| Twelfth Apostle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Recorded | unknown | |||
| Genre | Folk, outsider | |||
| Length | 42:26 | |||
| Label | Corwood Industries | |||
| Producer | Corwood Industries | |||
| Jandek chronology | ||||
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Twelfth Apostle is the 22nd album by Jandek. After the crazed purging of "The Electric End," the sidelong piece that ended Lost Cause, many thought Jandek was finished. But the Twelfth Apostle appeared in 1993, marking a return to straight acoustic and vocals. It was released as Corwood #0760.
Twelfth Apostle carries a lot of baggage, being as it marked both the start of the "second acoustic phase" and the last vinyl LP to be released by Corwood Industries. Because of the latter fact, it was only available a short time when first released - not long after the first Corwood CDs came out, all vinyl was removed from the catalog with Corwood saying "vinyl LPs no longer available." This seems to coincide both with a major flood in Houston and a period of time when customers received "wet" CDs, so the theory is that a flood may have destroyed Corwood's remaining vinyl inventory, but that has not been confirmed.
Another interesting aspect is the title. The "twelfth apostle" of Jesus Christ was Judas, the traitor. What all this means (and there have been many speculations) is impossible to know, but the title track definitely references religious imagery. "They say you’re the one to rely on all the days/ they say you died before/ and you’re smiling now/Well I would like to know you." But by song's end salvation has not been received, with the singer moaning "where are you going/come back again." Is this a man who cannot be "saved?" Hard to know, but an interesting twist.
Musically, this sounds similar to the last all-acoustic album by Jandek, Nine-Thirty. The songs are slow and mostly picked and the guitar is tuned to very dissonant sounds. One major change (that will show up again) is the use of the studio (4 Track?) to modify the guitar sounds. On "Whiskers," the second to last track, the pitch of the guitar is sped up and slowed down while Jandek sings over it. It's an odd effect, but it suits the curious song and provides some diversity to an album that is loaded with dark images - perhaps the morning after the out-of-control party of Lost Cause, when regrets are beginning to form.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Walking" | 3:14 |
| 2. | "You're Not Even Alive" | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Native Land" | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Rooftop Sunset" | 2:28 |
| 5. | "Bedside" | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Solid Stone" | 2:49 |
| 7. | "Out in the Rain" | 3:24 |
| 8. | "The Gone Wait" | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Could Be Anyone" | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Twelfth Apostle" | 4:30 |
| 11. | "White Knob" | 3:24 |
| 12. | "Whiskers" | 2:17 |
| 13. | "Four by Four" | 3:01 |
| Total length: | 42:26 | |
His playing, singing, and writing are at a peak here... No one is creating a body of work w/ more offtrack cohesion and beauty than Jandek.
-- Byron ColeyForced Exposure #18
Jandek is the musical project of Corwood Industries, a record label operating out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek/Corwood Industries has independently released over 100 albums/DVDs of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical information. Jandek recordings have varied widely in style but are most commonly associated with a highly idiosyncratic and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but the lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of East Texas. The name "Jandek" is intended to refer specifically to the musical project and not an individual, though Jandek is widely believed to be the brainchild of the enigmatic Sterling Smith who closely guards his privacy.
Ready for the House is the debut studio album by Jandek, and was released in 1978 by his own Corwood Industries label, with the catalog number #0739. The artist has said in letters that the number was meaningless. Corwood Industries reissued the album three times on CD, first in 1999, then sometime in the early 2000s, and again in 2005. Jackpot Records, with exclusive permission from Corwood, reissued the album on LP in 2008.
Six and Six is the second studio album by American musician Jandek, and the first to be released under the Jandek name. It was released in 1981, by Corwood Industries (#0740). There have been two CD reissues so far, each adding more silence between the tracks.
Your Turn to Fall is the seventh Jandek album, and was released as Corwood 0745. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
The Rocks Crumble is the eighth Jandek album, released as Corwood 0746. It is his third release of 1983, and is the first Jandek album to feature extensive use of drums and electric guitar. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
Telegraph Melts is the twelfth album and first release of 1986 by musician Jandek. It was released as Corwood Industries #0750.
Somebody in the Snow is the nineteenth album by Jandek and his only release of 1990. Released as Corwood #0757, the album is a curious mixture of more "blues-lounge" band tracks with female vocals, some acoustic and drums tracks and a few of the strangest songs to ever find home on a Jandek album.
Glad to Get Away is the twenty-fourth album by Jandek, and was released (1994) as Corwood Industries #0762. It continues the acoustic sound of the prior two albums.
I Threw You Away is the 32nd album by Jandek, and one of two released in 2002. Corwood Industries release #0770. The album features voice, acoustic guitar and, on two songs, harmonica.
Time Fades Away is a 1973 live album by Canadian musician Neil Young. Consisting of previously unreleased material, it was recorded with The Stray Gators on the support tour following 1972's highly successful Harvest. Due to Young's dissatisfaction with the tour, it was omitted from his catalogue and not released on CD until 2017.
The Gone Wait is the 35th album by Jandek, and the first of two released in 2003 It is Corwood Industries release #0773, and is the first release to feature the artist accompanying himself on fretless electric bass, rather than on his usual acoustic or electric guitar. The album's title was also the name of a song on Jandek's 1993 release Twelfth Apostle
Jandek on Corwood is a documentary about veteran reclusive folk/blues artist Jandek. Unlike most popular music documentaries, the subject himself is not seen in the film in any way; instead, various critics, disc jockeys and journalists, many of whom have had some contact with the notoriously reclusive artist, discuss Jandek, his equally mysterious independent record label Corwood Industries, and his music.
Khartoum is the fourth and final album released in 2005 by Jandek. The album was released by Corwood Industries and his 43rd release overall. The album features the Corwood Representative on solo vocals and acoustic guitar.
Lost Cause is the twenty-first album by Jandek, and his only of 1992. Corwood Industries release #0759, it marks the end of the "electric phase" and, really, of an era. It features a little of all the styles on the previous twenty albums, and ends with a very raucous sidelong abstract improvisation called "The Electric End."
The End of It All is the 37th release by avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek, released by his own Corwood Industries label (#0775). It was his second of four released in 2004. Jandek returns to electric guitar on the album, though his playing style and guitar tone sound like an electrified version of the acoustic playing on The Humility of Pain and The Place. It began a series of more romantically focused albums.
Naked in the Afternoon: A Tribute to Jandek is a tribute album compiled by Moscow, PA-based independent record label Summersteps Records. The album features cover versions of songs by the reclusive avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek. Many of the artists are members of the Summersteps roster or fans forming one-time combos to participate on the album, but the album also features contributions from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Low, and Bright Eyes.
Down in a Mirror: A Second Tribute to Jandek is a tribute album compiled by Moscow, PA-based independent record label Summersteps Records, released as a follow-up to the label's first Jandek tribute, Naked in the Afternoon. As with Naked in the Afternoon, Down In A Mirror features cover versions of songs by the reclusive avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek. Some of the artists are members of the Summersteps roster or fans forming one-time combos to participate on the album, but the album also features contributions from Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Six Organs of Admittance, The Mountain Goats, Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple, Lewis & Clarke and Okkervil River.
London Tuesday is a live album by Jandek released in 2008. It is Jandek's 55th release. The album was recorded on 18 October 2005 at St Giles in the Fields, London, England. This performance was the first to feature Jandek playing solo acoustic guitar, and, in a similar manner to the presentation of Glasgow Monday, is an 8-part piece, entitled "No Mind Was A Good Mind". Like previous Jandek performances, the show was also filmed and released separately on DVD. The song "Part Three" is of particular interest, as it makes a number of direct references to the characters and themes of "Naked in the Afternoon", the first song on Jandek's 1978 debut album, Ready for the House.
The Song of Morgan is an album by avant-musician and singer/songwriter Jandek released, as with all Jandek albums, on Corwood Industries. The album is a box set, containing 9 CDs. Each disc contains a single piece for solo piano. There are no vocals on any of the pieces. The album sleeve depicts Jandek as a child and is the youngest photograph of "The Representative From Corwood Industries" that has been used as artwork for a Jandek album.
Love Somebody is the thirtieth studio album from American country music singer Reba McEntire. It was released on April 14, 2015, by Nash Icon. This is McEntire's first studio album since the 2010 release of All the Women I Am. "Going Out Like That" was released as the album's first single on January 6, 2015, and it has charted within the top 30 of Country Airplay. McEntire produced the album with Tony Brown, James Stroud, and Doug Sisemore. The album has also been released on LP.