Meathead (album)

Last updated

Meathead
Meathead cover.jpg
Studio album by
Captain Sensible
ReleasedSeptember 1995
Genre Rock, pop
Length2:30:19
Label Humbug [1]
Captain Sensible chronology
Live at the Milky Way
(1994)		Meathead
(1995)		 Mad Cows and Englishmen
(1996)
Singles from Meathead
  1. "Fliptop World"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
NME 5/10 [4]

Meathead is a double album by Captain Sensible, released in September 1995 by Humbug Records. [5] It is Sensible's fifth studio solo album and contains 32 songs across two and a half hours. The album includes studio performances by Sensible's band - featuring ex-Damned bassist Paul Gray, keyboardist Malcolm Dixon and drummer Garrie Dreadful - as well as demo recordings and instrumentals recorded mostly by Sensible on his own. [6] [7]

Contents

Background

Sensible writes in the album's liner notes: "If The Universe of Geoffrey Brown was my Sgt. Pepper , then this collection of goodies is probably The White Album .... warts and all!" [6] Meathead was recorded in a "full on experimentation mode", where "nothing was off limits", according to Sensible. He described the album as "a mixed bag of stuff including studio performances by my band, cosmic instrumentals, weird (but genuine) clips from radio and admittedly some dodgy demos that have a certain gnarled charm (ie.... too lazy to re-record)." [6]

"Freedom" and "Pasties" were originally released in 1991 on the 12" and CD-single versions of the Damned's "Fun Factory" single.

Critical reception

In a review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger called Meathead "a sprawling mess of a record", saying that Sensible "seems to be taking a Zappa-like approach to his work with his combination of so many elements: bouncy London pop, Pink Floydish spacy electronics, found sound bites from TV shows, grating bulldozer guitar riffs, dainty orchestral violins, and silly lyrics about space travel. Often he seems to want to shock or jolt the listener out of complacency with repeated monster guitar licks or spoken dialogue; if the goal is to irritate, he succeeds all too well ... The listener ends up being not so much dazzled as exhausted, or worse, fed up with his apparent value of cocky experimentation over cogent, humane statements." [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Captain Sensible, except where noted

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sally Blue Shoes" 6:51
2."Rough Justice" 5:26
3."Bare Arm Situations" 3:05
4."The Love Policeman" 5:07
5."Crazy Fish"Malcolm Dixon4:40
6."Elephant Dung" 1:50
7."Hammond Solo" 5:53
8."Zarbo Nebula - Part 1" 5:23
9."Zarbo Nebula - Part 2" 4:47
10."Zarbo Nebula - Part 3" 2:52
11."Zarbo Nebula - Part 4" 5:02
12."Freedom" 2:26
13."Eric Clapton's Wallet" 2:01
14."Pasties" 2:02
15."Love Thing"Dixon4:52
16."Bruce Forsythe" 8:00
17."Flip Top World" 5:21
18."Pompous Overture"Dixon2:42
Total length:78:31
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Aliens of the World" 3:01
2."Space Shuttle" 5:32
3."A Brief Hiccup" 1:01
4."Meathead" 6:21
5."Honeymoon in Acapulco" 6:34
6."Can You Hear Me" 4:00
7."The Snow Queen (Excerpt)"Eric Woods2:46
8."Business Trip to Saturn" 15:58
9."Inventing the Wheel"Dixon5:09
10."The Last Train" 3:46
11."Festival Radio Jingles" 0:33
12."Aliens ? We Are the Aliens"Dixon, Charlie Foster4:08
13."Stabilizer Jam"Dixon4:54
14."Plastic Arcade"Sensible, Martin Newell 8:16
Total length:72:09

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [6]

Musicians
Additional musicians

Related Research Articles

<i>Damned Damned Damned</i> 1977 studio album by The Damned

Damned Damned Damned is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 February 1977 by Stiff Records. Produced by Nick Lowe, Damned Damned Damned was the first full-length album released by a UK punk group.

<i>Strawberries</i> (album) 1982 studio album by The Damned

Strawberries is the fifth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released in October 1982 by record label Bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Sensible</span> British musician (born 1954)

Raymond Ian Burns, known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded the punk rock band the Damned in 1976, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. He is known for his distinctive appearance including a red beret and sunglasses, typically with white frames. Sensible embarked on a solo career during the 1980s, achieving a UK number one hit with his version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Happy Talk" (1982) and further hits with "Wot" (1982) and "Glad It's All Over" (1984). In 2006, Sensible founded the Blah! Party. He continues to perform in the Damned.

<i>Machine Gun Etiquette</i> 1979 studio album by the Damned

Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.

<i>Grave Disorder</i> 2001 studio album by The Damned

Grave Disorder is the ninth studio album from the punk rock band The Damned, released in August 2001. It was their first release since signing to Nitro Records and only studio album with Patricia Morrison.

<i>The Black Album</i> (The Damned album) 1980 studio album with live tracks by the Damned

The Black Album is the fourth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar. It was released on 3 November 1980 by Chiswick as a double album, with "Curtain Call" filling the whole of side 3, and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios at a special concert for Damned fan club members on side 4. The song "13th Floor Vendetta" paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), opening with the lyrics "...the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight".

<i>Live at the Milky Way</i> 1994 live album by Captain Sensible

Live at the Milky Way is a live album by Captain Sensible, released in 1994 by Humbug Records. It was recorded at the Milky Way club in Amsterdam on the final gig of a European tour supporting the album The Universe of Geoffrey Brown. Sensible's backing band, known as the Ugly Sods, features ex-Damned bassist Paul Gray, keyboardist Malcolm Dixon and drummer Garrie Dreadful.

<i>The Pentangle</i> (album) 1968 studio album by Pentangle

The Pentangle is the 1968 debut album of the band Pentangle: Terry Cox, Bert Jansch, Jacqui McShee, John Renbourn and Danny Thompson. It brought together their separate influences of folk, jazz, blues, early music and contemporary songwriting. One of the band's most commercially successful albums, it reached number 21 in the British charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)</span> 1966 single by The Electric Prunes

"I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" is a song written with music by Annette Tucker and lyrics by Nancie Mantz, which was recorded in late 1966 by the garage rock band The Electric Prunes. Released as the band's second single, it reached number 49 in the UK and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week ending February 11, 1967.

<i>Its Everly Time</i> 1960 studio album by The Everly Brothers

It's Everly Time is the third studio album by American singing duo The Everly Brothers, released in 1960. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Pop albums chart. It's Everly Time was their first album on Warner Bros. after leaving the independent label Cadence. Though Warner Brothers was based in Los Angeles, they continued to record in Nashville with top session players, laying down all the dozen tracks over the course of five sessions in March 1960.

<i>Beat & Soul</i> 1965 studio album by The Everly Brothers

Beat & Soul is an album by The Everly Brothers, originally released in 1965. It peaked at No. 141 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts. It was re-released on CD in 2005 on the Collectors' Choice Music label.

<i>So, Whos Paranoid?</i> 2008 studio album by The Damned

So, Who's Paranoid is the tenth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. Released in November 2008, it was their first album in seven years. It was funded by the band themselves and released on their English Channel label. Musically, the album largely draws from the band's 1980s gothic rock sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover</span> 1962 song by Willie Dixon

"You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" is a 1962 song by rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley. Written by Willie Dixon, the song was one of Diddley's last record chart hits. Unlike many of his well-known songs, "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover" does not rely on the Bo Diddley beat. A variety of rock and other performers have recorded renditions of the song.

<i>The Greatest Living Englishman</i> 1993 studio album by Martin Newell

The Greatest Living Englishman is an album by English musician Martin Newell, released in November 1993. It was produced, engineered, and mastered by XTC's Andy Partridge, and recorded in his shed on a budget less than £12,000. The album was well-received by critics and ultimately became the most acclaimed of Newell's career.

<i>Women and Captains First</i> 1982 studio album by Captain Sensible

Women and Captains First is the debut solo album by English musician Captain Sensible, best known as guitarist for The Damned, released on 3 September 1982 by A&M Records. It features contributions from producer Tony Mansfield, Robyn Hitchcock and the band Dolly Mixture. The album was preceded by the singles "Happy Talk" and "Wot", which peaked at numbers 1 and 26 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively. The album reached No. 64 on the UK Albums Chart. It was reissued on CD in 2009 by Cherry Red Records, including six bonus tracks.

<i>The Universe of Geoffrey Brown</i> 1993 studio album by Captain Sensible

The Universe of Geoffrey Brown is the fourth solo album and first concept album by Captain Sensible, released in April 1993 by Humbug Records.

<i>Mad Cows and Englishmen</i> 1996 album by Captain Sensible

Mad Cows and Englishmen is the sixth and last studio solo album by Captain Sensible, released in 1996 by Scratch Records.

<i>Revolution Now</i> 1989 studio album by Captain Sensible

Revolution Now is the third solo album by Captain Sensible. It was released on CD and double LP in July 1989 on his own Deltic Records. It was Sensible's first album release in six years since 1983's The Power of Love. The album features contributions from Eddy Grant and former the Damned members Rat Scabies, Paul Gray and Henry Badowski, among others.

<i>A Postcard from Britain</i> 2013 studio album by The Sensible Gray Cells

A Postcard from Britain is the first studio album by English rock band the Sensible Gray Cells, released in October 2013 by Easy Action. The band is a side project of guitarist Captain Sensible and bassist Paul Gray of the Damned along with drummer Anthony Thickett. The theme of modern-day Britain runs throughout the album, which the band themselves describe as a concept album.

References

  1. ↑ Thompson, Dave (19 July 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9780879306076 – via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 Unterberger, Richie. "Meathead". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Concise (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958 . Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Fortnam, Ian (16 September 1995). "Long Play". New Musical Express . p. 49. ISSN   0028-6362.
  5. ↑ Hutchinson, Barry (2017). The Damned - The Chaos Years: An Unofficial Biography. Barry Hutchinson. p. 371. ISBN   978-0-244-30256-6.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Meathead (CD liner notes). Captain Sensible. Humbug Records. 1995.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ↑ "JJ Burnell and Strangled in Conversation with Captain Sensible - Strangled Magazine #11". liceoalberti.it. 1996. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
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.