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The Raincoats

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The Raincoats album cover
01
Fairytale in the Supermarket
3:01 $0.99
02
No Side to Fall In
1:50 $0.99
03
Adventures Close to Home
1:54 $0.99
04
Off Duty Trip
3:16 $0.99
05
Black and White
2:29 $0.99
06
Lola
4:04 $0.99
07
The Void
3:52 $0.99
08
Life on the Line
4:23 $0.99
09
You're a Million
3:54 $0.99
10
In Love
3:06 $0.99
11
No Looking
3:06 $0.99
Album Information
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 11   Total Length: 34:55

Find a problem with a track? Let us know.

eMusic Review 0

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Ilya Zinger

eMusic Contributor

05.19.10
A classic that's punk, folk-punk or post-punk, but also none of the above
1979 | Label: We ThRee / The Orchard

In an interview in 1980, John Lydon was asked to name his favorite new bands. His answer, polemic and angry, was to call rock "dismal," with the exception of just one band: The Raincoats, an all-girl post-punk group with a very unique sound.

The Raincoats were formed when Ana da Silva and Gina Birch, two art school students from London, picked up a few secondhand instruments, bonded over Patti Smith and formed a band of their own. After a year of playing local spots, they recorded their 1979 debut for pioneering U.K. label Rough Trade. Since then, that album has gained something along the lines of cult status. Kurt Cobain famously wrote about his sheepish quest to acquire a new copy in the liner notes of Incestiside, and later used his influence to have all three of the group's records reissued by major label behemoth, Geffen.

All the praise is well-deserved: The Raincoats have been held in high regard for more than 30 years for their DIY attitude and the ability to develop a unique and radical voice out of — or, some would say, in spite of — their amateurism.

The sound on this album has no timestamp — it's punk,… read more »

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2

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"Our songs have the standard pop format: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bad solo. All in all, we sound like the Knack and the Bay City Rollers being molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath." In that one pithy phrase, Kurt Cobain summarized not only the entire Nirvana aesthetic, but also his own wide-ranging, idiosyncratic tastes. Over the course of the last two decades, much attention has been given to Kurt Cobain the musician; but… more »

They Say All Music Guide

Picking the “best” Raincoats is more an intellectual exercise than it is a work of thoughtful criticism. So, to make it easy for the benighted, all three studio releases are absolutely essential. Their live cassette is wonderful, but not the ideal entry point. Better yet, start with their debut, a soaring, daring, avant-garde-influenced folk-punk record. Don’t let the words “avant-garde” scare you off; the Raincoats are not harsh or unapproachable. In fact, this music, even at its most dissonant, is stunning and captivating. There’s a great cover of the Kinks’ “Lola” that’s so skewed and obtuse, Ray Davies probably never dreamed it could sound this way. Reissued by Geffen on CD with extra tracks in 1995. – John Dougan

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