Raincoats!!!!!!

The other day I was at my local record store talking music with a few of my friends who work there and we just happened to stumble upon the subject of Post Punk. For people who do not know what Post Punk is here is an explanation. 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 Experemental. Post-punk laid the groundwork for Alternative Rock by broadening the range of punk and, underground music incorporating elements of Krautrock (particularly the use of synthesizers and extensive repetition), Jamaican dub music (specifically in bass guitar), American funk, studio experimentation, and even punk's traditional polar opposite, disco into the genre. Some of these bands include Wire, Gang of Four, The Fall, Television, Pere Ubu, The Cure, Devo,The Feelies, and others including The Raincoats.

I was a fan of this music without even knowing it. I would listen to this stuff and have some kind of immediate connection. I am not sure what was that click that got me all smiles, but each band was extremely amazing to me. Television was the first and I have already told you how great they were. Wire I will talk about in a upcoming post, but I will tell you that Pink Flag is one of the best albums period. The Fall is another and a band who really did not have a following here in the United States, but there are a few Fall fans who can tell you they were changed by them. Gang of Four is wonderful and Pere Ubu is just so off kilter that It's a wonderful acquired taste and worth to find.



Then you have the Raincoats. I remember reading the notes in Nirvana's Incestiside album and was like blown away by Kurt Cobain's wonderful praise. I just had to own the music. Sadly, it took a lot of searching, but I found it. The happiness was short lived because in the time to look for the CD or album it went out of print as quickly as it went in print. I did not get to discouraged because I knew someone who did own it. I asked if I could have a tape copy just so I can crank it in the car. He was nice enough to make me a copy, but the album being so short I played it over and over. Then one day the nightmare happened. I put the tape in the tape deck and got through one song and the tape broke. I was in shock. Why did this happened to me. It could have been any other tape, but not this one. I cursed the tape player. I was once again without a Raincoats to listen to.

Fast forward to the golden age of downloading. I found it on line. I held my breath I started to download it and it was working. It was not taking long at all. I got all the files and was soooo happy. I quickly put it to a CD and was transported back to when the album came out. It was really different for April of 1979 and most of all it was four females who wanted to add more then the three cents they were given. What was fun about the album and it stands out so well are the vocals and the violin. Yes I said violin. It's like an extra sound that no one in Post Punk thought of. Hearing these females play was great and really fun.



The real prize of the album is the fact they have a cover song on the album. It literally lifts me off my feet when I hear it. It is and I might be stretching, but a song that was meant for The Raincoats to sing. The song I'm talking about is "Lola" by the Kinks. We all heard the Kinks version, and yea it's pretty damn good. But have you heard a Post Punk female kick ass version.



This song is utterly amazing when done by The Raincoats. It has a quality that can only be expressed by listening and afterwords hearing a wow from your voice. It just makes all of shake our heads on how this band never got the credit it deserves. This is not the only song that will get me going. The song "In Love" is another gem that keeps the brain happy. It showcases the dissident guitar and the screeching of the violin. The vocals counter attack, and at some points are very overlapping, and the the drums just keep the beat like nothing is going wrong. Then it all gets chaotic and worth another listen so you can be at peace.

So as I always tell you about this album I suggest this one. It is a triumph and groundbreaking album that should be listened to again and again. It might be the quickest and loudest album that you have listened to. Take a chance and try something that is fun and what ever Kurt Cobain said just magnify it thirty times and I am sure you will find it one of the best listens in the world.