(repost from February 2013)

The often-unheralded Mekons must surely vie with the Fall as the most long-lived band from the post-punk era. They initiated Bob Last’s FAST (Human League, Gang of Four) label in 1977, with “Never Been in a Riot,” only interesting as a wanky art studentish riposte to the Clash’s “White Riot”: 

Then, on Virgin, they hit their stride with “Teeth,” to my mind one of the best of the early post-punk songs, part of a double 45 with an endearingly austere cover, never mind the goofy scribbles in the inner fold:

Their first album, also on Virgin, wasn’t very good, other than its cover:

A funny pun on the whole “Shakespeare monkeys” idea, and possibly self-commentary.

Their second album, cleverly named “The Mekons” (although later reissued as “Devils, Rats and Piggies, a Special Message from Godzilla,” which I’m not sure is an improvement) was much better.  This is the CD that made Unka Scott jealous because the boy behind the counter at the CD store commented on my good taste  🙂

Then they took a bit of down time, but there were sporadic releases, like “Fight the Cuts,” which seems to be missing a letter. Somewhere in this period they took a right turn at Albuquerque, and ended up doing/deconstructing English folk music, which resulted in the magnificence that is 1983’s “The English Dancing Master” EP. 

Here is the wonderfully shambolic track “(A Dancing Master Such As) Mr. Confess.”

Apparently unsatisfied, they then turned to country ‘n’ western, which has been a more-or-less constant in their careers since then.  These days they’re mostly known as an “alt-country” band, but keep in mind that that genre didn’t exist (at least not as a label) back in the day.

Here is “Trouble Down South,” one of the best tracks from 1985’s “Fear and Whiskey.”   Great title for an album…..seems more of a continuation of their experiments with folk music than country.

This is one of their lovelier songs, “Ghosts of American Astronauts.” 

“A flag flying in the vacuum
Nixon sucks a dry Martini
Ghosts of American astronauts
Stay with us in our dreams”

1989’s “The Mekons Rock ‘n’ Roll” is anything but.  This is the first track, “When Darkness Falls.”

In the last 20 years, they’ve become less interesting.  Some of their better releases since then have been EPs, namely “F.U.N. ’90” and especially “The Dream and Lie of the Mekons” (from “The Mekons Rock ‘n’ Roll”) (always interesting titles!)  

Also worth checking out are “I (Heart) Mekons” and “OOOH! (Out of Our Heads)”.  All of their latter-day albums have some gold in the dross.

From 2000’s “Journey to the Edge of Night,” this is rather pleasant:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPQG_6EoyPI

My Mekons DID is an odd 1989 release from Twin/Tone, “Original Sin.”

It includes all of “Fear and Whiskey,” along with selections from “The English Dancing Master,” “Crime and Punishment” and “Slightly South Of The Border.”  Sadly OOP  🙁

More than you ever wanted to know about The Mekons, including a rather frighteningly detailed discography, at http://www.mekons.de/ 

-R