185

Perhaps it's no surprise that 185 - the last studio album by the Muffins before a long hiatus - saw their sound shifting from the sunny Canterbury climate of Manna/Mirage into colder and more confrontational RIO territory, given the presence of Fred Frith as a producer (and some occasional guest spots on guitar).

Frith was returning the favour here, since the Muffins had served as his backing group on the second side of Gravity (with Samla Mammas Manna doing the honours on the first side); his endorsement of the group to this extent is testament to how well the Muffins "got" the Canterbury/RIO style, and on 185 they further demonstrate an ability to not merely imitate their influences, but innovate and push this style of music forwards, making this album an important link between the European roots of the RIO movement and its later expressions in the US such as Thinking Plague and the Cuneiform label.