.	"Boys Keep Swinging (Mono)"	3.40
14.	"Mona Property Girl"	3.27

1982 remixed version

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Amused As Always"	4.20
2.	"The Affectionate Punch"	4.18
3.	"A Matter of Gender"	4.27
4.	"Would I... Bounce Back"	3.57
5.	"A"	3.49

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Logan Time"	4.13
2.	"Paper House"	4.54
3.	"Deeply Concerned"	4.03
4.	"Even Dogs in the Wild"	3.09
5.	"Transport to Central"	4.34

Personnel

The Associates

• Billy Mackenzie – vocals
• Alan Rankine – guitar, bass, keyboards, other instruments

Additional personnel

• Robert Smith – backing vocals on "The Affectionate Punch"
• Nigel Glockler – drums

Technical

• Chris Parry – production
• Mike Hedges – production, engineering
• Mike Dutton – engineering assistance
• Bill Smith – sleeve artwork

References

1. Kellman, Andy. "The Affectionate Punch – The Associates | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 December 2014. delete character in |title= at position 45 (help)
2. Jones, Chris (2003). "BBC – Music – Review of Associates – The Affectionate Punch". BBC Music. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
3. Morley, Paul (16 August 1980). "... But the Thin White Dukes Do". NME. Retrieved 16 December 2014.

External links

• The Affectionate Punch at Discogs (list of releases)