the curse of the mekons

These Yorkshire punk dinosaurs embraced the abyss and anarchism and went down swinging with mythic swagger on the most diverse and engaging album of their career.  The band had been iconoclastic from the very beginning with their art punk debut 'The Quality Of Mercy Is Not Strained/Strnen'.  They reinvented themselves and spawned alt-country in the process with 'Fear And Whiskey' and 'The Edge Of The World' before experimenting with world beat and electronic music for 'So Good It Hurts'.  Their underground classic 'Rock 'n' Roll' should have been breakthrough; but it was compromised by their relationship with executive from their new label A&M.  The sessions for the followup did not fare any better.  


To embrace the sense of doom, the band assumed diabolical pseudonyms for the liner notes:   Jon "Dee Fanglord" Langford,    Tom "In The Green" Greenhalgh,     Sally "Endora" Timms,    Eric "Rico Hell" Bellis,    Lu Cipher,    John "The Dubmaster General" Gill,    Steve "Ghoulding" Goulding,   Susie "Samantha Herebemonsters" Honeyman,   Guy Crackers,   Neil Yates,   Gavin Sharp,  John Hart,  Ken Litemare,  and  Brendan "Crowkey" Croker.   The proceedings were produced by  The Mekons and Ian Caple.  


'The Curse of the Mekons' was only available as an import on the Blast First! label for over a decade because A&M refused to release it. Perhaps because of how intensely they railed against the machine, their relationship with the execs at A&M deteriorated and they were dropped. Even as their records garnished more critical acclaim; they were deemed commercially unviable. 'The Curse of the Mekons', indeed.

https://myspace.com/mekons


http://www.mekons.de/



http://www.mekons.de/curse.htm

http://www.mekonsmovie.com/

The country honk of 'The Curse' sets the stage like a manifesto.

"Magic, fear and superstition

this is the Curse of the Mekons

you'll be called on by our crew

it's no joke I'm telling you

on our stone heads and leaky hearts

we'll leave our mark to say we called"

The weeping country beauty of 'Wild + Blue' was originally done by Nashville star John Anderson.

"It's four in the morning and you're all alone

With no place to go, why don't you come home?

I'll be right here little baby waitin' for you

I know you've been wild and blue"

'Funeral' long version

'The Curse of the Mekons'
full album:






The Curse 03:45 

Blue Arse 02:50 

Wild and Blue 02:54 (John Scott Sherrill)

Authority 05:00 

Secrets 05:20 

Nocturne 04:57 

Sorcerer 04:33 

Brutal 04:35 

Funeral 03:28 

Lyric 03:57 

Waltz 04:25 

100% Song 05:21

blonde on blonde

When Bob Dylan released the sprawling dense tapestry of this revisionist blues rock masterpiece, it cemented his place in music history. Bob Johnston who had produced 'Highway 61 Revisited' was brought back when it came time to record again. Dylan first attempted to record with his new touring band the Hawks in New York; but when the sessions floundered Johnston suggested moving to Nashville, where top notch session musicians filled out the sound. 'Blonde On Blonde' reveals more depth with each listen, the intricate musicianship complements his poetic revelations.

"The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the 'Blonde On Blonde' album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up. That's my particular sound. I haven't been able to succeed in getting it all the time. Mostly, I've been driving at a combination of guitar, harmonica and organ."

http://www.bobdylan.com/

The laughing carnival raveup of 'Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35' tied Dylan's greatest success with 'Like A Rolling Stone' by reaching number two on the pop chart. Despite it's confusing title and the fact that the song was banned by many radio stations for its druggy refrain: "everybody must get stoned!" During the session, everybody did. Dylan would not play the song "straight". The brass band only adds to the effect. Also, the band members swapped instruments during the session.

"Well, they'll stone you and say that it's the end

Then they'll stone you and then they'll come back again

They'll stone you when you're riding in your carand they'll stone when you're playing your guitar

Yes, but I would not feel so all alone

Everybody must get stoned!"


Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Live at... by kulp11--

The conquering, poetic 'Visions of Johanna' was originally called "Seems Like a Freeze-Out". Some think it's about Joan Baez. The protagonist is focused on an absent Johanna while with a willing Louise and her "handful of rain." It's not clear if Johanna is a person or a work of art.

"Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial

Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while

But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues

You can tell by the way she smiles

See the primitive wallflower freeze

When the jelly-faced women all sneeze

Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze

I can't find my knees"

Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule

But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel"

'I Want You' was allegedly written about model Anita Pallenberg who was dating Brian Jones (who wore a Chinese shirt) when Dylan hung out with him in London. The rivalry culminated in a late night car chase and crash that left only bruised egos.

"Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit

He spoke to me, I took his flute

No, I wasn't very cute to him, was I?

But I did it, though, because he lied

Because he took you for a ride

And because time was on his side

And because I

Want you"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzA1KDxKXZw

'Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again' might be inspired by the turmoil over Dylan's going electric.

"Now the rainman gave me two cures,

Then he said, "Jump right in."

The one was Texas medicine,

The other was just railroad gin.

An' like a fool I mixed them

An' it strangled up my mind,

An' now people just get uglier

An' I have no sense of time.

Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,

To be stuck inside of Mobile

With the Memphis blues again."

The materialistic satire 'Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat' was released as a single and peaked at number eighty one.

"Well, you look so pretty in it

Honey, can I jump on it sometime?

Yes, I just wanna see

If it's really that expensive kind

You know it balances on your head

Just like a mattress balances

On a bottle of wine"

'Just Like A Woman' has been said to be inspired by Edie Sedgwick who became involved with Dylan when they both lived at the Chelsea Hotel.

"It was raining from the first

And I was dying there of thirst

So I came in here

And your long-time curse hurts

But what's worse

Is this pain in here

I can't stay in here

Ain't it clear that

I just can't fit

Yes, I believe it's time for us to quit

When we meet again

Introduced as friends

Please don't let on that you knew me when

I was hungry and it was your world.

Ah, you fake just like a woman, yes, you do

You make love just like a woman, yes, you do

Then you ache just like a woman

But you break just like a little girl. "

The surreal epic 'Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands' filled side four of the double album. Dylan later said (in the song 'Sara') that he wrote the song for Sara Lownds.

"With your mercury mouth in the missionary times

And your eyes like smoke and your prayers like rhymes

And your silver cross, and your voice like chimes

Oh, who do they think could bury you ?

With your pockets well protected at last

And your streetcar visions which you place on the grass

And your flesh like silk, And you face like glass

Who among them do they think could carry you ?

Sad-eyed lady of the lowlands

Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes

My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums

Should I put them by your gate

Oh, sad-eyed lady, should I wait ?"

Sad-Eyed Lady of The Lowlands from nonsonobiondo on Vimeo.

'Blonde On Blonde'
full album:



All songs written by Bob Dylan.

Side one
1. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"   4:36
2. "Pledging My Time"   3:50
3. "Visions of Johanna"   7:33
4. "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)"   4:54
Side three
1. "Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine"   3:30
2. "Temporary Like Achilles"   5:02
3. "Absolutely Sweet Marie"   4:57
4. "4th Time Around"   4:35
5. "Obviously 5 Believers"   3:35
Side two
1. "I Want You"   3:07
2. "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again"   7:05
3. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat"   3:58
4. "Just Like a Woman"   4:52
Side four
1. "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"   11:23

crowded house

The Crowdies endured a cramped Hollywood bungalow to record the Beatlesque pop of their polished debut album with Mitchell Froom. They were originally a quartet called "The Mullanes" (after Neil Finn's middle name) with Craig Hooper from the Reels. By the time they signed a deal with Capitol Records, Hooper was out and the label wanted them to change the name. After lots of discussion,"Largest Living Things" gave way to "Crowded House" in reference to their living quarters. The songs run from angsty rock to jangly pop to beautiful ballads and the clean production lets them speak for themselves. Though 'Crowded House' was a hit around the world; it would take the album an entire year to reach the top of the album chart in Australia.

Songwriter and lead singer Neil Finn recalls: "Paul Hester and I went onwards from Split Enz to Crowded House, we wanted to be in a three piece band that could fit into one rental car . We found our bass player Nick Seymour , fresh from the catwalk, clearly loving the attention. We liked how he wore his bass low, had aspirations to funk and after a while we let him paint our suits with Masonic symbols. Despite all that and along the way we became a really good band. I think we tried to make ourselves even smaller by turning to acoustic, bass, snare drum, three part harmonising our way through lounge rooms and restaurants, busking, unplugged, whatever they ended up calling it on MTV. It made us very interested in our audience and we learnt how to draw them in, to sing together like it’s a party.That became our way of doing things, wishing for accidents, showing artifice and awkwardness the door."

https://www.facebook.com/crowdedhouse/

http://www.frenz.com/crowdedhouse/

http://neilfinn.com/

The shimmering 'Don't Dream It's Over' was a worldwide smash, topping the charts in Canada and New Zealand and peaking at number two in the US. Producer Mitchell Froom did the 'Whiter Shade of Pale'-ish keyboard solo. The song has been used to promote the New Zealand Tourism Board.

"There is freedom within, there is freedom without

Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup

There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost

But you'll never see the end of the road

While you're traveling with me"

'Something So Strong' was one of the first songs Finn wrote for Crowded House; but it was reworked in the studio to the extent that Froom got a songwriting credit as well. It peaked at number three in New Zealand and was a top ten hit in the US and Canada.

"Love can make you weep

Can make you run for cover.

Roots that spread so deep

Bring life to frozen ground."

'Now We're Getting Somewhere' was a top forty hit in New Zealand.

"When you took me to your room

I swear I said surrender

Ooh when you opened up your mouth

I saw the words fall out

Though nothing much has changed

I swear I will surrender

And there is pain in my heart

We can choose what we choose to believe"

'Mean To Me' was Crowded House's first single. It was only released in Australia, where it made it to number twenty six on the pop chart.

"I could not escape

A plea from the heart

You know what it means to me

She said don't walk away

I'm down on my knees

So please don't be mean to me"




Crowded House - Mean To Me by jpdc11

'World Where You Live' was the first single released outside of Australia; but it peaked at number forty three there.

"And here we lie against each other

These four walls could never hold us

We're looking for wide open spaces

High above the kitchen

And we're strangers here

On our way to some other place"

The funky album-closer 'That's What I Call Love' was co-written by Finn and Hestor. Bass player Nick Seymour's playing on the demo for this song is allegedly what got him into the group.

"Feeling devastated

That's what I call

Livin' in your memory

That's what I call

Tired and deflated

That's what I call love"

'Crowded House'
full album:





All songs written and composed by Neil Finn, except where noted. 

1. "Mean to Me"   3:15
2. "World Where You Live"   3:07
3. "Now We're Getting Somewhere"   4:09
4. "Don't Dream It's Over"   3:56
5. "Love You 'Til the Day I Die"   3:31
6. "Something So Strong" (Finn, Mitchell Froom) 2:51
7. "Hole in the River" (Finn, Eddie Rayner) 4:02
8. "Can't Carry On"   3:57
9. "I Walk Away"   3:06
10. "Tombstone"   3:30

11. "That's What I Call Love" (Finn, Paul Hester) 3:39

freak out!

The world got its first taste of the ultimate freak with this hysterically diverse and artsy proto-punk concept album. Who could imagine that these Mothers could've gotten a record contract? Frank Zappa took over R&B cover band the Soul Giants and headed for Los Angeles, where they got a record contract with jazz label Verve. Caught between the squares and the hippies, 'Freak Out!' regurgitates the doo-wop teen-romance pop of the day and transforms it into a subversive satire that at the same time shows genuine affection for the form. Throughout this ambitious double-album you will find garage rock, white blues, melodic pop, extended rock operettas, and moments that approach jazz fusion. The album lost money but eventually became a cult classic. It sold better in Europe and influenced The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.



"If you were to graphically analyze the different types of directions of all the songs in the 'Freak Out!' album, there's a little something in there for everybody. At least one piece of material is slanted for every type of social orientation within our consumer group, which happens to be six to eighty. Because we got people that like what we do, from kids six years old screaming on us to play "Wowie Zowie." Like I meet executives doing this and that, and they say, 'My kid's got the record, and 'Wowie Zowies their favorite song.'"

http://www.zappa.com/

The guitar riff that starts the album apes the Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction'. 'Hungry Freaks, Daddy' "was written for Carl Orestes Franzoni. He is freaky down to his toe nails. Some day he will live next door to you and your lawn will die. Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Forget about the senior prom and go to the library and educate yourself, if you've got any guts. Some of you like pep rallys and plastic robots who tell you what to read. Forget I mentioned it. This song has no message. Rise for the flag salute."

"Mister America

Walk on by

Your schools that do not teach

Mister America

Walk on by

The minds that won't be reached

Mister America

Try to hide

The emptiness that's you inside

When once you find that the way you lied

And all the corny tricks you tried

Will not forestall the rising tide of

Hungry freaks, Daddy . . ."

Zappa says that when producer Tom Wilson first heard 'Who Are The Brain Police?' in the studio, he was very surprised: "I could see through the window that he was scrambling toward the phone to call his boss—probably saying: 'Well, uh, not exactly a "white blues band," but...sort of.'"

"What will you do if the people you knew

Were the plastic that melted,

And the chromium too?

WHO ARE THE BRAIN POLICE?"

'Wowie Zowie' "is carefully designed to suck the 12 year old listener into our camp. I like the piano and xylophone accompaniment in the second chorus. It is cheerful. It is harmless. Wooly Bully. Little Richard says he likes it."

"Wowie Zowie, baby

Love me do

Wowie Zowie

And I'll love you too

Wowie Zowie, baby

I'll be true

I don't even care

If your dad's the heat"

'Trouble Every Day' "is how I feel about racial unrest in general and the Watts situation in particular. It was written during the Watts riot as it developed. I shopped it briefly around Hollywood and no one would touch it...everybody worries so much about not getting any airplay. My, my. " Producer Tom Wilson had only heard the band perform this song at a club. Thinking that they were part of the growing "white blues" trend, he signed them right away.

"Well, I seen the fires burnin'

And the local people turnin'

On the merchants and the shops

Who used to sell their brooms and mops

And every other household item

Watched the mob just turn and bite 'em

And they say it served 'em right

Because a few of them are white,

And it's the same across the nation

Black and white discrimination

Yellin' "You can't understand me!"

'N all that other jazz they hand me

In the papers and TV and

All that mass stupidity

That seems to grow more every day

Each time you hear some nitwit say

He wants to go and do you in

Because the color of your skin

Just don't appeal to him

(No matter if it's black or white)

Because he's out for blood tonight"

'Freak Out!' 
full album:




1. Hungry Freaks, Daddy
2. I Ain't Got No Heart
3. Who Are the Brain Police?
4. Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder
5. Motherly Love
6. How Could I Be Such a Fool
7. Wowie Zowie
8. You Didn't Try to Call Me
9. Any Way the Wind Blows
10. I'm Not Satisfied
11. You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here
12. Trouble Every Day
13. Help, I'm a Rock (Suite in Three Movements)
*I. Okay to Tap Dance
*II. In Memoriam, Edgard Varèse
*III. It Can't Happen Here 
14. The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet (Unfinished Ballet in Two Tableaux)
*I. Ritual Dance of the Child-Killer
*II. Nullis Pretii (No Commercial Potential)