Election day again in Greece. I never intended this blog to have a political character, but it just kind of evolved as an outlet for my thoughts in general. It's the only place I sit and write my opinion on things, so I sometimes take a detour and comment on things unrelated to the records at hand. Maybe the orthodox way would be to keep this blog as a strictly musical affair and create a 2nd, more personal, one for everything else - but maintaining two blogs seems like too much work. So, if you're here strictly for the record reviews, by all means ignore everything written in red and go straight to the body of the review. Tonight's election result is a surprisingly wide victory for leftist prime minister Alexis Tsipras (it was projected to be a tight race, yet he wins by 7,5% points). But he's not the same man who won the leadership of the SYRIZA party 8 years ago. He went from candid ideologist to populist leader to pragmatic politician, accepting the dominant EU policy and trying to manoeuvre within its narrow limits. He keeps reminding me of that old Leonard Cohen lyric "They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom/ For trying to change the system from within". Which is funny, because Cohen continues "I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them/ First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin". Funny, since Berlin proved to be Tsipras' nemesis, blackmailing him into abandoning his party's agenda and allowing the powerful German chancellor and European bureaucrats to dictate Greece's future. But I still hope there's something of the old Tsipras left, laying low until the European balance of power shifts to his favour. At least, to his credit, he isn't trying to convince anyone that austerity policies are justified. Meanwhile, SYRIZA's detached Left Wing (now the Popular Unity party) fell a few thousand votes short of the 3% representation threshold and will not be present in the new Parliament. Doesn't matter: the fight is in the streets. I'd like to dedicate today's song to them, it's The Mekons' anti-Thatcherite punk anthem "Fight The Cuts". I already own a couple of Mekons compilations - a pretty exhaustive best-of and one with various rarities.
So whatever possessed me to buy a third one? Well, first of all, it was the price: at €2,5 you can afford to gamble that this is a potentially interesting album. Then, the over-enthusiastic Lester Bangs article in the inlay, favourably comparing them to P.I.L. Did the gamble pay off? Partially yes. Interesting it may be, essential not. After a certain amount of CD's, you have to become more choosy or they'll take up all of your living space. Not to mention I'm on a mission to present all of my record collection which won't be possible if it keeps expanding. It's already a 25+ year project, if I can keep my current pace. Remind me to say no, next time. But since I didn't, let me start by saying that these are rare or unreleased tracks from the early, experimental Mekons - quite different from the band that made "Rock n' Roll" and "Fear & Whiskey". As can be expected from the recording date, punk exerts a big influence: the music is at times very aggressive, production is lo-fi and lyrics usually informed by anarchist politics. The Crass seem to be a reference point. Opener "Letter's in the Post" is hardcore punk a la Dead Kennedys/GBH while "Not A Bitterman" sounds like a Ramones/P.I.L. collision and "Dance And Drink The Mekons" and "Trouble Down South" like The Fall. "Bomb Train", "Car-Men" and "Frustration" are experimental collages reminiscent of Pere Ubu or P.I.L. "Eden" and "Myriam Always" are more listenable, almost melodic in comparison. The politically charged "Fight The Cuts" is typical English punk a la UK Subs and "Byron" combines chanting with weird electronic bleeps. "This Sporting Life" sports some nice African-style drumming and "Rosanne" is the most "commercial" piece thus far, in a funk/punk style a la Gang Of Four. "Garden Fence of Sound" is Fall-like punk, "Walking Song" has a sinister Tom Waits-meets-Jesus and Mary Chain vibe and "Building" is a drunken acapella anarchist tirade. "I'm So Happy" and "1st Guitarist" are noisy improvised punk and "I Brought You These" a psychedelic mid-tempo piece. Penultimate track "He Beat Up His Boyfriend" is one of the highlights, a new wave song that could almost have been an unused Velvet Underground outtake. All in all, the album makes for a difficult, genuinely underground, listening experience which is probably why Lester Bangs liked it so much. The Mekons wisely chose to leave that sound behind and take their message to a wider audience.
So whatever possessed me to buy a third one? Well, first of all, it was the price: at €2,5 you can afford to gamble that this is a potentially interesting album. Then, the over-enthusiastic Lester Bangs article in the inlay, favourably comparing them to P.I.L. Did the gamble pay off? Partially yes. Interesting it may be, essential not. After a certain amount of CD's, you have to become more choosy or they'll take up all of your living space. Not to mention I'm on a mission to present all of my record collection which won't be possible if it keeps expanding. It's already a 25+ year project, if I can keep my current pace. Remind me to say no, next time. But since I didn't, let me start by saying that these are rare or unreleased tracks from the early, experimental Mekons - quite different from the band that made "Rock n' Roll" and "Fear & Whiskey". As can be expected from the recording date, punk exerts a big influence: the music is at times very aggressive, production is lo-fi and lyrics usually informed by anarchist politics. The Crass seem to be a reference point. Opener "Letter's in the Post" is hardcore punk a la Dead Kennedys/GBH while "Not A Bitterman" sounds like a Ramones/P.I.L. collision and "Dance And Drink The Mekons" and "Trouble Down South" like The Fall. "Bomb Train", "Car-Men" and "Frustration" are experimental collages reminiscent of Pere Ubu or P.I.L. "Eden" and "Myriam Always" are more listenable, almost melodic in comparison. The politically charged "Fight The Cuts" is typical English punk a la UK Subs and "Byron" combines chanting with weird electronic bleeps. "This Sporting Life" sports some nice African-style drumming and "Rosanne" is the most "commercial" piece thus far, in a funk/punk style a la Gang Of Four. "Garden Fence of Sound" is Fall-like punk, "Walking Song" has a sinister Tom Waits-meets-Jesus and Mary Chain vibe and "Building" is a drunken acapella anarchist tirade. "I'm So Happy" and "1st Guitarist" are noisy improvised punk and "I Brought You These" a psychedelic mid-tempo piece. Penultimate track "He Beat Up His Boyfriend" is one of the highlights, a new wave song that could almost have been an unused Velvet Underground outtake. All in all, the album makes for a difficult, genuinely underground, listening experience which is probably why Lester Bangs liked it so much. The Mekons wisely chose to leave that sound behind and take their message to a wider audience.
*** for Not a Bitterman (Born to Be Mild), Dance and Drink the Mekons, Eden, Fight the Cuts, Rosanne, Garden Fence of Sound, Miriam Always, Walking Song, I Bought You These, He Beat Up His Boyfriend
** for Letter's in the Post, Bomb Train, Trouble Down South, Car-Men, Frustration, Byron, This Sporting Life, The Building, I'm So Happy, 1st Guitarist
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