Artist Biography
by John Dougan
More than any band that came out of late-'70s England,
the Mekons
(the name taken from the popular sci-fi comic Dan Dare) have perhaps
the most devoted fans of any band even remotely connected to punk rock.
And why not? Over the course of several decades, this band, with an
ever-shifting lineup (only
Jon Langford and
Tom Greenhalgh
remain from the original), produced some of the best rock & roll on
the planet, be it amateurish rock-noise, cool synth-driven pop, guitar
rave-ups, or postmodern country & western,
the Mekons have done it all and done it with style, grace, and a ribald sense of humor.
Emerging from the same Leeds University "scene" that begot
Gang of Four,
the Mekons
weren't as overtly political as their Marxist-inspired brethren, but
their punk rock pedigree and unsubtle anti-Thatcher and -Reaganisms did
set them apart from the post-punk world's innumerable careerists and
posers. Their early recordings were exceedingly lo-fi affairs that
valued emotion and energy over anything that remotely resembled musical
proficiency. Songs like "Never Been in a Riot" and "32 Weeks" sound as
if the band entered the studio, arbitrarily decided who was going to
play what, and started the tapes rolling. It was fun, challenging, and
anarchic -- principles to which the band has clung, musical genre
notwithstanding, ever since their inception.
From the time of their debut album,
The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen,
the Mekons had turned into a slightly more accomplished post-punk band that, like their pals in
Gang of Four,
wielded trebly guitars and shouted vocals over semi-funky rhythms
tracks. The songs lacked focus, but this was a bizarre record that, for
all of its oddly ingratiating music, offered little insight as to whom
was making it. This remained true for a couple of years or so as the
band (basically
Langford,
Greenhalgh,
Kevin Lycett,
and whomever else they could rope into a session) made one exciting,
enigmatic, and extremely difficult-to-find record after another.
In 1985, after it seemed the earth had swallowed them whole,
the Mekons released the startling
Fear and Whiskey, a ragged country album influenced by the ghosts of
Hank Williams and
Gram Parsons that was unlike anything they'd ever recorded. Thus began the second coming of
the Mekons,
who finally began to reach an underground/alternative rock audience
that had missed them the first time around. Soon they began touring more
frequently, putting on clamorous, exciting shows. Talented new members
jumped on board, like violinist
Suzie Honeyman and singer
Sally Timms, and even former
Pretty Thing Dick Taylor was a
Mekon
for a while; records started coming out with more frequency and,
despite considerable trouble from major labels that sent them back to
the indies, could be found in nearly any record store. From
Fear and Whiskey through subsequent records including
The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll,
Curse of the Mekons,
Retreat from Memphis, and
Natural,
they continually reinvented themselves: sodden country band, wise-ass
folk-rock band, cranked-up guitar band, trouble-making punk band.
Whatever the scenario, what has remained consistent throughout
the Mekons'
existence has been great music. After an extended recording break of
four years, and Touch & Go's Quarterstick imprint reissuing key
titles in their catalog,
the Mekons
returned to recording withe same lineup they've employed since the
mid-'80s with the concept album Ancient & Modern: 1911-2011 on
Bloodshot. The set tracks history -- via the
Mekons'
deadly sense of humor and politically astute, ironic rock & roll --
from the Edwardian era just before the First World War, to the
humanitarian crisis in Sarajevo, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to
surveillance cameras being used in virtually every metropolitain
community in Great Britain.
Tracklist
| 1 |
Millionaire |
4:36
|
| 2 |
Wicked Midnite |
3:51
|
| 3 |
I Don't Know |
4:20
|
| 4 |
Dear Sausage |
3:47
|
| 5 |
All I Want |
3:48
|
| 6 |
Special |
2:30
|
| 7 |
St. Valentine's Day |
4:58
|
| 8 |
I ♥ Apple |
3:26
|
| 9 |
Love Letter |
4:18
|
| 10 |
Honeymoon In Hell |
5:33
|
| 11 |
Too Personal |
5:54
|
| 12 |
Point Of No Return |
3:00 |
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