Saturday, March 12, 2011

Folk-Punk: Malcolm's Interview - Breakfast in Bedlam


Some people consider much of punk rock just cruder, less-developed heavy metal but to me a lot of the best punk sounds like amped-up, sped-up, riled-up folk music.

Before they changed their name to,
God's Little Monkeys (more here), Malcolm's Interview were an eighties English band driven by the rebellious aggression of both aged folk music and post-punk rock.




Malcom's Interview sole album, 1987' Breakfast in Bedlam, sees the band employ the ancient shanty,"Blow the Man Down, the (then) modern Billy Bragg anthem "It Says Here" and a volley of their own skiffle-speed creations, like "A Hundred Years".





Y'know COMMENTS are so appreciated here, not just for ego gratification or even as impetus to post more of the same (i.e. MRML would gladly post the 2nd God's Little Monkeys album, if there is sufficient commentary) but also because by adding your stories, your links, your evaluations (or even simply your gracious thanks) you make this blog so much more then it is with just me yammering to a cold, dark universe.


Speaking, at great length, of comments, that is the section wherein you will find the Breakfast in Bedlam link.

(New link for missing track is further down in the comments)

Go check out singer/guitarist Jon Townsend's YouTube Channel

Thanks to grey-rainbow for the fantastic rip and scans

12 comments:

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    COMMENTS?


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    YES. COMMENTS!




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    http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?75wfr7fe1gd84au

    ReplyDelete
  2. www.feartosleep.blogspot.com
    www.pseepsee.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. hola jeffen
    darte las gracias por este pedazo de disco que buscaba hace aƱos
    solo un pero la cancion numero 4 no funciona
    saludos from spain
    karlos...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Never heard of this band so I may check it out but I believe the Billy Bragg anthem is "Which Side Are You On?" which he played during the miner's strike of the mid-80s. Must be a mistake on the cover pressing.

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  5. Thank you for uploading this album - I asked for it on The God's Little Monkeys thread, and here it is!

    Track 4 seems to be missing. This is the (original?) version of "Sea Never Dry", which they later re-recorded on the God's Little Monkeys album, and I had it on a tape (!) years ago. (probably recorded off the Andy Kershaw programme - am I really that old?...)

    I thing the band's name came from a TV ad for Vick's Nasal Spray. Balcolm (sic) had an important interview, but was nasally congested - Vicks cleared it up in no time. Innocent days.

    Thanks again,

    Joe.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anon
    What are these links?

    Karlos
    I'm guessing you mean track 4 is non-functional...
    (see below)

    A beautiful
    "It Says Here" is a a song written by Billy Bragg, "Which Side Are You On" is an old American union song that Billy adopted.
    Thanks for the words, though.

    Joe
    Thanks for the extra info and her is the link for track 4

    http://www.mediafire.com/?41ui1uu3efybnsu

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  7. thanks jeffen
    fantastic blog at work

    karlos

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  8. Remember the name but not the band. Looking forward to this. Your work is always appreciated

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  9. Sorry about this, but track 4 is still not there. It seems to be an empty file. Hope you can post it.

    It's a very good album, well worth downloading. Please keep up the good work.

    Joe.

    ReplyDelete
  10. "Pound A Week Rise", written by the brilliant Ed Pickford of Sunderland, is one of the greatest British coal mining songs. I like the up tempo version done by Malcolm's Interview. Ed recently posted it on his YouTube site.
    As for "Which Side Are You On?", it was written by Florence Reece of Harlan County, Kentucky, in 1931 during the bloody unionization "mine wars" in eastern Kentucky. It is the most famous labor anthem in the world. Billy Bragg changed the words to fit the '85-'85 British miners strike, as many others have done to fit their particular labor struggle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. While I'm very familiar with Reece's original (via Pete Seeger), I did not know anything about Ed Pickford, so thanks for the info.

      Delete

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