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- Date Released: January 1, 1985
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Post-Punk
- Label: Quarterstick Records / Touch And Go
An early punk band returns — and helps invent alt-country.
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We Say...
Although the likes of Greil Marcus and Lester Bangs loved their early albums, the Mekons' most widely admired work eight years after they convened in punk-era Leeds was still the 1978 single "Where Were You?" It wasn't until 1985's Fear and Whiskey, self-released on their U.K.-only Sin label back when imports were hard to find, that their legend launched worldwide. Susie Honeyman's fiddle was enough to slot the album as what was then called roots-rock, and put it at the forefront of what was later called alt-country. But in retrospect, Fear and Whiskey just sounds like a Mekons record — one driven by Tom Greenhalgh's desperate cry rather than Jon Langford's sarcastic shout or Steve Goulding's motorvating drums. What Greenhalgh is desperate about is a literally revolutionary scenario in which the government has routed rebels who swear they'll regroup but find themselves bogged down in alcoholic angst on a highway that's lost the way a beachhead is lost. Facing up to the failure of a punk idealism crippled, like the rest of public life, by the reactionary cruelty of the Thatcher and Reagan regimes, the Mekons had begun their lifelong project of keeping rock & roll leftism alive.
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They Say...
Released in 1985, Fear and Whiskey is credited as the album that began the alt-country marketing category. True or not, it shouldn't be held against one of the greatest records ever. The Mekons were one of the most loved and hated bands on the late-'70s/early-'80s punk scenes in England. In 1984 they began touring with drummer Steve Goulding (Graham Parker & the Rumour) and bassist Lu Edmonds (PIL, Damned), who joined John Langford, Tom Greenhalgh, and Kevin Lycett. To record Fear and Whiskey they added fiddler Suzie Honeyman and guitarist Dick Taylor. The original disc was issued on the band's own Sin Records to much ballyhoo by critics like Greil Marcus. A few years later, Rough Trade reissued it with a few EPs added and called it Original Sin. This version is the original, completely remastered by the band. Musically Fear and Whiskey is awash in the delirium of the Reagan and Thatcher '80s. Country melodies collide into reggae rhythms and drones to create a forlorn tale in "Trouble Down South"; the title track is pure Hank hillbilly with lyrics that may not be as simple and poetic but do the job, as the tune creates a base from which to pick up the bottle or dance. But it's not all country and roots, unless those roots still include the dynamic of shambolic punk rock, which is the core of "Hard to Be Human Again." Despite its country melody line, which falls apart constantly, the guitars blare and falter, the drums pound on needlessly, and the band cavorts the tune like it's the end of the gig and it only track three. Seriously, there isn't a song on this disc that Langford and Greenhalgh don't turn into some epic repudiation of capitalism, depersonalization, greed, and social engineering. The fact is, these serious topics are dealt with in a piss-take way to music that carries everything from honky tonk, hillbilly, rockabilly, reggae, punk rock, and folk melodies all entwined with each other in a myriad of ways so complex, so drunkenly passionate, you just have to laugh -- as you dance, that is. A bona fide classic.
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| 01. |  |
Chivalry |
4:03 |
|
| 02. | |
Trouble Down South |
4:15 |
|
| 03. | |
Hard to Be Human Again |
3:58 |
|
| 04. | |
Darkness and Doubt |
5:15 |
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| 05. | |
Psycho Cupid (Danceband on the Edge of Time) |
2:52 |
|
| 06. | |
Flitcraft |
3:23 |
|
| 07. | |
Country |
2:54 |
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| 08. | |
Abernant 1984/1985 |
2:21 |
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| 09. | |
Last Dance |
3:13 |
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| 10. | |
Lost Highway |
2:59 |
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10 Total Tracks, 35:13 Total Length
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Credits
- The Mekons - Producer // The Mekons - Main Performer // John Gill - Engineer // John Gill - Mixing // John Gill - Historical Research // Jim Chapman - Administration // Steve Goulding - Drums // Tom Greenhalgh - Vocals // Tom Greenhalgh - Mixing // Suzie Honeyman - Fiddle // Jon Langford - Guitar // Jon Langford - Guitar // Jon Langford - Guitar // Jon Langford - Guitar // Jon Langford - Harp // Jon Langford - Harp // Jon Langford - Harp // Jon Langford - Harp // Jon Langford - Vocals // Jon Langford - Vocals // Jon Langford - Vocals // Jon Langford - Vocals // Lu Edmonds - Bass // Terry Nelson - Walkie Talkie // Mark White - Consultant // John Ingledew - Photography // Robert Sigmund Worby - Drums // Tom Greene - Guitar // Tom Greene - Piano // Tom Greene - Vocals // Ken Lite - Bass // Ken Lite - Guitar (Rhythm) // Ken Lite - Vocals // Dick Taylor - Guitar // Jacqui Callis - Vocals
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