Black Snakes

Black Snakes
Studio album by Red Krayola with Art & Language
Released	1983
Recorded	Sunrise, Switzerland
Genre	Experimental rock
Length	47:22
Label	RecRec (original release) Drag City (reissue) [1]
Red Krayola with Art & Language chronology
Kangaroo? (1981) Black Snakes (1983) Sighs Trapped by Liars (2007)
The Red Krayola chronology
Kangaroo? (1981) Black Snakes (1983) Three Songs on a Trip to the United States (1983)

Black Snakes is a collaboration between the experimental rock band Red Krayola and the conceptual art group Art & Language. ^{[2] [3]} It was released in 1983 by RecRec Music. ^[4] The album was reissued by Drag City in 1997. ^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Robert Christgau	B [6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	6/10 [8]

Dave Thompson, in Alternative Rock, referred to the album as an "avant-garde theater [soundtrack] without the theater to explain what was happening." ^[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Baldwin, Mel Ramsden, and Mayo Thompson.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black Snakes"	4:41
2.	"Ratman, The Weightwatcher"	2:52
3.	"The Sloths"	6:42
4.	"The Jam"	4:29
5.	"Hedges"	3:48

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Portrait of V. I. Lenin in the Style of Jackson Pollock, Part I"	3:05
2.	"Future Pilots"	4:17
3.	"A Portrait of You"	4:49
4.	"Words of Love"	4:49
5.	"Café Twenty-One"	3:53
6.	"Gynaecology in Ancient Greece"	3:55

Personnel

Musicians

• Ben Annesley – bass guitar
• Chris Taylor – drums
• Allen Ravenstine  – synthesizer, saxophone
• Mayo Thompson  – guitar, vocals

Production

• Etienne Conod – recording
• Eric Radcliffe  – mixing
• Robert Vogel – recording

References

1. "The Red Crayola with Art & Language – Black Snakes | Drag City". www.dragcity.com.
2. "Thompson's twins". Dallas Observer. June 17, 1999.
3. Miller, Eric T. (June 2, 2006). "The Red Krayola: Outside The Lines".
4. Kenny, Glenn; Grant, Steven; Robbins, Ira (2007). "Red Crayola". Trouser Press . Retrieved May 26, 2016.
5. "The Red Krayola: Black Snakes". Drag City. 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
6. Christgau, Robert. "Red Crayola with Art & Language: Black Snakes". Robert Christgau.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
7. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 806.
8. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 322.
9. Thompson, Dave (August 9, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9780879306076 – via Google Books.

External links

• Black Snakes at Discogs (list of releases)