"Blacker Than Black" | ||||
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Single by Goodbye Mr Mackenzie | ||||
from the album Hammer and Tongs | ||||
Released | 4 June 1990 | |||
Recorded | Hansa Studios, Berlin, West Germany | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, new wave | |||
Length | 3:52 | |||
Label | Parlophone Radioactive Records (worldwide) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Martin Metcalfe and Derek Kelly | |||
Producer(s) | Terry Adams | |||
Goodbye Mr Mackenzie singles chronology | ||||
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"Blacker Than Black" is a 1990 single by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. "Blacker Than Black" was the band's second and final single release under the Parlophone label, and preceded its parent album Hammer and Tongs by almost a year. In 1991, after Goodbye Mr Mackenzie had signed to Radioactive Records, "Blacker Than Black" was remixed and released as an international single and featured on their debut international album release, also titled Goodbye Mr Mackenzie.
"Blacker Than Black" was recorded in West Berlin around the time of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, at Hansa Ton Studios. The song's subject was the addiction, and gamble, of going to war. Metcalfe later explained: "["Blacker Than Black" is] just a bit of zydeco punk really!... with a nice bit of Ennio Morricone guitar". [1]
The release of "Blacker Than Black" was timed to follow the band's support slot on Debbie Harry's two-week "Dirty Harry" tour at the end of May 1990. [2] The day before the single release, Goodbye Mr Mackenzie performed "Blacker Than Black" at The Big Day festival on Glasgow Green, what was then the biggest outdoor concert held in Europe, and broadcast live on national television. [3]
The single was released on multiple formats including CD single, cassette single, 7" vinyl and two 12" vinyls, one of which was a limited edition with a white vinyl and PVC sleeve. [4] Rounding out the single package was b-sides "Mad Cow Disease", and an extended version of their debut album track "His Master's Voice", and a cover version of "Green, Green Grass of Home". [4] "Blacker Than Black" debuted on the Official Charts at #77 [5] before moving up to a peak position of #61 the following week. [6] The single dropped to #84 in its third and final week on the chart. [7]
Following the release of "Blacker Than Black", Parlophone dropped the band and cancelled the release of their second album. The earlier Debbie Harry slot proved fortuitous, as her manager Gary Kurfirst was impressed enough with Goodbye Mr Mackenzie to sign them to his label, Radioactive Records. [1] In 1991, Radioactive Records released "Blacker Than Black" in European territories on CD, 7" and 12" vinyl backed with a cover version of Velvet Underground's "Candy Says" and Hammer and Tongs album cut "Bold John Barleycorn", which had been omitted from the band's international album release. [4]
Year | Chart | Position |
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1990 | UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [6] | 61 |
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Angelfish was a short-lived early-1990s Scottish alternative rock group originating from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed as a side-project to Scottish group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, after keyboardist and backing vocalist Shirley Manson was signed as a solo artist to circumvent the Mackenzies' existing record contract.
The Raven is the fourth studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers, released on 15 September 1979, through record label United Artists.
Goodbye Mr Mackenzie is a Scottish rock band formed in Bathgate near Edinburgh. At the band's commercial peak, the line-up consisted of Martin Metcalfe on vocals, John Duncan on guitar, Fin Wilson on bass guitar, Shirley Manson and Rona Scobie on keyboards and backing vocals, and Derek Kelly on drums. Joe Cowan was a vocalist with the band before leaving due to a breakdown which was kept from the other members. Cowan would go on to front various projects, including, Justice, who signed to Chrysalis Records. He has since recorded under different names as a solo artist. Cowan has also written several books under a different name.
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The John Lennon Collection is a 1982 posthumous compilation album of music from John Lennon's solo career.
"Serious" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran. It was released on 5 November 1990 as the second single from their sixth studio album, Liberty (1990), reaching number three in Italy and number 48 in the United Kingdom.
"On a Night Like This" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 11 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records as the second single for her seventh studio album, Light Years (2000), and was distributed in various formats. The track was originally recorded by Swedish singer Pandora and written by Steve Torch, Brian Rawling, Graham Stack, and Mark Taylor, while production was handled by the latter two, it was handed to Minogue to record. Musically, "On a Night Like This" is a Europop, dance-pop and house song that also incorporates elements of disco. Its lyrical content delves into experiencing unique, possibly sexual experiences during the night.
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Angelfish is the 1994 debut and only studio album released by Scottish alternative rock group Angelfish, fronted by Shirley Manson. The Angelfish album was born out of necessity when Goodbye Mr Mackenzie's record distributor MCA expressed interest in recording an album with Manson on lead vocals rather than furthering its commitment to the Mackenzies. The Mackenzies' record label boss Gary Kurfirst signed Manson as a solo artist, with the remaining Mackenzies performing as her backing band to circumvent the band's existing deal with MCA.
Good Deeds and Dirty Rags is the first album from the Scottish group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was released in the UK in 1989. The original LP was released with an accompanying 12" single.
Hammer and Tongs is the second album from the Scottish rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was recorded in Germany in 1989, at Berlin's Hansa Ton Studios just as the Fall of the Berlin Wall occurred. The album sat on the shelf for almost 18 months, in which time the band were transferred across EMI record labels, from Capitol to Parlophone, who released two singles from the album in 1990. Parlophone sold the band's record deal to Radioactive Records and MCA, who released Hammer and Tongs in the United Kingdom in early 1991 and encouraged the band to record a new song "Now We Are Married" to promote the release.
Five is the third album from the Scottish group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie and was self-released in 1994 by the band on their own label Blokshok Records. It has a rougher edge to it than their two previous major label albums, partly due to Martin Metcalfe being inspired by grunge music and The Pixies. The album was supported by the extended play release of "Hard" as a single. Five failed to revive interest outside of the band’s existing fanbase. Metcalfe later explained: "We turned to a harder sound and radio wasn’t prepared to play it".
Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie is a 1988 single by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was their debut major label single, recorded for EMI's Capitol Records, following a string of well-received independent releases. Supported by the band performing the single live on national music show The Tube, "Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie" was the band's first single to reach the Top 75 of the UK Singles chart, when it peaked at #62 on its third week of release. The music video was directed by John Scarlett-Davis and produced by Nick Verden for Radar Films.
"The Rattler" is a 1986 song by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie and has become their most enduring track, often referred to as a "lost classic" of the Scottish music scene. The song was often described as "Springsteen-esque", even though the song had not been inspired or written in that way.
"Open Your Arms" is a 1988 single by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was their second major label single recorded for EMI's Capitol Records.
"Goodwill City" is a 1989 single by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was their final single release for EMI's Capitol Records, and released as a double A-side with a cover version of Iggy & The Stooges' "I'm Sick of You". "Goodwill City" was written by Martin Metcalfe and Derek Kelley, in response to their hometown of Edinburgh's reaction to the 1980s AIDS epidemic.
"Love Child" is a 1990 single by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was their debut single release for EMI's Parlophone record label. "Love Child" was taken from the band's second studio album Hammer and Tongs which was released the following year.
"Now We Are Married" is a 1991 single by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was their first single release for Gary Kurfirst's Radioactive Records label after their record deal was bought from Parlophone, and followed the previous year's singles "Love Child" and "Blacker Than Black". The "Now We Are Married" single immediately preceded the release of the band's second studio album Hammer and Tongs.
The Way I Walk is a 1994 extended play single by Scottish alternative rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie.