"Well I'm going to the house on the hill, the place where they give you pills."
Marjory Razorblade is Coyne's masterpiece- mind you, a huge, sprawling, disheveled mess of a masterpiece. Songs such as "Eastbourne Ladies," "Marlene," and "House on the Hill" are unforgettable due to their mixture of scathing social satire, beautiful imagery and lovely acoustic-based arrangements, and Coyne mixes in a few bluesy rockers for good measure. However, as with his previous album Case History, it is Coyne's singular voice that breathes life into these character sketches. Much like Bob Dylan, Coyne's voice will be considered technically flawed by many, but also like Dylan, his voice is all-the-more revelatory for being so. It is a voice emanating from of the margins, warts and all.
Marjory Razorblade (2004 Remastered Edition)
1. Marjory Razorblade (1:45)
2. Marlene (2:43)
3. Talking to No-One (2:31)
4. Eastbourne Ladies (5:57)
5. Old Soldier (3:53)
6. I Want My Crown (4:20)
7. Nasty (5:05)
8. Lonesome Valley (2:57)
9. House on the Hill (4:53)
10. Cheat Me (3:45)
11. Jackie and Edna (4:05)
12. Everybody Says (4:24)
13. Mummy (4:10)
14. Heaven in My View (3:16)
15. Karate King (3:18)
16. Dog Latin (4:55)
17. This Is Spain (2:10)
18. Chairman's Ball (3:14)
19. Good Boy (2:41)
20. Chicken Wing (4:23)
-Bonus Tracks-
21. Lovesick Fool (2:20)
22. Sea of Love (3:06)
Great post!
ReplyDeleteR.I.P kevin Coyne. House on the hill has to be one of my all time favorite songs!
ReplyDeleteyes, that and "Eastbourne Ladies" are on my list of favorites too.
ReplyDeleteNo one laid his heart on the line more than Kevin Coyne.
ReplyDeleteHi anonymous, well put! There is no one like KC
ReplyDeleteBitter-sweet, sad-funny, brilliant artist (who his very own genre in my mp3 collection - "Lugubrious") but I always felt he was never going to make old bones. Karate King cracks me up every time. Cheers Kevin, where-ever you are!
ReplyDelete