RED KRAYOLA C/D

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (147 of them)
yeah, gee, sorry that I've had and made friends with people, amateur!st.

hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:11 (nineteen years ago) link

Blues, Hollers, and Hellos was the one I was referring to. It's got a couple of songs that at least come close to other decent Drag City era RK material, but there are these codas on a couple of the songs that consist of "somnambulistic guitar noodlings." On one of these songs, it goes on for thirteen minutes. It's like, OK, it's conceptual, but it's not really all that great of an idea.

That "14" single is my favorite of the Drag City records.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:11 (nineteen years ago) link

sorry, hstencil, let's drop it

amateur!!st, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:13 (nineteen years ago) link

how about you drop it since you brought it up? Sheesh. Don't blame me for your own boorish behavior.

hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:14 (nineteen years ago) link

On a related note, my take on Fingerpainting was just wishing they would have played the songs and recorded and mixed them normally. Again, it was a conceptual approach, but there's this sour irony to it, like our record is conceptual because we did this intentional bummer stuff.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:16 (nineteen years ago) link

All that said, I kind of still like them OK (including the super bummer Blues, Hollers, and Hellos EP)!

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:19 (nineteen years ago) link

ok, i'll drop it

amateur!!st, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:19 (nineteen years ago) link

(i tht boorishness was the soul of noize, but anyway)

amateur!!st, Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:20 (nineteen years ago) link

btw, lefty, I still listen to some Gastr Del Sol! The first, Serpentine Similar, has a place in my heart, I like the Mirror Repair EP for the most part and some stuff off Upgrade and Afterlife, and a few other tracks here and there. I'm no David Grubbs or mid 90s Chicago scene fanatic, but those are some good records!

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:24 (nineteen years ago) link

"Amor and Language" is a record everyone ought to check out - it's pretty fabulous. I'm not so big on the rest of the '90s stuff. "Hazel," in particular, seemed to fall into the kind of deliberately arch and somewhat sour "arty" maneuvering that the band had always been wonderful about avoiding. (But then I haven't listened to it in a long time.)

morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:26 (nineteen years ago) link

I feel like Mayo maybe fell off a bit from some sort of balance between the "pop" world and the "theory" world, once he entered that '90s scene (though I think maybe it also started to slip toward the end of the '80s, when he started working with Albert Oehlen, etc.). Part of what's so amazing about those records with the Art & Language people is how the band recorded all these wonderful pop songs about Marxism, art, etc., without seeming at all "pretentious" (I don't like that word, but I guess it is more or less what I mean).

morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:33 (nineteen years ago) link

I think he's always walked that line, sometimes too far towards the arty, sometimes striking a perfect balance. Last night he knew what had to be done to put on a great show and they were practically a punk band. Power chords, screaming vocals, everything played faster than usual...

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:35 (nineteen years ago) link

It's their new concept!

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Has anyone heard that "Girl Friday" EP - a band led by a singer named Alexis Hall, with songwriting by Hall, Mayo, and Watson (and music by them and others)? It's totally poppy, clever, and full of personality - a great little CD.

morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 16:39 (nineteen years ago) link

http://www.alexishall.com

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 21 September 2004 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link

I have to credit Corky's Debt as being the one thing to make me realise I was spending way too much money on records. So for that, I guess, I give thanks to Mayo Thompson.

Still haven't picked up the Tom Watson solo record that came out a couple of years ago. Think it's got Mayo and Mark Mothersbaugh on it too. Plus JO'R IIRC. Anyone else heard it?

NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 07:31 (nineteen years ago) link

four months pass...
I just wanted to revive this thread because I've been listening to Red Krayola recently since I found out that "Victory Garden" on On Fire and "Transparent Radiation" on The Perfect Prescription (two awesome songs on two of my favorite albums) are covers of Red Krayola songs. Anyway, they own. Why are they so obscure*?

* - Oh yea, I hereby declare anything that my ignorant ass had not heard about until recently, "obscure."

poortheatre (poortheatre), Monday, 14 February 2005 07:57 (nineteen years ago) link

They're not that obscure to anyone who is into Texas psych (via the International Artists label, 13th Floor Elevators et al) or the 80s Rough Trade Scene. If you like those two songs definitely pick up the first two albums Parable of Arable Land and God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It. Absolute classics.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 14 February 2005 08:13 (nineteen years ago) link

Thanks, Walter. You're in a very didactic mood this evening haha. I'll put them in my Amazon cart (which is actually kind of starting to resemble the Amazon since I started taking reccs from this crowd).

poortheatre (poortheatre), Monday, 14 February 2005 08:16 (nineteen years ago) link

Sorry about that. Just a bit drunk over here.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 14 February 2005 08:24 (nineteen years ago) link

BTW, has there ever been another act whose two first albums were so wildly different?

walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 14 February 2005 08:29 (nineteen years ago) link

Defibite classic.

I've been on a bit of a Red Crayola kick recently: I've had The Parable of Arable Land and God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It for a while and thought theye were OK but didn't realy set me alight; but more recently I picked up their Singles comp and was blown away by some of it and this gave me the impetus to actively track down Kangaroo? and Soldier Talk (both of which I'd been passively whining about the non-availability of for a while anyway, because of the respective Raincoats / Lora Logic and Pere Ubu connections).

Based on comments on this thread) I've now also got Mayo's solo album Corky's Debt To His Father on order.

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 14 February 2005 09:51 (nineteen years ago) link

I listened to Parable of Arable Land yesterday. Along with the Godz, these guys were basically inventing the NNCK/Sunburned/out&free psych scene.

Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 14 February 2005 19:02 (nineteen years ago) link

BTW, has there ever been another act whose two first albums were so wildly different?

-- walter kranz (kranz_walte...), February 14th, 2005 3:29 AM. (walterkranz)

and then their third one, Coconut Hotel, is a total ???????er.

eman (eman), Monday, 14 February 2005 21:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Classic for the 60's/Mayo's Debt/70's/80's stuff. The more Marxist diatribes the better.

Less classic is the 90's Drag City stuff. Perhaps one has to already have a soft spot for those serious young Americans helping out?

Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Monday, 14 February 2005 21:54 (nineteen years ago) link

dont blame godz or crayola for contemporary free psych -- they don't deserve that onus.

jack cole (jackcole), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 01:53 (nineteen years ago) link

Right. I was a little underwhelmed by the second album the last time that I listened to it. Parable of Arable Land is great, though.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 01:57 (nineteen years ago) link

i think right now i like god bless the best, especially with short short songs and all. then again, i like them both, the favorite picked by the mood im in or what state my attention span is in. long live the familiar ugly.

jack cole (jackcole), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 01:59 (nineteen years ago) link

I think I like Corky's better than god bless.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 02:00 (nineteen years ago) link

i like 'em all, pretty much.

hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 04:20 (nineteen years ago) link

fuck, now that i have a job, maybe i should get that singles comp.

hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 04:26 (nineteen years ago) link

I was really impressed with Mayo's playing on last year's re-reissue of Ubu's One Man Drives. Thought his rhythm as lead showed how he was listening to Texas soul-rock in the 60s, and also Nile Rodgers (very of the moment when One Man was recorded, so not just about the good old)

don, Tuesday, 15 February 2005 05:31 (nineteen years ago) link

nine months pass...
Among his many accomplishments, he seems also to have produced Stiff Little Fingers.

k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 17:32 (eighteen years ago) link

There's a new "Live in Paris 1978" CD (limited to 500) that you can order from France: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/sordide.sentimental/

(Though mine hasn't shown up in the mail yet, and I can't recommend it until it does!)

morris pavilion (samjeff), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 17:41 (eighteen years ago) link

produced many awesome Rough Trade records during that period, but they wren't all happy to work with him apparently.

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 17:45 (eighteen years ago) link

oldies.com has parable and god bless for under 5 dollars each!

blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 17:54 (eighteen years ago) link

Parable is one of the ultimate acid punk rekkerdz!

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 17:58 (eighteen years ago) link

four months pass...
Has anyone heard their new album (due out on Monday, somewhat confusingly called Introduction) yet? Is it really as good / as much of a return-to-form as the review in the lates Ucnut would have us believe?

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Saturday, 8 April 2006 21:20 (eighteen years ago) link

I can't believe nobody's done this yet....

Klassic!

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 9 April 2006 00:45 (eighteen years ago) link

Describe please!

don, Sunday, 9 April 2006 02:27 (eighteen years ago) link

dan selzer, you are the weakest link!!

whenever i listen to the red krayola records i have, i always say to myself: "I should listen to these more." but i don't, really.

Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Monday, 10 April 2006 02:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Dan's description was good enough to convince me to order it.

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 10 April 2006 16:27 (eighteen years ago) link

You should listen to more Red Krayola.
You should also get Mayo Thompson's solo album Corky's Debt to His Father.
Everyone should, I mean.

Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Monday, 10 April 2006 16:33 (eighteen years ago) link

my description of what?

Corky's Debt to His Father is probably my favorite record of all time.

The early records aren't records I listen to straight through, I usually skip to the songs I like.

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 10 April 2006 17:37 (eighteen years ago) link

I think Dan's "Klassic" komment was in konnection with the band in general, not the new album.

There's an MP3 of one of the songs from "Introducing" up on Drag City's site... it sounds similar to material from, say, "Hazel." I'm looking forward to getting the album...

morris pavilion (samjeff), Monday, 10 April 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago) link

oh yeah, I haven't heard the new album. sorry.

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 10 April 2006 18:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Sorry, too late, I've ordered it now and if it's rub I shall blame you entirely.

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 10 April 2006 18:46 (eighteen years ago) link

hazel.. what a record.. im so blase.. one of my favorite songs ever!! i found parable to be quite grating though.. and some of those singles are a bit hard to take but 'the old mans dream' is a classic song.. cant wait to hear the new stuff..

gwolfcow, Monday, 10 April 2006 19:17 (eighteen years ago) link

Sometimes I'll sing "An Old Man's Dream" out loud to myself, just for sheer pleasure. ("Portrait of Jackson Pollack," too.)

I actually never understood the chorus until recently, when I read a reference to/explanation of the "Land of Culchane" (or however you spell it) -- though now I've forgotten what it means!

If someone could explain the "Tio tio tio tio tinx" chorus of that song about Trotsky, I'd love that (and I promise I'll remember it!).

morris pavilion (samjeff), Monday, 10 April 2006 19:46 (eighteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...
Aristophanes:

"Oh, rustic Muse of such varied note, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx, I sing with you in the groves and on the mountain tops, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx.[10] I poured forth sacred strains from my golden throat in honour of the god Pan,[11] tio, tio, tio, tiotinx, from the top of the thickly leaved ash, and my voice mingles with the mighty choirs who extol Cybele on the mountain tops,[12] tototototototototinx. 'Tis to our concerts that Phrynichus comes to pillage like a bee the ambrosia of his songs, the sweetness of which so charms the ear, tio, tio, tio, tio, tinx.

If there be one of you spectators who wishes to spend the rest of his life quietly among the birds, let him come to us. All that is disgraceful and forbidden by law on earth is on the contrary honourable among us, the birds. For instance, among you 'tis a crime to beat your father, but with us 'tis an estimable deed; it's considered fine to run straight at your father and hit him, saying, "Come, lift your spur if you want to fight."[13] The runaway slave, whom you brand, is only a spotted francolin with us.[14] Are you Phrygian like Spintharus?[15] Among us you would be the Phrygian bird, the goldfinch, of the race of Philemon.[16] Are you a slave and a Carian like Execestides? Among us you can create yourself fore-fathers;[17] you can always find relations. Does the son of Pisias want to betray the gates of the city to the foe? Let him become a partridge, the fitting offspring of his father; among us there is no shame in escaping as cleverly as a partridge.

So the swans on the banks of the Hebrus, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx, mingle their voices to serenade Apollo, tio, tio, tio, tio. tiotinx, flapping their wings the while, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx; their notes reach beyond the clouds of heaven; all the dwellers in the forest stand still with astonishment and delight; a calm rests upon the waters, and the Graces and the choirs in Olympus catch up the strain, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx."

OrgoneGirl, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 02:09 (seventeen years ago) link

rescheduled Corky's Debt to His Father show finally happened tonight. damn I love this album. anyone know who's in "the Corky Band"? not seeing in rudimentary searching.

bulb after bulb, Saturday, 2 December 2023 13:44 (four months ago) link

It was a bunch of young-ish folks I didn’t recognize (in L.A.)

This field is required (morrisp), Saturday, 2 December 2023 15:32 (four months ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.