I Am A Wallet was the first album by the band McCarthy

McCarthy (band)

McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, Essex, England in 1984 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden and Tim Gane with John Williamson and Gary Baker...

, released in November 1987.

After recording three singles, In Purgatory

In Purgatory

"In Purgatory" was the debut single by McCarthy released in 1985 on their own record label Wall Of Salmon Records. It was backed by "The Comrade Era" and "Something Wrong Somewhere"....

, Red Sleeping Beauty

Red Sleeping Beauty

"Red Sleeping Beauty" was the second single by McCarthy released in October 1986.The B-sides were "From the Damned", "God the Father" and "For the Fat Lady". The latter two were only available on the 12" vinyl release....

 and Frans Hals

Frans Hals (song)

"Frans Hals" was a single by McCarthy released in March 1987 their last on Pink Label. The b-sides were "The Fall", "The Fall " and "Kill Kill Kill Kill" and "Frans Hals ".The single is not on any of the bands three studio albums...

, the first album by McCarthy

McCarthy (band)

McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, Essex, England in 1984 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden and Tim Gane with John Williamson and Gary Baker...

 demonstrates three-chord guitar pop reminiscent of The Byrds

The Byrds

The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...

. While this form of Indie pop

Indie pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...

 was widespread in '80s underground Britain, McCarthy

McCarthy (band)

McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, Essex, England in 1984 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden and Tim Gane with John Williamson and Gary Baker...

 brought left-wing anarchist politics to the genre. Religion is attacked in "God Made the Virus", while the return of Victorian

Victorian morality

Victorian morality is a distillation of the moral views of people living at the time of Queen Victoria's reign and of the moral climate of the United Kingdom throughout the 19th century in general, which contrasted greatly with the morality of the previous Georgian period...

 values espoused by Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

 are compared to medieval oppression in "In the Dark Times".

Johnny Dee of Underground magazine gave the album a 3/3 review, naming it as his favourite record of the year.
I am a Wallet has since been described by Nicky Wire

Nicky Wire

Nicholas Allen Jones, known as Nicky Wire, is the lyricist, bassist and occasional vocalist with the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.-Early life:...

 as "the most perfect record, a Communist manifesto with tunes" http://www.nickywire.co.uk/wordmojooct04.html. On the album cover of the 2007 re-release he writes that McCarthy "are partly to blame for the realisation of the Manic Street Preachers". James Dean Bradfield

James Dean Bradfield

James Dean Bradfield is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.- Early life :...

 rated I am a Wallet as his top British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 album of all time. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,1241254,00.html.

Track listing

1. "An MP Speaks" - 2:10
2. "Monetaries" - 1:57
3. "The International Narcotics Traffic" - 2:25
4. "The Way of the World" - 2:28
5. "Antinature" - 1:42
6. "Charles Windsor" - 1:38
7. "The Vision of Peregrine Worsthorne" - 2:50
8. "The Well Of Loneliness
   The Well Of Loneliness
   "The Well Of Loneliness" was the fourth single by McCarthy taken from their debut album I Am A Wallet. It was released on September Records.The b-sides were "Antiamericancretin", "Unfortunately", "Bad Dreams" and "Someone Worse Off". The latter two were only available on the 12" vinyl release....
   
   " - 2:29
9. "The Wicked Palace Revolution" - 2:32
10. "God Made the Virus" - 1:40
11. "The Funeral" - 1:51
12. "A Child Soon in Chains" - 1:46
13. "In the Dark Times" - 1:44
14. "The Procession of Popular Capitalism" - 3:07

Re-releases

In 1989, the album was re-released on CD with four bonus tracks from The Well Of Loneliness EP. The tracklisting is:

1. "An MP Speaks"
2. "Monetaries"
3. "The International Narcotics Traffic"
4. "The Way of the World"
5. "Antinature"
6. "Charles Windsor"
7. "The Vision of Peregrine Worsthorne"
8. "Unfortunately"
9. "Bad Dreams"
10. "Someone Worse Off"
11. "Antiamericancretin"
12. "The Well Of Loneliness
    The Well Of Loneliness
    "The Well Of Loneliness" was the fourth single by McCarthy taken from their debut album I Am A Wallet. It was released on September Records.The b-sides were "Antiamericancretin", "Unfortunately", "Bad Dreams" and "Someone Worse Off". The latter two were only available on the 12" vinyl release....
    
    "
13. "The Wicked Palace Revolution"
14. "God Made the Virus"
15. "The Funeral"
16. "A Child Soon in Chains"
17. "In the Dark Times"
18. "The Procession of Popular Capitalism"

In 1999, the album was re-released on CD with Banking, Violence And The Inner Life Today

Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today

Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today was the third and final album by the band McCarthy. It was released in August 1990.- Track listing :#"I'm On The Side Of Mankind As Much As The Next Man" - 4:19...

. The tracklisting is:

1. "An MP Speaks" - 2:10
2. "Monetaries" - 1:57
3. "The International Narcotics Traffic" - 2:25
4. "The Way of the World" - 2:28
5. "Antinature" - 1:42
6. "Charles Windsor" - 1:38
7. "The Vision of Peregrine Worsthorne" - 2:50
8. "The Well Of Loneliness
   The Well Of Loneliness
   "The Well Of Loneliness" was the fourth single by McCarthy taken from their debut album I Am A Wallet. It was released on September Records.The b-sides were "Antiamericancretin", "Unfortunately", "Bad Dreams" and "Someone Worse Off". The latter two were only available on the 12" vinyl release....
   
   " - 2:29
9. "The Wicked Palace Revolution" - 2:32
10. "God Made the Virus" - 1:40
11. "The Funeral" - 1:51
12. "A Child Soon in Chains" - 1:46
13. "In the Dark Times" - 1:44
14. "The Procession of Popular Capitalism" - 3:07
15. "I'm on the Side of Mankind As Much As the Next Man" - 4:19
16. "And Tomorrow the Stock Exchange Will Be the Human Race" - 5:33
17. "Now Is the Time for an Iron Hand" - 4:27
18. "The Drinking Song of the Merchant Bankers" - 5:55
19. "Write Your MP Today" - 3:53
20. "Use a Bank I'd Rather Die" - 4:27
21. "I Worked Myself Up From Nothing" - 3:40
22. "The Well-Fed Point of View" - 3:07
23. "Get A Knife Between Your Teeth
    Get A Knife Between Your Teeth
    "Get A Knife Between Your Teeth" was the last single by McCarthy taken from their third album Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today.The b-sides were "With One Eye On Getting Their Pay" and "Can The Haves Use Their Brains? " that were only available on the 12" vinyl version of the single....
    
    " - 3:05
24. "Take the Shortest Way with the Men of Violence" - 4:39
25. "You'll Have to Put an End to Them" - 2:23

In 2007, the album was re-released on CD again, only in European countries. Tracks 15-23 comprise the bonus tracks. Tracks 15-18 ("Unfortuately", "Bad Dreams", "Someone Worse Off", and "Antiamericancretin") are the added tracks on the 1989 re-release of the album; tracks 19-22 ("The Fall", "The Funeral", "The Enemy Is At Home (For The Fat Lady)", and "The Way Of The World") are from the 1988 12" "This Nelson Rockefeller"; track 23 is from the compilation EP "A La Guillotine". The tracklisting this time around is:

1. "An MP Speaks"
2. "Monetaries"
3. "The International Narcotics Traffic"
4. "The Way of the World"
5. "Antinature"
6. "Charles Windsor"
7. "The Vision of Peregrine Worsthorne"
8. "The Well Of Loneliness"
9. "The Wicked Palace Revolution"
10. "God Made The Virus"
11. "The Funeral"
12. "A Child Soon In Chains"
13. "In The Dark Times"
14. "The Procession Of Popular Capitalism"
15. "Unfortunately"
16. "Bad Dreams"
17. "Someone Worse Off"
18. "Antiamericancretin"
19. "The Fall"
20. "The Funeral"
21. "The Enemy Is At Home (For The Fat Lady)"
22. "The Way Of The World"
23. "In Purgatory"

Personnel

• Malcolm Eden
  Malcolm Eden
  Malcolm Eden was the vocalist and guitarist in the indie pop group McCarthy between 1985 and 1990. Eden wrote the far left leaning lyrics of the band....
  
   – Voice and Guitar
• Tim Gane
  Tim Gane
  Tim Gane is the leader of the rock band, Stereolab.He started his musical career as a purveyor of harsh noise in the early 1980s under the alias Unkommuniti releasing self financed cassettes on Black Dwarf Wreckordings along with fellow Unkommuniti members Kallous Boys and other noise projects....
  
   – Lead Guitar
• John Williamson
  John Williamson (musician)
  John Williamson was the bass guitarist in the indie pop group McCarthy between 1985 and 1990. Prior to this he was involved with McCarthy guitarist Tim Gane's industrial music imprint Black Dwarf releasing the now rare Trips On A Pleasure Beach under the name Jake Ray.-References:...
  
   – Bass Guitar
• Gary Baker – Drums

• John Hymas – Viola
• Andrew Golding – Harpsichord

• Nigel Palmer – Engineer
• Andy Royston – Sleeve Design