Waiting for the Redbird

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Waiting for the Redbird
Waiting for the Redbird.jpg
Studio album by
Easterhouse
Released1989
Genre Rock
Label Rough Trade
Producer Steve Power, Steve Lovell
Easterhouse chronology
Inspiration EP
(1986)		Waiting for the Redbird
(1989)

Waiting for the Redbird is the second and final album by the English band Easterhouse, released in 1989. [1] [2] "Come Out Fighting" peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and was heard on several American sports television shows. [3] [4] The album peaked at No. 18 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. [5]

Contents

Production

The album was produced by Steve Power and Steve Lovell. [6] Frontman Andy Perry was the only returning bandmember, forcing him to use studio musicians, including Neil Taylor. [7] [8] "Stay with Me (Death on the Dole)" is about two teenagers who kill themselves rather than continue their dole-supported lives. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Great Indie Discography 7/10 [12]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Ottawa Citizen Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]

The Toronto Star said that Perry "delivers an evermore slick, stodgy affair that combines mildly engaging melodies, sophomoric instrumentation and a lush lead vocal contrasted severely with 50-lb sledgehammer lyrics." [7] The Ottawa Citizen noted that Perry "has adopted the modus operandi of many Christian musicians: keep the crusade intact—the form of the music carrying it out is incidental." [14] The Los Angeles Times opined that while his "art 'n' soul is thematically in the right, Left-of-centre place, the entire vainglorious project collapses under the irony-poor bloody weight of all the musical and lyrical cliches." [13]

The Chicago Tribune stated that "the sleek production (atmospheric synthesizers and danceable bass lines) gives the weighty political messages a buoyant urgency." [11] The Hartford Courant likened the album's music to Simple Minds, the Psychedelic Furs, and Tears for Fears. [6] The Independent said that Perry "suffers from severe Bonoid delusions... this is real moaning-minnie music, the kind which allows no imaginative input whatsoever on the part of the listener." [17] The Santa Cruz Sentinel called the songs "models of rock composition." [18]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Waiting for the Redbird" 
2."You're Gonna Miss It (When It's Gone)" 
3."Stay with Me (Death on the Dole)" 
4."Come Out Fighting" 
5."America" 
6."Hope and Glory" 
7."Say Yes" 
8."This Country" 
9."Sweatshop" 

References

  1. ↑ Gittins, Ian (8 April 1989). "Albums: Red Heat". Melody Maker. Vol. 65, no. 14. p. 34.
  2. ↑ "Easterhouse Biography by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Rock Tracks 1981-2008. Record Research. p. 81.
  4. ↑ Robbins, Ira A., ed. (1991). The Trouser Press Record Guide (4th ed.). Collier Books. p. 212.
  5. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN   978-0-9517206-9-1.
  6. 1 2 Houston, Brant (30 March 1989). "Records". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 5.
  7. 1 2 Potter, Mitch (17 March 1989). "Easterhouse Waiting for the Redbird". Toronto Star. p. D17.
  8. ↑ Denselow, Robin (31 March 1989). "Rock/Pop". The Guardian. p. 24.
  9. ↑ Hodges, Hugh (2023). The Fascist Groove Thing: A History of Thatcher’s Britain in 21 Mixtapes. PM Press. p. 55.
  10. ↑ "Waiting for the Redbird Easterhouse". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  11. 1 2 Kot, Greg (15 June 1989). "Rave recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 17F.
  12. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography (2nd ed.). Canongate. p. 313.
  13. 1 2 Waller, Don (28 May 1989). "Easterhouse 'Waiting for the Redbird'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 82.
  14. 1 2 Erskine, Evelyn (21 April 1989). "Carrying on the crusade—but only with message". The Ottawa Citizen. p. B6.
  15. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 219.
  16. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of 80s Music (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 174.
  17. ↑ Gill, Andy (31 March 1989). "Easterhouse Waiting for the Redbird". The Independent. p. 23.
  18. ↑ Wagner, Paul (18 May 1989). "Records". Spotlight. Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 12.
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