McCarthy (band)
Encyclopedia
McCarthy were a British indie pop
band, formed in Barking
, Essex
, England in 1984 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden
(voice and guitar) and Tim Gane
(lead guitar) with John Williamson
(bass guitar) and Gary Baker (drums). Lætitia Sadier
would later join the band on vocals on their third studio album Banking, Violence And The Inner Life Today
.
They mixed a sweetly melodic style, dominated by Gane's
12-string guitar playing, with Eden's
overtly political lyrics, often satirical
in tone, which reflected the band's far left leanings.
groups such as the Sex Pistols
, The Clash
, and Buzzcocks
, and they covered their songs in small gigs as teenagers. Baker joined in 1984, and with the new line-up deciding on the name McCarthy (a tongue-in-cheek reference to American politician Joe McCarthy), they released a self-financed first single, "In Purgatory
" in 1985. The band were signed by the Pink Label, releasing two further singles "Red Sleeping Beauty
" and "Frans Hals
". The band had a track included on the NME C86
album ("Celestial City").
Their debut album I Am A Wallet
was released in 1987. The album was virtually ignored by UK radio programmers, except for BBC Radio 1
DJ John Peel
. Because of Eden's
Marxist political views, the band were, to their dismay, often lumped in with other left-wing acts like Billy Bragg
and The Redskins
. I Am A Wallet
has since been described by Nicky Wire
as "the most perfect record, a Communist manifesto with tunes", and was rated by James Dean Bradfield
as his top British album of all time.
Two further singles appeared in early 1988 and were followed by a second album, The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth
, which was considerably less well received.
A year later, they released a third album Banking, Violence And The Inner Life Today
, on which they were joined by Gane's
girlfriend Lætitia Sadier
on vocals. The album suggested a new willingness to experiment musically, and was seen by critics as something of a return to form, but it in fact proved to be their swansong and they split soon afterwards. Eden
felt there was no need to continue with the band, believing that their creativity peaked with that LP
. The band's final gig was at the London School of Economics
in 1990.
The band twice had songs in John Peel's
Festive Fifty
: "Frans Hals
" in 1987 (#35), and "Should The Bible Be Banned
" in 1988 (#38).
Gane
and Sadier
went on to form Stereolab
, while Eden
formed the short-lived Herzfeld. Baker went on to a career in radiography
, before going on to work for The Guardian
. Williamson went on to work for music publisher BMG
and Domino Records.
who covered three of their songs: "We Are All Bourgeois Now" appeared as a hidden track on their Know Your Enemy
album; "Charles Windsor" appeared as a b-side on their Life Becoming A Landslide EP
; and "Red Sleeping Beauty
" appeared on their single "Autumnsong
".
Nicky Wire has said of the band: "McCarthy - the great lost band of the '80s they redesigned my idea of politics and pop, it could be intelligent, it could be beautiful. They were frail, tragic, romantic idealists. The songs soothed your body but exercised your brain. They were my education, my information and they are partly to blame for the realisation of the Manic Street Preachers
. I still fall in love with this album every six months, it makes me feel guilty because it's so good".
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...
band, formed in Barking
Barking
Barking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England in 1984 by schoolmates 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) and 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) with 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) and Gary Baker (drums). Lætitia Sadier
Lætitia Sadier
Lætitia Sadier is a French musician best known as the singer of the post-rock band Stereolab.-Stereolab:...
would later join the band on vocals on their third studio album 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...
.
They mixed a sweetly melodic style, dominated by Gane's
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....
12-string guitar playing, with Eden's
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....
overtly political lyrics, often satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
in tone, which reflected the band's far left leanings.
History
Eden, Gane and Williamson met at Barking Abbey Comprehensive School. Gane was originally a drummer, but was initially taught to play guitar by Eden, who also taught Williamson the basics of bass. Eden and Gane were fans of punkPunk 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...
groups such as the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, and Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
, and they covered their songs in small gigs as teenagers. Baker joined in 1984, and with the new line-up deciding on the name McCarthy (a tongue-in-cheek reference to American politician Joe McCarthy), they released a self-financed first single, "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"....
" in 1985. The band were signed by the Pink Label, releasing two further singles "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 band had a track included on the NME C86
C86 (music)
C86 is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by "jangly" guitars and fey melodies, although other...
album ("Celestial City").
Their debut album I Am A Wallet
I am a Wallet
I Am A Wallet was the first album by the band McCarthy, released in November 1987.After recording three singles, In Purgatory, Red Sleeping Beauty and Frans Hals, the first album by McCarthy demonstrates three-chord guitar pop reminiscent of The Byrds...
was released in 1987. The album was virtually ignored by UK radio programmers, except for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. Because of Eden's
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....
Marxist political views, the band were, to their dismay, often lumped in with other left-wing acts like Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
and The Redskins
The Redskins
The Redskins were a 1980s English band, notable for their left-wing politics and catchy, danceable songs. Their music combined influences from soul, rockabilly, pop and punk rock.- History :...
. I Am A Wallet
I am a Wallet
I Am A Wallet was the first album by the band McCarthy, released in November 1987.After recording three singles, In Purgatory, Red Sleeping Beauty and Frans Hals, the first album by McCarthy demonstrates three-chord guitar pop reminiscent of The Byrds...
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", and was rated by 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 :...
as his top British album of all time.
Two further singles appeared in early 1988 and were followed by a second album, The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth
The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth
The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth was the second album by the band McCarthy. It was released in March 1989.-Track listing:#"Boy Meets Girl So What" - 6:13#"Governing Takes Brains" - 4:18#"An Address To The Better Off" - 4:34#"Hands Off Or Die" - 2:01...
, which was considerably less well received.
A year later, they released a third album 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...
, on which they were joined by Gane's
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....
girlfriend Lætitia Sadier
Lætitia Sadier
Lætitia Sadier is a French musician best known as the singer of the post-rock band Stereolab.-Stereolab:...
on vocals. The album suggested a new willingness to experiment musically, and was seen by critics as something of a return to form, but it in fact proved to be their swansong and they split soon afterwards. 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....
felt there was no need to continue with the band, believing that their creativity peaked with that LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
. The band's final gig was at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1990.
The band twice had songs in John Peel's
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Festive Fifty
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
: "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...
" in 1987 (#35), and "Should The Bible Be Banned
Should The Bible Be Banned
"Should The Bible Be Banned" was the sixth single by McCarthy. Like many of the band's singles it did not appear on any of the band's studio albums.The b-sides were "St. Francis Amongst The Mortals" and "We Are All Bourgeois Now"...
" in 1988 (#38).
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....
and Sadier
Lætitia Sadier
Lætitia Sadier is a French musician best known as the singer of the post-rock band Stereolab.-Stereolab:...
went on to form Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
, while 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....
formed the short-lived Herzfeld. Baker went on to a career in radiography
Radiography
Radiography is the use of X-rays to view a non-uniformly composed material such as the human body. By using the physical properties of the ray an image can be developed which displays areas of different density and composition....
, before going on to work for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Williamson went on to work for music publisher BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
and Domino Records.
Influence
McCarthy were a major early influence on the Manic Street PreachersManic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
who covered three of their songs: "We Are All Bourgeois Now" appeared as a hidden track on their Know Your Enemy
Know Your Enemy (Manic Street Preachers album)
Know Your Enemy is the sixth album by the Manic Street Preachers. It was released in March 2001 on Virgin Records. The album has songs ranging from energetic lo-fi rock songs reminiscent of their earlier material to highly produced, more melodic pop songs as well as a disco song...
album; "Charles Windsor" appeared as a b-side on their Life Becoming A Landslide EP
Life Becoming a Landslide EP
"Life Becoming a Landslide" is an EP by the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. The title track is taken from their second album Gold Against the Soul. It remains an important insight into the mindset of the band's lyricist/guitarist Richey Edwards, and a poignant exploration of the...
; and "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....
" appeared on their single "Autumnsong
Autumnsong
"Autumnsong" is a song by Manic Street Preachers and the second single taken from the album Send Away the Tigers. It was released on 23 July 2007....
".
Nicky Wire has said of the band: "McCarthy - the great lost band of the '80s they redesigned my idea of politics and pop, it could be intelligent, it could be beautiful. They were frail, tragic, romantic idealists. The songs soothed your body but exercised your brain. They were my education, my information and they are partly to blame for the realisation of the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
. I still fall in love with this album every six months, it makes me feel guilty because it's so good".
Studio albums
- I Am A WalletI am a WalletI Am A Wallet was the first album by the band McCarthy, released in November 1987.After recording three singles, In Purgatory, Red Sleeping Beauty and Frans Hals, the first album by McCarthy demonstrates three-chord guitar pop reminiscent of The Byrds...
(September Records; November 1987) (#7) - The Enraged Will Inherit The EarthThe Enraged Will Inherit the EarthThe Enraged Will Inherit The Earth was the second album by the band McCarthy. It was released in March 1989.-Track listing:#"Boy Meets Girl So What" - 6:13#"Governing Takes Brains" - 4:18#"An Address To The Better Off" - 4:34#"Hands Off Or Die" - 2:01...
(Midnight Music; March 1989) (#5) - Banking, Violence And The Inner Life TodayBanking, Violence and the Inner Life TodayBanking, 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...
(Midnight Music; April 1990)
Compilations
- A La Guillotine!A La GuillotineA La Guillotine! is a collection of the first three singles by the band McCarthy. It was released on 29 February 1988.-Track listing:#"Red Sleeping Beauty"#"Something Wrong Somewhere"#"Kill Kill Kill Kill"#"In Purgatory"...
(DanceteriaDanceteriaDanceteria was a well-known four-floor nightclub located in New York City which operated from 1980 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. Throughout its history, the club had seven different locations, three in NYC and four in the Hamptons...
;February 1988) - That's All Very Well But...That's All Very Well But...That's All Very Well But... is a best of compilation of the band McCarthy.Initially planned for release in 1991 but shelved after the Midnight Music label went bankrupt...
(Midnight Music/Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
; 1996)
Singles
- "In PurgatoryIn 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"....
" (Wall of Salmon; 1985) - "Red Sleeping BeautyRed 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....
" (Pink Label; October 1986) - "Frans HalsFrans 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...
" (Pink Label; March 1987) (#4) - "The Well Of LonelinessThe 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....
" (September Records; September 1987) (#10) - "This Nelson RockefellerThis Nelson Rockefeller"This Nelson Rockefeller" was a single by the band McCarthy. It did not appear on any of the bands studio albums.The b-sides were "The Fall ", "The Funeral ", "The Enemy Is At Home " and "The Way Of The World "....
" (September Records; February 1988) (#9) - "Should The Bible Be BannedShould The Bible Be Banned"Should The Bible Be Banned" was the sixth single by McCarthy. Like many of the band's singles it did not appear on any of the band's studio albums.The b-sides were "St. Francis Amongst The Mortals" and "We Are All Bourgeois Now"...
" (September Records; April 1988) (#9) - "Keep An Open Mind Or ElseKeep An Open Mind Or Else"Keep An Open Mind Or Else" was a single by McCarthy taken from their second album The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth. It was the band's first release on Midnight Music....
" (Midnight Music; February 1989) (#10) - "Get A Knife Between Your TeethGet 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....
" (Midnight Music; March 1990)
Radio Sessions
- John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Session (12 November 1986)
- "A Child Soon In Chains"
- "Frans HalsFrans 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...
" - "An MP Speaks"
- "Antinature"
- Janice LongJanice LongJanice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
Session (8 July 1987)
- "The Wicked Palace Revolution"
- "The Vision Of Peregrine Worsthorne"
- "The Well of Loneliness"
- "Monetaries"
- John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Session (28 October 1987)
- "Charles Windsor"
- "The Funeral"
- "Should The Bible Be BannedShould The Bible Be Banned"Should The Bible Be Banned" was the sixth single by McCarthy. Like many of the band's singles it did not appear on any of the band's studio albums.The b-sides were "St. Francis Amongst The Mortals" and "We Are All Bourgeois Now"...
" - "This Nelson RockefellerThis Nelson Rockefeller"This Nelson Rockefeller" was a single by the band McCarthy. It did not appear on any of the bands studio albums.The b-sides were "The Fall ", "The Funeral ", "The Enemy Is At Home " and "The Way Of The World "....
"
- John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Session (1 January 1988)
- "The Myth Of The North-South Divide"
- "I'm Not A Patriot But..."
- "Keep An Open Mind Or ElseKeep An Open Mind Or Else"Keep An Open Mind Or Else" was a single by McCarthy taken from their second album The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth. It was the band's first release on Midnight Music....
" - "The Lion Will Lie Down With The Lamb"