Fear and Whiskey
Encyclopedia
Fear and Whiskey is a 1985 album
by Mekons, which marked their return from a several-year hiatus. It is credited as being the first alternative country
album, as it blends the bands previously-established punk rock
style with a country & western sound. The album was initially released by Sin Records to significant critical praise and commercial success. However, due to Sin's small capacity for production and distribution, the album then remained largely unavailable until it was rereleased in 2002 by Quarterstick Records
, a subsidiary of Touch and Go Records
.
The musical style represents a sharp break with the group's previous work, as fiddle
, steel guitar
, and harmonica
are included, but the instrumentation of punk music is also present, particularly on the energetic "Hard to be Human Again." Tom Greenhalgh
, one of the primary creative forces in the Mekons, commented that as he listened to a great deal of country & western music in the early 1980s, "pretty soon the difference between the three chords of country and the three chords of punk became blurred." The album closes with a cover of Leon Payne's "Lost Highway".
The album's lyrics describe a dark scenario of a community struggling to retain its capacity for joy and humanity through a devastating war. Rock critic Robert Christgau
described it as "sort of concept album sort of about life during wartime".
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Mekons, which marked their return from a several-year hiatus. It is credited as being the first alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
album, as it blends the bands previously-established punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
style with a country & western sound. The album was initially released by Sin Records to significant critical praise and commercial success. However, due to Sin's small capacity for production and distribution, the album then remained largely unavailable until it was rereleased in 2002 by Quarterstick Records
Quarterstick Records
-Artists:*Bad Livers*Calexico*DK3*Dead Child*June of 44*Kepone*The Mekons*Mi Ami*Peter Móren *Mule*Naked Raygun*Tara Jane O'Neil*Pegboy*Phono-Comb*Rachel's*Rodan*Henry Rollins*Shipping News*Sholi*The Sonora Pine*Therapy?...
, a subsidiary of Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.After its genesis as a hand-made fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s alternative and underground rock scenes, Touch & Go carved out a reputation for releasing adventurous...
.
The musical style represents a sharp break with the group's previous work, as fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
are included, but the instrumentation of punk music is also present, particularly on the energetic "Hard to be Human Again." Tom Greenhalgh
Tom Greenhalgh
Thomas Charles Greenhalgh is a multimedia artist and singer-songwriter best known for his work with the Mekons.-Education:...
, one of the primary creative forces in the Mekons, commented that as he listened to a great deal of country & western music in the early 1980s, "pretty soon the difference between the three chords of country and the three chords of punk became blurred." The album closes with a cover of Leon Payne's "Lost Highway".
The album's lyrics describe a dark scenario of a community struggling to retain its capacity for joy and humanity through a devastating war. Rock critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
described it as "sort of concept album sort of about life during wartime".
Track listing
| # | Song | Length | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Chivalry" | Mekons | |
| 02 | "Trouble Down South" | Mekons | |
| 03 | "Hard to Be Human Again" | Mekons | |
| 04 | "Darkness and Doubt" | Mekons | |
| 05 | "Psycho Cupid (Danceband on the Edge of Time)" | Mekons | |
| 06 | "Flitcraft" | Mekons | |
| 07 | "Country" | Mekons | |
| 08 | "Abernant 1984/1985" | Mekons | |
| 09 | "Last Dance" | Mekons | |
| 10 | "Lost Highway" | Leon Payne Leon Payne Leon Payne , "the Blind Balladeer", was a country music singer and songwriter.-Life:Leon Roger Payne was born in Alba, Texas on June 15, 1917. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight of the other eye in early childhood. He attended the Texas School for the Blind from 1924 to 1935,... |
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