Magic, Murder and the Weather is the fourth album by British post-punk

Post-punk

Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...

 band Magazine

Magazine (band)

Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...

, released by Virgin Records

Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 in 1981. This was also their only studio album without original guitarist John McGeoch

John McGeoch

John Alexander McGeoch, , was a Scottish guitarist who played with a number of bands of the post-punk era, including Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage and Public Image Ltd....

, who had moved to Siouxsie and the Banshees. In his place was ex-Amazorblades

Amazorblades

Amazorblades were one of the early punk groups, as cronicled in Henrik Poulsen's book 77: The Year of Punk and New Wave, from Brighton, England. They released a single, "Common Truth" c/w "Mess Around" on Chiswick Records...

 guitarist Ben Mandelson

Ben Mandelson

Ben Mandelson is an English world musician, and also manager and producer.-Punk and New Wave years:...

 (after replacing former Ultravox

Ultravox

Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....

 guitarist Robin Simon

Robin Simon

For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon (born Robert Simon 12 July 1956,...

, who replaced McGeoch after his quitting).

Months before the album's release, Howard Devoto, disillusioned with the conditions in the band (as in McGeoch quitting, and failing to get a true replacement for him), decided to quit Magazine. Subsequently after the release, Magazine decided to dissolve, because they could not imagine a "post-Devoto" line-up.

Track listing

All songs by Howard Devoto, Barry Adamson, John Doyle, Dave Formula and Ben Mandelson except where noted.

1. "About the Weather" (Devoto, Formula) – 4:06
2. "So Lucky" (Devoto, Formula) – 4:11
3. "Honeymoon Killers" (Devoto, Adamson, Mandelson) – 3:39
4. "Vigilance" (Devoto, Adamson) – 5:15
5. "Come Alive" (Devoto, Formula) – 3:43
6. "Great Man's Secrets" – 4:57
7. "This Poison" – 4:20
8. "Naked Eye" – 3:30
9. "Suburban Rhonda (Devoto, Formula) – 3:32
10. "Garden" (Devoto, Formula) – 2:39

Personnel

• Howard Devoto
  Howard Devoto
  Howard Devoto is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for the punk band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands...
  
   – vocals, occasional guitar
• Barry Adamson
  Barry Adamson
  Barry Adamson is a British rock musician who has worked with rock bands such as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electronic musicians Pan sonic and Depeche Mode. Adamson created the seven-minute opus "Useless " remix for the latter band in 1997...
  
   – bass guitar
• Dave Formula
  Dave Formula
  Dave Formula, , is an English keyboardist and film-soundtrack composer from Manchester, who played with the post-punk band Magazine, and New Romantic ensemble Visage during the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s and in the "world music" band The Angel Brothers.-Early Years and St...
  
   – keyboards
• Ben Mandelson
  Ben Mandelson
  Ben Mandelson is an English world musician, and also manager and producer.-Punk and New Wave years:...
  
   – guitar, violin
• John Doyle
  John Doyle (drummer)
  John Doyle is a drummer who was member of New Wave bands like Magazine and The Armoury Show. He reunited with the first band for a tour which will be played in February 2009.-Biography:...
  
  – drums
• Laura Teresa – backing vocals
• Ray Shell – backing vocals