Summary
The Mekons Rock 'n Roll is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Mekons, released in 1989.
| The Mekons Rock 'n Roll | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1989 | |||
| Recorded | Terminal Studios & Berry Street Studio London | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 45:24 | |||
| Label | Blast First | |||
| Producer | Mekons/Ian Caple | |||
| The Mekons chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [2] |
| NME | 7/10[3] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [4] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer |  [5] |
| Q | [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 10/10[9] |
| The Village Voice | A[10] |
The Mekons Rock 'n Roll was well received by critics on its initial release. It was voted the eighth best album of 1989 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[11] In 1991, New York Times critic Jon Pareles called it "one of the best albums of the 1980s".[12]
Decades later, critics still remembered it fondly.[13][14] Pitchfork placed The Mekons Rock 'n Roll at number 97 on its 2002 list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s.[15] In 2007, the record was ranked at number 97 on Blender's list of "The 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever".[16] It was included in Tom Moon's 2008 book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.[17]
Track listing edit
All songs composed by The Mekons (as per label). The BMI database lists all songs as composed by Tom Greenhalgh and Jon Langford.
- "Memphis, Egypt" – 3:37
- "Club Mekon" – 3:29
- "Only Darkness Has the Power" – 3:28
- "Ring O' Roses" – 4:07
- "Learning to Live on Your Own" – 4:37
- "Cocaine Lil" – 2:51
- "Empire of the Senseless" – 4:35
- "Someone" – 2:44
- "Amnesia" – 4:31
- "I Am Crazy" – 3:28
- "Heaven and Back" – 3:16
- "Blow Your Tuneless Trumpet" – 3:56
- "Echo" – 4:33
- "When Darkness Falls" – 3:53
The American issue of this album omits "Ring O' Roses" and "Heaven and Back".
References edit
- ^ Dougan, John. "The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll – The Mekons". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ Kot, Greg (9 November 1989). "Mekons: The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll (Twin Tone/A & M)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Bailie, Stuart (30 September 1989). "The Mekons: Rock and Roll". NME. London. p. 42.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (19 January 1990). "The Mekons". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Moon, Tom (29 October 1989). "The Mekons: The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll (Twin-Tone A&M)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "The Mekons: The Mekons Rock 'n Roll". Q. No. 37. London. October 1989.
- ^ Young, Jon (8 February 1990). "The Mekons: The Mekons Rock N' Roll". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ Considine, J. D.; Hoard, Christian (2004). "The Mekons". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 535–536. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric (1995). "Mekons". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 248–249. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (21 November 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ "The 1989 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. 27 February 1990. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (5 July 1991). "The Mekons Shed a Label For a Curse That Works". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2001). "The Mekons: The Mekons Rock 'n Roll". The Mekons Rock 'n Roll (liner notes). The Mekons. Collectors' Choice Music. CCM-201-2. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ^ Nelson, Elizabeth (18 September 2019). "Handcuffed to History: 'The Mekons Rock 'N' Roll' Is 30 Years Old". The Ringer. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ^ "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. 21 November 2002. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ Dolan, Jon; Eells, Josh; Hermes, Will; Weiner, Jonah; Wolk, Douglas (December 2007). "The 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever". Blender. Vol. 6, no. 11. New York. pp. 109–114, 116, 118, 120, 122. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Moon, Tom (2008). "A Caustic Comment on the Wonders and Absurdities of...: Rock 'n' Roll – The Mekons". 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing. pp. 494–495. ISBN 978-0-7611-3963-8. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
External links edit
- Robert Christgau's liner notes for the 2001 Collector's Choice reissue
- Lyrics and other information on the discography section of the official Mekons website