 Mekons This is the first installment of a pair of odds 'n' ends/rarities CDs put out by the Mekons in 1999, consisiting of mostly unreleased material spanning the band's long and twisty career. It would seem that these discs would be useful only to diehard fans of the band, but I'd actually say that they are possibly the best place to start for the neophyte. The Mekons have put out so many goddamn records in so many styles that the drunken, semi-coherent assembly of this collection reflects the band quite a bit more accurately than any of their individual studio albums. By now, you more or less know what to expect from them musically, but they still throw aesthetic curveballs like the sex-fixated Me or that Kathy Acker collaboration Pussy, King of the Pirates. I Have Been to Heaven and Back does a pretty good job of dealing with the sprawling, uncontainable energy of the band, representing the many angles they have taken through the years. It's not a best-of by any means, but since most Mekons albums are abritrary to at least a certain extent, this one might just be the most interesting one to select if you've been curious and wanting to pick up a Mekons album. Lots of the studio records are amazing, but the problem is you get one that you love (in my case, So Good it Hurts), then you can't find another one that's similar. I don't mind when a band does different things, but I guess when I find a really good thing I want some more of it. Then again, I didn't like the second Sundays album. So I suppose maybe I'm not thinking this through that thoroughly. Surprise. Twenty-three tracks, seventeen of them labeled and the remainder being little snippets of drunken conversation and/or drunken studio chatter–I'm not really sure how much this band drinks, but it sure sounds like they drink a lot. That works pretty well for them. My dad drank a lot too, but it mainly made him mean and sleepy. The Mekons sound like a good-time pub singalong with occasional punk-rock or dub tendencies. I'd say they are really the only band to take the Clash's politics and experimentalism forward in a new way. They've made a breathtaking body of work, not all of it entirely listenable, but almost all of it fascinating in some respect. And much of it absolutely great. This set hopscotches around from era to era, going for flow rather than chronology, which suits the disc very well. Most of the tracks are from the mid 80s through the mid 90s, when they were sort of flirting with mainstream/major label success but constantly not achieveing it, and releasing material in a more difficult-to-keep-up-with way than The Artist was, more famously. Stylistically, this CD ranges from anthemic rock ("I Have Been to Heaven and Back") to reverby new wave ("Oranges and Lemons," which sounds like XTC but not good XTC) to Residents-like weirdoism (the perfectly titled "Roger Troutman," not, unfortunately, about Roger Trautman of Zapp). My favorite tracks are the ones that sound most like the boingy calypso country of So Good it Hurts, such as the outtake from that album, "The Ballad of Sally." Finally, Sally Timms gets a theme song. A live cover of "You Wear it Well" by Rod Stewart is extraordinarily ragged but also extraordinarily good, proving once again that not being able to sing is often a very good thing (that's about you, Jon Langford). "Now That We Have the Bomb" is a stripped down, drum-machiney country-esque ballad with deadpan wit (lots of Mekons stuff is country-esque, though it's always more of a fascination than a wholehearted influence). "Lucky Star," also sung by Sally Timms, who I consider to be a truly great vocalist in every respect, is a quiet acoustic song with some twerpy synth effects. "Cowboy Boots" is prime late 80s Mekons, one of those songs they probably look back on now and wonder why they didn't release it at the time. None of the tracks is lame, and although this is obscure material from a not-exactly-famous band, it's a much-needed attempt to shine some light on what these freaks have been doing for twenty years. Attractively packaged, well-annotated, and intelligently programmed, I Have Been to Heaven and Back is quite a good testament to a band that deserves more acclaim, and would probably have it if they ever had any focus.
Review by Danny Bluto |