Rhino Records in the UK last year reissued The Pop Group's debut disc "Y" and it finally arrived in my iTunes today. It's been years since I heard this 1979 record by one of the best bands to emerge from Bristol, pre-Massive Attack.

Lead singer Mark Stewart later made a string of great records for Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound, other members formed Rip, Rig & Panic -- which featured a young Neneh Cherry -- and Pigbag. But first, The Pop Group -- certainly there's irony in the name -- would lay the groundwork for the Bristol revolution of the '90s by mixing post-punk with funk, reggae, free jazz and an experimental fervor.

"Y" starts out with the band's debut single, "She is Beyond Good and Evil," a proto-Pigbag quirky funk number, but it's only on the edge of holding together and you can't miss the immediacy that set it apart from the crowd.

Produced by legendary British reggae bassist and producer Dennis Bovell, "Y" is a crazy mix of everything good that the early '80s had to offer.

"We Are Time" predates the first Birthday Party record (although it came out the same year as The Boys Next Door LP) but sounds remarkably similar. There's the funk of "Good and Evil" and "Snowgirl" has that dubby freak-out vibe that made The Slits so lovable.

This reissue has photos, an essay, lyrics and a bonus track (the b-side of "Good and Evil"). Let's hope reissues of the band's two other discs are coming, too.