Hanky Panky (The The album)

Last updated

Hanky Panky
The The - Hanky Panky.jpg
Studio album by
The The
Released14 February 1995
RecordedThe War Room, Pittsburgh
Label 550 Music/Epic [1]
Producer Matt Johnson, Bruce Lampcov
The The chronology
Solitude
(1993)		Hanky Panky
(1995)		Gun Sluts
(1997)

Hanky Panky is the fifth studio album by English band The The, released on 14 February 1995. [2] [3] It consists of cover versions of country singer Hank Williams' songs. [4] [5] It reached No. 28 on the UK Albums Chart. [6] Matt Johnson intended Hanky Panky to be the first of many albums he would record covering the work of iconic musicians. [7] Johnson provided the liner notes to Alone and Forsaken, a compilation of Williams demos that was also released in 1995. [8]

Contents

Production

Johnson originally planned to record an EP, and then a standard tribute album, with many musicians interpreting songs, before settling on an album of covers. [9] Eric Schermerhorn played guitar on the album. [10] Some songs contain only voice and harmonium. [11] The band was more interested in retaining the meaning of the songs rather than producing musical copies of them. [12] "Your Cheatin' Heart" was performed in a rockabilly style. [13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Calgary Herald A [15]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [17]
The Indianapolis Star Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Orlando Sentinel Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Vancouver Sun Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]

Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Johnson internalizes Williams' '50s despair and coughs it up as modernist melancholy." [17] Trouser Press called the album "a tour de force tribute," writing that it "might have sunk to self-conscious gimmickry in less perceptive hands, but Johnson makes it work beautifully." [19] The Chicago Tribune stated that it "drones with the overmiked rasp, sometime monotonous echo, and bluesy guitars that are The The's trademark." [16]

The Independent determined that, "mostly, Hanky Panky demonstrates a misapprehension of Williams's art, the greatness of which lies, in part, in his ability to disguise darkness and loneliness in redemptively light settings." [20] The Guardian noted that "gloomy rock replaces the original relaxed melodies, and Johnson's baritone evokes only one colour from Hank's mixed palette of emotions." [21] The Calgary Herald concluded that "as has happened with the blues and rock in the '60s, it's taken a Brit to unearth the spirit, the soul, the songs of Hank Williams." [15]

Track listing

All tracks by Hank Williams; arrangements/re-arrangements by Matt Johnson and D. C. Collard

  1. "Honky Tonkin'"
  2. "Six More Miles"
  3. "My Heart Would Know"
  4. "If You'll Be A Baby To Me"
  5. "I'm A Long Gone Daddy"
  6. "Weary Blues From Waitin'"
  7. "I Saw the Light"
  8. "Your Cheatin' Heart"
  9. "I Can't Get You Off of my Mind"
  10. "There's a Tear in My Beer"
  11. "I Can't Escape from You"

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy James and the Shondells</span> American rock band

Tommy James and the Shondells is an American rock band formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. – "Hanky Panky" and "Crimson and Clover" – and also charted twelve other top 40 hits, including five in the Hot 100's top ten: "I Think We're Alone Now", "Mirage", "Mony Mony", "Sweet Cherry Wine" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion".

The The are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with the singer-songwriter Matt Johnson as the only constant band member. The The achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles, and their most successful studio album, Infected (1986), spent 30 weeks on the chart. They followed this with the top-ten studio albums Mind Bomb (1989) and Dusk (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Cheatin' Heart</span> 1952 song by Hank Williams

"Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952. It is regarded as one of country's most important standards. Williams was inspired to write the song while driving with his fiancée from Nashville, Tennessee, to Shreveport, Louisiana. After describing his first wife Audrey Sheppard as a "cheatin' heart", in minutes he dictated the lyrics to Billie Jean Jones. Produced by Fred Rose, Williams recorded the song at his last session at Castle Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanky Panky (Madonna song)</span> 1990 single by Madonna

"Hanky Panky" is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless. It was released on June 12, 1990, by Sire Records as the album's second and final single. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the song was developed from a line in the parent film, Dick Tracy, talking about a woman who enjoys being spanked by her partner. Performed in a playful, “tongue-in-cheek” style, "Hanky Panky" is a jazz and swing song, keeping with the film’s general theme of the 1920s and 1930s, with a changing bassline and minor to major key-shift in the chorus. It caused some controversy in Ireland because of its innuendo and racy lyrics, with women's groups deeming them as harmful; Madonna later clarified that the lyrics were intended as a joke.

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song has been covered by a wide range of musicians.

<i>NakedSelf</i> 2000 studio album by The The

NakedSelf is a 2000 album by the British band The The. It was the band's first album since Hanky Panky (1995) and the first containing original material since Dusk (1993). In terms of sales, it was the band's least successful until that point, peaking at 45 in the UK Album Chart. As of 2020, it is the most recent studio album by The The, except for three soundtracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanky Panky (Tommy James and the Shondells song)</span> 1964 single by the Shondells

"Hanky Panky" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich for their group, the Raindrops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaw-Liga</span> 1952 song by Hank Williams and Fred Rose

"Kaw-Liga" is a country music song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose.

Eric Schermerhorn is an American guitarist and composer. He played with Iggy Pop on the American Caesar and Naughty Little Doggie albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine It's My Life Tour, and appeared in the video and live record Oy Vey Baby.

"I'll Go Crazy" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by James Brown and The Famous Flames. Released as a single in 1960, it was Brown's fourth R&B hit, charting at #15. Brown and the Flames also performed it as the first song on their 1963 album Live at the Apollo.

<i>Entertainer of the Year</i> 1973 studio album by Loretta Lynn

Entertainer of the Year is the twenty-second solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on February 26, 1973, by MCA Records. This was Lynn's first album with MCA following Decca's consolidation into the MCA label.

"Take These Chains from My Heart" is a song by Hank Williams. It was written by Fred Rose and Hy Heath and was recorded at Williams' final recording session on September 23, 1952, in Nashville. The song has been widely praised; Williams' biographer Colin Escott deems it "perhaps the best song [Rose] ever presented to Hank...It was one of the very few songs that sounded somewhat similar to a Hank Williams song." Williams is backed by Tommy Jackson (fiddle), Don Helms, Chet Atkins, Jack Shook, and Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance (bass). In the wake of Williams' death on New Year's Day, 1953, the song shot to No. 1, his final chart-topping hit for MGM Records. Like "Your Cheatin' Heart," the song's theme of despair, so vividly articulated by Williams' typically impassioned singing, reinforced the image of Hank as a tortured, mythic figure.

"Honky Tonkin'" is a 1947 country music song, written and recorded by Hank Williams. His song went to #14 on the Billboard country music chart in 1948. In 1982, it became the sixth chart topping single for Williams' son, Hank Williams Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Johnson (singer)</span> British singer/songwriter (born 1961)

Matt Johnson is an English singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and only constant member of his band The The. He is also a film soundtrack composer (Cinéola), publisher, broadcaster, conservationist, and local activist.

<i>Hanky Panky</i> (Tommy James and the Shondells album) 1966 studio album by Tommy James and the Shondells

Hanky Panky is the debut album of Tommy James and the Shondells and was released in 1966. It reached #46 on the Billboard 200. The album had two singles that charted. "Hanky Panky" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Say I Am " reached #21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm a Long Gone Daddy</span> 1948 single by Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys

"I'm a Long Gone Daddy" is a country song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It was released in 1948 on MGM Records and became his second top ten hit.

"My Heart Would Know" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It was released as the B-side to "Hey Good Lookin'" in June 1951 on MGM Records.

"I Can't Get You Off of My Mind" is a song written and recorded by Hank Williams. It appeared as the B-side to his 1948 single "A Mansion on the Hill".

"I Can't Escape from You" is a song written by Hank Williams. The song was originally recorded as a demo by Williams probably in 1951 but he never recorded it in a studio with a band. MGM released an overdubbed version in 1953 with backing from the Drifting Cowboys. The song contains the bitter testimony of a man haunted by the memory of a woman who has "a heart of stone." Like many of the demos that feature just Williams and his guitar, the original performance is artlessly affecting and displays his spare, haunting lyrics:

References

  1. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (3 March 1995). "Band resurrects Hank Williams with a twist". Detours. Knoxville News Sentinel. p. 6.
  2. ↑ "The The Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Dafoe, Chris (28 January 1995). "Hank Williams and The The make strange disc mates". The Globe and Mail. p. C11.
  4. ↑ "The The's Matt Johnson". MTV News.
  5. ↑ Morse, Steve (7 October 1994). "MATT DOES HANK". Living. The Boston Globe. p. 66.
  6. ↑ "THE THE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  7. ↑ Niester, Alan (March 1995). "One of the more bizarre and surprising tribute albums...". Saturday Night. 110 (2): 66.
  8. ↑ "HOW POP MUSIC PAYS HOMAGE TO ITSELF". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 14 April 1995. p. 16E.
  9. ↑ Davidson, Neil (23 February 1995). "Hanky Panky dark tribute to Williams". Ottawa Citizen. p. D9.
  10. 1 2 Gettelman, Parry (17 March 1995). "THE THE". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 11.
  11. 1 2 Miley, Scott L. (24 February 1995). "When The The meets Hank, good good stuff happens". The Indianapolis Star. p. D5.
  12. 1 2 Monk, Katherine (23 March 1995). "THE THE Hanky Panky". Vancouver Sun. p. C8.
  13. ↑ Nash, Alanna (March 1995). "Popular music — Hanky Panky by The The". Stereo Review. 60 (3): 90.
  14. ↑ AllMusic review
  15. 1 2 Muretich, James (5 March 1995). "RECENT RELEASES". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  16. 1 2 Webber, Brad (16 February 1995). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  17. 1 2 "Hanky Panky". EW.com.
  18. ↑ Zimmerman, David (17 March 1995). "COUNTRY". USA Today. p. 10D.
  19. ↑ "The The". Trouser Press. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  20. ↑ Gill, Andy (10 February 1995). "Tribute albums and tribulations". MUSIC/POP. The Independent. p. 26.
  21. ↑ Spencer, Neil (12 February 1995). "THE THE Hanky Panky". The Observer Review Page. The Guardian. p. 16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.