Red House Painters | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 24, 1993 | |||
Recorded | Summer 1992 – Spring 1993 | |||
Studio | Undisclosed recording studio on Divisadero Street, San Francisco [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 75:38 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label | 4AD | |||
Producer | Mark Kozelek | |||
Red House Painters chronology | ||||
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Red House Painters is the second album by American band Red House Painters, released on May 24, 1993 by 4AD. The album is often referred to as Rollercoaster or Red House Painters I to distinguish it from the band's second eponymous album, often referred to as Bridge .
A double album, Red House Painters features fourteen songs culled from bandleader Mark Kozelek's back-catalog. The album received highly positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise directed at the album's melancholic instrumentation and emotional depth.
The album follows Red House Painters' 1992 debut Down Colorful Hill , and the recording sessions spawned twenty-three songs culled from leader/producer Mark Kozelek's back-catalog, fourteen of which comprised the Rollercoaster album. [1] Eight songs left over from the recording sessions would make up the band's second self-titled album. Kozelek's lyrics focus on themes of pain, desolation and loss, while musically the album runs from the folk-pop of "Grace Cathedral Park" to the shoegaze of "Mistress" to the stark "New Jersey" and onto the soundscapes of "Funhouse" and "Mother". Kozelek said of the recording sessions, "It was a nightmare, because the initial excitement of recording twenty-three songs became, 'one down, twenty-two to go' ... And I was nervous that people were now paying attention, but Ivo [Watts-Russell, 4AD label owner] made helpful suggestions and never demanded anything. If we went over budget, we went over budget." Watts-Russell also suggested the album be a double album, and compiled the track listing himself. [1]
Kozelek discussed his views of the album in the foreword of the 2002 and revised 2008 editions of his book of lyrics, Nights of Passed Over: "... I know the Rollercoaster album is many people's favorite. But for me, it is and will always be the most difficult to get through. I hadn't heard it in years, and though there are some beautiful things I had forgotten about -- a delicate piano in "Things Mean a Lot", the way the band brings life to "Brown Eyes" midway through, and the chorus of "Strawberry Hill", which was sung by a group of strangers we gathered from outside the Divisadero Street studio where we were recording—what I remembered most, even when I look at the album's cover, is nine months of worry."
The album cover is a sepia-toned picture of the now-demolished Thunderbolt roller coaster at Coney Island.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Pitchfork | 9.0/10 [3] |
Q | [4] |
Rolling Stone | [5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Uncut | 8/10 [7] |
In a contemporary review, James Greer of Spin wrote that Red House Painters "rewards patient listening with a rare and sublime ecstasy." [8] The album peaked at number 63 upon its initial release on the UK Albums Chart in 1993. [9]
Marc Hawthorne of The A.V. Club later cited Red House Painters as Mark Kozelek's "crowning achievement in a discography that has placed him alongside the greatest songwriters of all time". [10] In a 5-star review, Jason Ankeny of AllMusic hailed the album as a "sprawling, remarkable set distinguished by Mark Kozelek's continuing maturation as a songwriter" and concluded that "the songs resonate with depth and poignancy, and rank as Kozelek's most fully realized collection of compositions." [2] In September 2010, Pitchfork included "Katy Song" at number 162 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s. [11]
All tracks are written by Mark Kozelek; "Dragonflies" co-written by Robyn Riel-Nail.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Grace Cathedral Park" | 3:51 |
2. | "Down Through" | 2:38 |
3. | "Katy Song" | 8:22 |
4. | "Mistress" | 4:05 |
5. | "Things Mean a Lot" | 3:23 |
6. | "Funhouse" | 9:18 |
7. | "Take Me Out" | 4:48 |
8. | "Rollercoaster" | 4:17 |
9. | "New Jersey" | 3:58 |
10. | "Dragonflies" | 3:58 |
11. | "Mistress" (Piano Version) | 4:32 |
12. | "Mother" | 13:06 |
13. | "Strawberry Hill" | 7:34 |
14. | "Brown Eyes" | 1:47 |
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue # | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | May 24, 1993 | 4AD | CD | DAD 3008 CD | |
Double LP | DAD 3008 | ||||
July 6, 1998 | CD (reissue) | GAD 3008 CD | |||
United States | May 25, 1993 | Warner Bros. Records | CD | 9 45256-2 | |
November 2, 1999 | 4AD | CD (reissue) | GAD 3008 CD | ||
Worldwide | April 18, 2015 | Double LP | CAD 3409 | Bronze-coloured vinyl, as part of the Red House Painters box set | |
August 14, 2015 | Black vinyl, released individually |
Though no other credits are printed on the release, the following is a de facto list of the performers on the album:
Although no commercial singles were ever released from the album, a promotional-only CD was issued for "Mistress" in the US in 1993. The single features a different mix of "Mistress" as well as the piano version, along with the album version of "Grace Cathedral Park". While the sleeve lists "Strawberry Hill" as the album version, it is in fact an edit, which removes roughly 50 seconds of guitar noise in the beginning of the song.
Warner Bros./4AD, PRO-CD-6108:
Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist Mark Kozelek. The project is named after the Korean super flyweight boxer Sung-Kil Moon.
Ghosts of the Great Highway is the debut studio album by San Francisco quartet Sun Kil Moon, led by Red House Painters' founder Mark Kozelek, who composed all of the lyrics and music on this album. The other members are Anthony Koutsos, Geoff Stanfield, and Tim Mooney.
Mark Edward Kozelek is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of the indie rock band Red House Painters, with whom he recorded six studio albums from 1989 until 2001.
Summerteeth is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Wilco, released on March 9, 1999, by Reprise Records. The album was heavily influenced lyrically by 20th century literature, as well as singer Jeff Tweedy's marital problems. Unlike previous albums, Summerteeth was heavily overdubbed in the studio with Pro Tools. Tweedy and Jay Bennett wrote most of the album in the studio, a contrast to the band's previous albums, which were often recorded live by the entire band with minimal overdubs.
Down Colorful Hill is the debut studio album by American slowcore band Red House Painters, released on September 14, 1992 by the record label 4AD.
Red House Painters is the third album by the group Red House Painters, released on October 18, 1993 by 4AD. The album is made up of songs from the same recording sessions for Rollercoaster.
Ocean Beach is the fourth studio album by Red House Painters, released in 1995 by 4AD. The album saw the group and Mark Kozelek move toward a more pastoral and folk-influenced arrangement style, in contrast to the lengthy, droning epics that featured on their early albums. Ocean Beach was also the last album to feature founding guitarist Gorden Mack, as well as being the band's last studio album released by 4AD. The album features an unlisted hidden track, referred to as "Brockwell Park " less than 20 seconds after "Drop" ends. The double 10" vinyl release of the album features the band's acoustic cover of Yes' 1971 hit "Long Distance Runaround." Kozelek would go on to record another version of the song for Red House Painters' next album, Songs for a Blue Guitar.
Birds of My Neighborhood is the fourth studio album by the Innocence Mission. Released in 1999 on Kneeling Elephant, a sub-label of RCA, the album was out of print until Badman Recording acquired the license to remaster and reissue it in 2006.
Songs for a Blue Guitar is the fifth studio album by Red House Painters, released on July 22, 1996 in the UK, and a day later in the US. It is effectively a Mark Kozelek solo album, since no other members of the band are listed in the liner notes. The album introduced heavier, electric guitar driven rock to their sound in songs like "Make Like Paper", and Kozelek's cover of Paul McCartney & Wings' "Silly Love Songs".
Old Ramon is the sixth and final studio album by American indie rock band Red House Painters, released on April 10, 2001 on Sub Pop. Originally completed in 1998, band leader Mark Kozelek had to wait until 2001 to release the album. The band had previously been signed to Island/Supreme Records, but a series of major label mergers in the late '90s left the band without a label. This meant the album had to be shelved until three years later, when Kozelek managed to buy back the album from Island Records and Sub Pop signed the group.
A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride.
Retrospective is a double-disc compilation of Red House Painters' songs from the band's 4AD era. The compilation was released in July 1999. Disc one is a collection of definitive Red House Painters tracks culled from their debut album Down Colorful Hill through 1995's Ocean Beach, as picked by 4AD label owner Ivo Watts-Russell. Disc two, subtitled Demos, Outtakes, Live (1989-1995), is a collection of unreleased demos and live recordings from their 4AD years. The essay inside the booklet was written by Rob O'Connor in April 1999. A working title for this collection was Red Perspective.
Shock Me is an EP by American slowcore band Red House Painters. It was released in the UK only in 1994 on CD and 12" vinyl by record label 4AD.
The Finally LP is a compilation album by Mark Kozelek. The CD was released on December 9, 2008 via Caldo Verde Records. From the press release:
Over the years, Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and his earlier band, Red House Painters, has gained well deserved praise for his extraordinary songwriting. At the same time, he has developed a parallel reputation for his unique covers of other people's material. Many of these tracks were recorded for tribute albums that are now unavailable. Caldo Verde Records has now collected them in a cohesive, 10-song CD titled The Finally LP.
Red House Painters were an American rock band, formed in San Francisco, California in 1988. They were one of the most prominent acts associated with the slowcore/sadcore subgenre. Fronted by primary songwriter Mark Kozelek, the band also included drummer Anthony Koutsos and bass guitarist Jerry Vessel. Guitarists Gorden Mack and Phil Carney both performed with the band during separate six-year tenures.
Like Rats is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, released on February 19, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records. Self-produced by Kozelek, the album is a collection of acoustic cover songs.
Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne is a live album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, released on February 19, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records. Recorded on June 11, 2012, and released on the same day as Kozelek's covers album, Like Rats (2013), the album predominantly features tracks from the then-recently released Sun Kil Moon album, Among the Leaves (2012).
Benji is the sixth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on 11 February 2014 on Caldo Verde Records. Self-produced by primary recording artist Mark Kozelek, the album shares its name with the 1974 film Benji, and was recorded between March and August 2013 at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco.
Dreams of Childhood is a spoken word album by American indie folk musician Mark Kozelek and Argentine actor Nicolás Pauls. Executive produced by Pauls, the album features eleven poems written by Argentine street kids, translated by Pauls, Federico Novik, Pablo Cubarle and Catalina Moran. Proceeds from the album will be donated to La Casa de la Cultura de la Calle, an Argentine non-profit organization for homeless children.
Yellow Kitchen is a collaboration album between American musician and singer Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Sean Yeaton, bassist of Parquet Courts, released on June 30, 2017 by Caldo Verde Records, though available for streaming shortly prior to that. Kozelek and Yeaton met at a Dutch festival in summer 2016, and recorded and self-produced Yellow Kitchen from December 2016 to May 2017 in the United States. Guest appearances on the album include Steve Shelley and Jim White on drums and Holly Throsby and Will Oldham on vocals.