Red Mecca
Encyclopedia
Red Mecca is an album by the industrial
/post-punk
band Cabaret Voltaire
. Released in 1981 on Rough Trade Records
(ROUGH 27), it was their final album before the departure of Chris Watson
. It reached No.1 on the UK Independent chart in September 1981.
, and became strongly interested in the rise of the Christian right
and its use of television
, especially the fund-raising broadcasts of TV evangelist Eugene Scott. They compared this to the rise of Islamism
, devoting a side to each strand of religious politics on their 1980 mini-album Three Mantras
. Red Mecca was a culmination of this interest. According to Richard H Kirk: "The whole Afghanistan situation
was kicking off, Iran
had the American hostages
...we were taking notice...it's not called that [Red Mecca] by coincidence. We weren't referencing the fucking Mecca Ballroom in Nottingham
!"
, May 1981.
Produced by Cabaret Voltaire.
All Tracks composed by Kirk/Mallinder/Watson, except "A Touch of Evil" by Henry Mancini
, arr. Cabaret Voltaire.
"A Touch of Evil" was originally composed to soundtrack Orson Welles
's film of the same name
.
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
/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 Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire (band)
Cabaret Voltaire were a British music group from Sheffield, England.Initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, the group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland that was a centre for the early Dada movement.Their earliest performances...
. Released in 1981 on Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
(ROUGH 27), it was their final album before the departure of Chris Watson
Chris Watson
John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
. It reached No.1 on the UK Independent chart in September 1981.
Background
In November 1979 Cabaret Voltaire toured the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and became strongly interested in the rise of the Christian right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
and its use of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, especially the fund-raising broadcasts of TV evangelist Eugene Scott. They compared this to the rise of Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
, devoting a side to each strand of religious politics on their 1980 mini-album Three Mantras
Three Mantras
Three Mantras is an extended play by Cabaret Voltaire, released in 1980. The album was packaged in an intentionally confusing manner, with the Eastern/Western titles reversed on the cover, the same label on both sides and a sticker on early pressings apologizing for there only being two mantras ...
. Red Mecca was a culmination of this interest. According to Richard H Kirk: "The whole Afghanistan situation
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
was kicking off, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
had the American hostages
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
...we were taking notice...it's not called that [Red Mecca] by coincidence. We weren't referencing the fucking Mecca Ballroom in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
!"
Side A
- "A Touch of Evil" - 3:11
- "Sly Doubt" - 4:59
- "Landslide" - 2:08
- "A Thousand Ways" - 10:35
Side B
- "Red Mask" - 6:54
- "Split Second Feeling" - 3:47
- "Black Mask" - 3:19
- "Spread the Virus" - 3:40
- "A Touch of Evil (Reprise)" - 1:32
Recording details
Recorded at Western Works, SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, May 1981.
- Stephen MallinderStephen MallinderStephen William Mallinder was a founding member of Cabaret Voltaire, Sassi and Loco and the Ku-Ling Bros. While in Cabaret Voltaire he contributed lead vocals, bass and occasional keyboards.-Biography:...
: vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, bongosBongo drumBongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
. - Richard H. KirkRichard H. KirkRichard H. Kirk is an English musician specialising in electronic music since the 1970s.-Background:Richard H. Kirk first came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the seminal industrial band Cabaret Voltaire...
: guitarGuitarThe 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...
stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, clarinetClarinetThe 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...
, horns, synthesizers. - Chris WatsonChris Watson (musician)Christopher Richard Watson is a Sheffield-born musician and sound recordist specialising in natural history. He was a founding member of the musical group Cabaret Voltaire, and Watson's work as a wildlife sound recordist has covered television documentaries and experimental musical collaborations.-...
: Vox ContinentalVox ContinentalThe Vox Continental is a transistor-based combo organ that was introduced in 1962. Known for its thin, bright, breathy sound, the "Connie," as it was affectionately known, was designed to be used by touring musicians...
organ, tape recorderTape recorderAn audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage... - Nik Allday - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
Produced by Cabaret Voltaire.
All Tracks composed by Kirk/Mallinder/Watson, except "A Touch of Evil" by Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, arr. Cabaret Voltaire.
"A Touch of Evil" was originally composed to soundtrack Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
's film of the same name
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
.