Release the Bats

Last updated

"Release the Bats"
The Birthday Party - Release the Bats.jpg
Single by The Birthday Party
B-side "Blast Off"
Released31 July 1981
Recorded1981; (Townhouse Studios, London)
Genre Gothic rock
Length4:51
Label 4AD
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Birthday Party singles chronology
"Nick the Stripper"
(1981)		"Release the Bats"
(1981)		"Dead Joe"
(1982)

"Release the Bats" is a song by Australian post-punk band The Birthday Party. Written by Nick Cave and Mick Harvey, the song was released as a single on 31 July 1981 through 4AD record label, with the B-side "Blast Off". The recordings were produced by the band and Nick Launay. The single charted on UK Indie Chart, peaking at number 3.

Contents

Achieving a cult status following its release, [1] the title track became influential on the then-emerging gothic rock genre. [2] The tracks off the single were later featured on the CD reissues of the band's final album, Junkyard (1982), as bonus tracks. [3] [4]

Background and recording

"Release the Bats" became a highlight of the Birthday Party's live set in early 1981 and was recorded for a John Peel session. [3] The track and its B-side were recorded on the same night with a session at the Townhouse Studios with producer Nick Launay, who was commissioned by 4AD because of his work on Public Image Ltd's Flowers of Romance (1981). Launay managed to book cheap studio time in Studio Two after midnight only, as the daytime session on the studio was occupied by Phil Collins. Launay recalled: "They walked in looking like they hadn't slept in days, all smartly dressed in black like they had just come from church but maybe the church was a ruin with rats, and they hadn't washed in weeks... The term goth did not exist at that time, certainly not in the way we would use it these days, but I will say that recording a song called 'Release The Bats' with people who looked like vampires was pretty fucking exciting!" [5]

The sessions were dominated by guitarists Mick Harvey and Rowland S. Howard. During the recording of the vocals of the B-side "Blast Off," they insisted vocalist Nick Cave redo the middle section of the track many times as a prank, until Cave was out of breath and nearly collapsed. The band ended up using the first take with the advice of Launay. As a means of retaliation, Launay equalized the guitar tracks with a huge amount of mid-range after they requested that the guitars sound the way a bee sting feels. He also ran them through two more graphic equalizers and cut out all the low end, creating the abrasive and distorted sound of the track. During the rest of the recording, the band members regularly disappeared to the bathroom, which according to Launay "added to the fuel and edginess of the night," and notable arguments broke out, mainly aiming at drummer Phill Calvert. [5]

According to Harvey, the title track was conceived as "a comedic interlude" and was recorded "because it happened almost by accident." [3]

Music and lyrics

AllMusic's Amy Hanson categorized the track as a "deep rolling bass-led cacophony," [3] while Sasha Frere-Jones of New Yorker argued that its "rhythm section vamps around a menacing bass figure while the guitar lurches back and forth, unsure of whether to make noise or form chords." [6] Cave’s barely comprehensible yowling vocals on the track also contrasts with "the ominous baritone with which he’s now indelibly associated." [7]

Lyrically, the song was meant to be a self-parody, caricaturing the band's gothic associations. The title and lyrics of the track employs typical gothic themes, with attacking phrases such as "sex horror sex bat sex sex horror sex vampire sex bat horror vampire sex." [8]

Reception and legacy

AllMusic critic Amy Hanson described the track as "the quintessential Birthday Party song," stating: "The song's title alone ensured that "Release the Bats" became a mantra for the gothic generation as vampires, blood, and biting were so popular with the caped crowd." [3] The song formed a basis for the gothic rock genre, [9] which was later dismissed by Cave. [3]

NME listed the track as number 7 on its list of "The 20 Greatest Goth Tracks." [9] The single was also featured on Fact magazine's list of "20 best: Goth records ever made" as number 5. [7]

Track listing

A-side
  1. "Release the Bats" (Cave, Harvey) – 2:32
B-side
  1. "Blast Off" (Howard) – 2:19

Personnel

The Birthday Party
Technical personnel

Charts

Chart (1981)Peak
position
UK Indie Chart [10] 3

Related Research Articles

Gothic rock is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the Cure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Birthday Party (band)</span> Australian band

The Birthday Party were an Australian post-punk band, active from 1977 to 1983. The group's "bleak and noisy soundscapes," which drew irreverently on blues, free jazz, and rockabilly, provided the setting for vocalist Nick Cave's disturbing tales of violence and perversion. Their 1981 single "Release the Bats" was particularly influential on the emerging gothic scene. Despite limited commercial success, The Birthday Party's influence has been far-reaching, and they have been called "one of the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds</span> Australian post punk/alternative rock band

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey, guitarist George Vjestica, keyboardist/percussionist Larry Mullins, also known as Toby Dammit, and drummers Thomas Wydler (Switzerland) and Jim Sclavunos. Described as "one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the '80s and onward", they have released seventeen studio albums and completed numerous international tours.

<i>Tender Prey</i> 1988 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Tender Prey is the fifth studio album by Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 19 September 1988 on Mute Records. Produced by Flood, the album was recorded during several sessions over the course of four months in West Berlin—where the band were based at the time of its release—and London and dedicated to Fernando Ramos da Silva.

<i>Nocturama</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Nocturama is the twelfth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on February 3, 2003 on Mute and ANTI-. Produced by Nick Launay, the album is the last to feature founding member Blixa Bargeld who departed from the band shortly after the album's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Lane</span> Australian singer-songwriter (1960–2021)

Anita Louise Lane was an Australian singer-songwriter who was briefly a member of the Bad Seeds with Nick Cave and Mick Harvey and collaborated with both bandmates. Lane released two solo albums, Dirty Pearl (1993) and Sex O'Clock (2001).

Tuff Monks were a short-lived band consisting of Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Rowland S. Howard with Robert Forster, Lindy Morrison and Grant McLennan. Their only release was the 1982 7" 45 rpm single "After the Fireworks", on the Australian label, Au Go Go Records. The lead track was co-written by Cave, Forster and McLennan.

<i>Prayers on Fire</i> 1981 studio album by the Birthday Party

Prayers on Fire is the debut studio album by Australian rock group the Birthday Party, released on 6 April 1981 on the Missing Link label in Australia, later licensed to the 4AD label. This was the band's first full-length release on an international record label and the first after changing the group's name from the Boys Next Door to the Birthday Party. It was recorded at Armstrong's Audio Visual Studios in Melbourne and Richmond Recorders in the nearby suburb of Richmond, between December 1980 and January 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Harvey</span> Musical artist

Michael John Harvey is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Phillip Calvert is an Australian rock drummer and producer best known for his playing in the post-punk band The Birthday Party with Nick Cave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rowland S. Howard</span> Australian musician and songwriter (1959–2009)

Rowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the post-punk group The Birthday Party and his subsequent solo career.

Nicolas Launay is an English record producer, composer and recording engineer, currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. He is one of the most sought after record producers in the world due to his success with recent albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Anna Calvi, IDLES, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Arcade Fire. Noted for his flamboyant style, he is among the most successful producers of the post-punk era, helming records from pivotal acts including Public Image Ltd, Gang of Four, Killing Joke, The Birthday Party, and The Slits.

<i>Junkyard</i> (album) 1982 studio album by the Birthday Party

Junkyard is the third studio album by Australian post-punk group the Birthday Party. It was released on 10 July 1982 through the label 4AD in the UK and through Missing Link Records in Australia. It was the group's last full-length studio recording. It has received critical acclaim.

<i>Honeymoon in Red</i> 1988 studio album by Honeymoon in Red

Honeymoon in Red is a concept album by a band of the same name, released in 1988, primarily written by Lydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard. Honeymoon in Red is sometimes referred to as a band or alternately as a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and members of The Birthday Party.

<i>Mutiny/The Bad Seed</i> 1983 compilation album by The Birthday Party

Mutiny/The Bad Seed is a compilation album by The Birthday Party. It is compiled from 2 EPs, The Bad Seed recorded in October 1982, and Mutiny! recorded in April and August 1983, and both were released in 1983. The Bad Seed and Mutiny! were released as a compilation in 1989. It is written by Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Rowland S. Howard, and Tracy Pew.

<i>Door, Door</i> 1979 studio album by The Boys Next Door

Door, Door is the debut album by Australian rock band The Boys Next Door. The album was recorded before the band left Australia for London in 1980, at which point they changed their name to The Birthday Party and created the body of work for which they are most recognised. Likewise, the album is different stylistically from their later work, being less dark and slightly more poppy.

<i>Hee Haw</i> (EP)

Hee Haw is the second release and first EP by the Australian post-punk band the Boys Next Door. The Hee Haw EP was released in 1979 by the independent label, Missing Link Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shivers (The Boys Next Door song)</span> Single by The Birthday Party

"Shivers" is a song by the Australian post-punk band the Boys Next Door, who would later become the Birthday Party. It is the tenth and final track from the band's debut studio album Door, Door, released in 1979 on Mushroom Records. It was released as the album's only single in May 1979, backed with the B-side "Dive Position".

<i>Drunk on the Popes Blood/The Agony Is the Ecstacy</i> 1982 EP by The Birthday Party/Lydia Lunch

Drunk on the Pope's Blood/The Agony Is the Ecstacy is a split compilation EP by the post-punk acts The Birthday Party and Lydia Lunch, released on February 18, 1982, through 4AD. It contains live material from a show performed on November 26, 1981, at The Venue in London. Three of the four Birthday Party tracks were included on their Live 1981-82 CD. Their version of the song "Loose" and the Lydia Lunch piece have never been officially reissued on CD. The Lydia Lunch side is a single track recorded up to the run-out groove, causing the song to play endlessly on manual turntables.

The discography of The Birthday Party, an Australian post-punk band, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, six compilation albums, six extended plays and nine singles. The group began under various names in Melbourne in 1973; formed by vocalist Nick Cave, guitarist Mick Harvey, drummer Phill Calvert, guitarist John Cocivera, bassist Brett Purcell, and saxophonist Chris Coyne —all of whom were students at Caulfield Grammar School. By 1978, following several membership changes, the band consisted of Cave, Harvey and Calvert with bassist Tracy Pew and guitarist Rowland S Howard. Under the name The Boys Next Door, the band released several singles and two studio albums, Door, Door in 1979 on Mushroom Records and The Birthday Party in 1980 on Missing Link Records.

References

  1. ↑ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. pp.  94. ISBN   1843531054.
  2. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 . London: Faber and Faber, 2005. pp.  429–431. ISBN   0-571-21569-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hanson, Amy. "The Birthday Party - Release the Bats". Allmusic . Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Minsker, Evan (24 July 2012). "4AD to Reissue the Birthday Party's Junkyard". Pitchfork . Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 Wray, Daniel Dylan (18 August 2014). "If This Is Heaven I'm Bailing Out: The Death Of The Birthday Party". The Quietus . Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Frere-Jones, Sasha (20 September 2010). "Grindhouse". New Yorker . Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 Sande, Kiran (2 November 2010). "20 best: Goth records ever made". Fact . Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Welberry, Karen and Tanya Dalziell, ed. (2013). Cultural Seeds: Essays on the Work of Nick Cave. Ashgate. p. 88. ISBN   978-1409493877.
  9. 1 2 Lewis, Luke (5 March 2009). "Release The Bats - It's The 20 Greatest Goth Tracks". NME . Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Lazell, Barry. "Indie Hits: "B"". Cherry Red. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
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.