by John Dougan
Asking a Mekons fan to select a favorite Mekons record is crazy -- there
isn't one; there are many. But, if the situation were such that a choice
had to be made, this might be the record. Loud, unruly guitars, pissed-off
vocals -- the Mekons have made an unregenerate, unapologetic punk rock
record. This is a dark record, one that comfortably negotiates the dark
recesses of rock & roll. They rip the messianic aspirations of U2's
Bono ("Blow Your Tuneless Trumpet"), sing a tale of substance
abuse that is both cautionary and parodic ("Cocaine Lil"), all
the while cranking up a sonic tar pit of guitar noise. Bands this far
on in a career, generally speaking, don't make records this good. But
The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll is one of those cathartic records that only righteously
indignant, justifiably pissed-off, grizzled veterans could make. Sadly,
and perhaps unsurprisingly, it sold next to nothing and precipitated the
band's departure from A&M, who didn't want to release another record
like this one.
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