Mercury Rev
Encyclopedia
Mercury Rev is an American
alternative rock
group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York
. Original personnel were David Baker
(vocals), Jonathan Donahue
(vocals, guitar
s), Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a. "Grasshopper
" (guitars, clarinet
), Suzanne Thorpe (flute
), Dave Fridmann
(bass
) and Jimy Chambers (drums
).
, Mercury Rev offered experimental, psychedelic
rock, which gradually shifted to a melodic, ornate sound. Mercury Rev is often compared to The Flaming Lips
, and in fact share close ties: soon after the band's formation, Donahue also joined the Flaming Lips as second guitarist and appeared on two of their albums; and since the 1990 album In a Priest Driven Ambulance
, Dave Fridmann has co-produced every Flaming Lips studio album to date except 1993's Transmissions from the Satellite Heart
.
Despite considerable critical acclaim, their early releases never gave Mercury Rev more than cult
popularity, though they appeared on the smaller second stage at some 1993 Lollapalooza
stops. Baker left after their second record, Boces
(1993), citing musical and personal disputes; he later recorded an album as Shady. With his departure, the darker, more experimental and less accessible features of their music began to disappear.
The band's first post-Baker album, See You on the Other Side (1995), found them in transition, and the 1998 release of the acclaimed Deserter's Songs
(which featured appearances by Garth Hudson
and Levon Helm
of The Band
) made Mercury Rev unexpected pop stars. In the UK
, NME
magazine made Deserter's Songs their Album of the Year
. Donahue's earnest, high-pitched vocals and concentration on relatively concise, melodic songs gave the band's material an entirely new feel and much increased popularity (Deserter's Songs spawned three UK Top 40 singles
).
All Is Dream
was issued in 2001. It included, "The Dark is Rising," which reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Mercury Rev's The Secret Migration
was released on January 24, 2005. This was followed up in 2006, by a compilation album
, The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006
and the film
soundtrack
album Hello Blackbird. More recently, the band released a pair of albums on September 29, 2008: Snowflake Midnight
, and a free MP3 album of instrumentals, Strange Attractor
.
; the band has not charted in the United States
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. Original personnel were David Baker
David Baker (singer)
David Baker was the lead singer and founding member of the band Mercury Rev. He is prevalent on the albums Yerself is Steam and Boces and all of the singles and Peel Sessions the band did concurrently...
(vocals), Jonathan Donahue
Jonathan Donahue
Jonathan Daniel Donahue is an American rock musician. He has been an integral member of two of North America's more influential indie/experimental bands of the 1990s; The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev....
(vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s), Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a. "Grasshopper
Grasshopper (musician)
Grasshopper is an American musician with the band Mercury Rev. He has also appeared with Rev side-project Harmony Rockets, his own band Grasshopper and the Golden Crickets, and as a guest musician on numerous other recordings.-Early years:Mackowiak's early years have been colored by a 1991...
" (guitars, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
), Suzanne Thorpe (flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
), Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann
Dave Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. From 1990 onwards he co-produced all releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips...
(bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Jimy Chambers (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
).
History
With their early recordsGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, Mercury Rev offered experimental, psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
rock, which gradually shifted to a melodic, ornate sound. Mercury Rev is often compared to The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, and in fact share close ties: soon after the band's formation, Donahue also joined the Flaming Lips as second guitarist and appeared on two of their albums; and since the 1990 album In a Priest Driven Ambulance
In a Priest Driven Ambulance
In a Priest Driven Ambulance is the fourth album by The Flaming Lips, released in 1990 . It is a concept album primarily focused on frontman Wayne Coyne's fascination with religion. It is generally considered among critics to be one of the best early period Flaming Lips albums...
, Dave Fridmann has co-produced every Flaming Lips studio album to date except 1993's Transmissions from the Satellite Heart
Transmissions from the Satellite Heart
Transmissions from the Satellite Heart is The Flaming Lips' sixth album, released in 1993. Its fourth track, "She Don't Use Jelly", is notable for being The Flaming Lips' first charting radio hit, after its video was featured on the MTV show Beavis and Butt-Head, nearly a year after the album's...
.
Despite considerable critical acclaim, their early releases never gave Mercury Rev more than cult
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
popularity, though they appeared on the smaller second stage at some 1993 Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
stops. Baker left after their second record, Boces
Boces
Boces is the second album by Mercury Rev, released in 1993. The band has explained the title as being inspired by the name of the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services in New York State, a vocational school system in the band's home state....
(1993), citing musical and personal disputes; he later recorded an album as Shady. With his departure, the darker, more experimental and less accessible features of their music began to disappear.
The band's first post-Baker album, See You on the Other Side (1995), found them in transition, and the 1998 release of the acclaimed Deserter's Songs
Deserter's Songs
Deserter's Songs is the fourth studio album by the Buffalo, New York-based rock band Mercury Rev, released in late September 1998. British music magazine NME named Deserter's Songs album of the year for 1998...
(which featured appearances by Garth Hudson
Garth Hudson
Eric Garth Hudson is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist. As the organist, keyboardist and saxophonist for Canadian-American rock group The Band, he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound...
and Levon Helm
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm , is an American rock multi-instrumentalist and actor who achieved fame as the drummer and frequent lead and backing vocalist for The Band....
of The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
) made Mercury Rev unexpected pop stars. In the UK
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...
, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine made Deserter's Songs their Album of the Year
NME album of the year
Every December, British music magazine NME compiles a list of what it considers the best albums of the year. It was started in 1974. The list is usually published in one of the issues sold before Christmas – in 2006 it was published in the issue for December the 9th...
. Donahue's earnest, high-pitched vocals and concentration on relatively concise, melodic songs gave the band's material an entirely new feel and much increased popularity (Deserter's Songs spawned three UK Top 40 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
).
All Is Dream
All is Dream
All Is Dream is the fifth album by the rock band Mercury Rev, released in the UK on August 27, 2001, in France on August 28, 2001, and in the US on September 11, 2001.-Track listing:...
was issued in 2001. It included, "The Dark is Rising," which reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Mercury Rev's The Secret Migration
The Secret Migration
The Secret Migration is the sixth album by the alternative rock band Mercury Rev, released on January 24, 2005 in the UK...
was released on January 24, 2005. This was followed up in 2006, by a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006
The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006
The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991–2006 is a double disc compilation album by Mercury Rev. Disc One compiles tracks from their first six studio albums...
and the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
album Hello Blackbird. More recently, the band released a pair of albums on September 29, 2008: Snowflake Midnight
Snowflake Midnight
Snowflake Midnight is the seventh studio album from Mercury Rev. It was released on September 29, 2008 in the UK, and September 30 in the US.From the band's website:...
, and a free MP3 album of instrumentals, Strange Attractor
Snowflake Midnight
Snowflake Midnight is the seventh studio album from Mercury Rev. It was released on September 29, 2008 in the UK, and September 30 in the US.From the band's website:...
.
Members
- Jonathan DonahueJonathan DonahueJonathan Daniel Donahue is an American rock musician. He has been an integral member of two of North America's more influential indie/experimental bands of the 1990s; The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev....
- vocals and guitar - Grasshopper (Sean Mackowiak)Grasshopper (musician)Grasshopper is an American musician with the band Mercury Rev. He has also appeared with Rev side-project Harmony Rockets, his own band Grasshopper and the Golden Crickets, and as a guest musician on numerous other recordings.-Early years:Mackowiak's early years have been colored by a 1991...
- guitar - Jeff Mercel - drums and keyboards
- Carlos Anthony Molina - bass
Discography
Chart positions listed are for the United KingdomUnited 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...
; the band has not charted in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Albums
- Yerself Is SteamYerself Is SteamYerself is Steam is the 1991 debut album by Mercury Rev. The title is a malapropism of the phrase "Your self-esteem," and is taken from a recurring lyric in the opening "Chasing a Bee." "Car Wash Hair" was released as a single before the album...
(May 14, 1991) (re-issued in 1999) - BocesBocesBoces is the second album by Mercury Rev, released in 1993. The band has explained the title as being inspired by the name of the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services in New York State, a vocational school system in the band's home state....
(June 1, 1993) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#43 - See You on the Other SideSee You on the Other Side (Mercury Rev album)See You on the Other Side is the third album by Mercury Rev, released in September 1995.This was the first Mercury Rev album following the departure of former lead singer Dave Baker...
(September 19, 1995) - Deserter's SongsDeserter's SongsDeserter's Songs is the fourth studio album by the Buffalo, New York-based rock band Mercury Rev, released in late September 1998. British music magazine NME named Deserter's Songs album of the year for 1998...
(September 29, 1998) - #27 - All Is DreamAll is DreamAll Is Dream is the fifth album by the rock band Mercury Rev, released in the UK on August 27, 2001, in France on August 28, 2001, and in the US on September 11, 2001.-Track listing:...
(September 11, 2001) - #11 - The Secret MigrationThe Secret MigrationThe Secret Migration is the sixth album by the alternative rock band Mercury Rev, released on January 24, 2005 in the UK...
(January 24, 2005) - #16 - Snowflake MidnightSnowflake MidnightSnowflake Midnight is the seventh studio album from Mercury Rev. It was released on September 29, 2008 in the UK, and September 30 in the US.From the band's website:...
(September 29, 2008) - #52 - Strange Attractor (free MP3 download album) (September 29, 2008)
Compilation albums and soundtracks
- 2006 - The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991–2006 is a double disc compilation album by Mercury Rev. Disc One compiles tracks from their first six studio albums...
- 2006 - Hello Blackbird (soundtrack to the film Bye Bye Blackbird)
- 2006 - Back to Mine (compiled by Mercury Rev, includes exclusive new track "Cecilla's Lunar Expose")
Singles and EPs
- 1992 - "Lego My Ego'" (re-released with 1999 re-issue of "Yerself Is Steam")
- 1992 - "Car Wash Hair"
- 1992 - "If You Want Me to Stay"
- 1993 - "The Hum Is Coming From Her"
- 1993 - "Chasing a Bee"
- 1993 - "Bronx Cheer"
- 1993 - "Something for Joey"
- 1995 - "Everlasting Arm"
- 1995 - "Young Man's Stride"
- 1998 - "Goddess on a HiwayGoddess on a Hiway"Goddess on a Hiway" is the first single from Mercury Rev's fourth studio album, Deserter's Songs. The single was first released on November 2, 1998, and then re-issued on August 16, 1999. Two music videos were produced for the song, one directed by Anton Corbijn, the other directed by James & Alex...
" - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#51 - 1998 - "Delta Sun Bottleneck StompDelta Sun Bottleneck Stomp"Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" is the second single from Mercury Rev's fourth studio album, Deserter's Songs. The single was released in the UK on January 25, 1999, and peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart....
" - #26 - 1999 - "Opus 40Opus 40 (song)"Opus 40" is the third single from Mercury Rev's fourth studio album, Deserter's Songs. The single was released in the UK on May 10, 1999. A music video was produced for the song, directed by Anton Corbijn...
" - #31 - 1999 - "HolesHoles (song)"Holes" is the fourth single from Mercury Rev's fourth studio album, Deserter's Songs. The single was released in Australia only as a limited edition tour EP on July 7, 1999, although promotional CD singles were distributed to UK radio stations in 2006...
" (Australia only) - 1999 - "Goddess on a Hiway" - #26 (1999 re-issue)
- 2001 - "Nite and Fog" - #47
- 2002 - "The Dark Is Rising" - #16
- 2002 - "Little Rhymes" - #51
- 2004 - "Secret for a Song" (internet download only)
- 2005 - "In a Funny Way" - #28
- 2005 - "Across Yer Ocean" - #54
- 2008 - "Senses on Fire"
- 2009 - "Butterfly's Wings"
Other contributions
- Acoustic 05 (2005, Echo) - "First Time Mothers Joy"
- Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark MulcahyCiao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark MulcahyCiao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy is a tribute album to former Polaris and Miracle Legion front man Mark Mulcahy released under the Shout! Factory label in 2009....
(2009, MezzotintMezzotintMezzotint is a printmaking process of the intaglio family, technically a drypoint method. It was the first tonal method to be used, enabling half-tones to be produced without using line- or dot-based techniques like hatching, cross-hatching or stipple...
) - "Sailors and Animals" (Miracle LegionMiracle LegionMiracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region. The original lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Mark Mulcahy, lead guitarist Mr. Ray Neal, drummer Jeff Wiederschall, and bassist...
cover)
External links
- Mercury Rev at WorldMusicDatabase
- V2Music: Mercury Rev
- Review of 'Butterfly's Wings'
- Silvertone Series #2 Mercury Rev in Russia. An interview for Podstantsiya.ru