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Red House Painters (also known as Rollercoaster to distinguish it from the second eponymous album, also known as Bridge) is the second album by the group Red House Painters, released in spring 1993 by 4AD. 8 remaining songs from the same recording sessions made up the band's second self-titled album, Bridge. The lengthy album gives voice to Mark Kozelek's haunted lyrics of pain, desolation and loss, while musically running the gamut from the folk-pop of "Grace Cathedral Park" and "Mistress" to the stark, affecting "New Jersey" and onto the lengthy, droning soundscapes of "Funhouse" and "Mother." The chorus of "Dragonflies" is based on a famous haiku by Chiyo-ni. The LP is considered by many fans as the pinnacle of the band's work, a point which Mark Kozelek acknowledges as he discusses the Rollercoaster album in the forward of the 2002 edition (and revised 2008 edition) of his lyrics book Nights of Passed Over:
| “ |
...I know the Rollercoaster album is many people's favorite. But for me, it is and will always be the most difficult to get through. I hadn't heard it in years, and though there are some beautiful things I had forgotten about -- a delicate piano in "Things Mean a Lot," the way the band brings life to "Brown Eyes" midway through, and the chorus of "Strawberry Hill," which was sung by a group of strangers we gathered from outside the Divisadero Street studio where we were recording -- what I remembered most, even when I look at the album's cover, is nine months of worry. |
” |
The album's artwork features a sepia-toned picture of the now-demolished roller coaster Thunderbolt at Coney Island. An original idea for the album's front cover artwork was a close-up, sepia-toned photo of a fish head.[1] The Rollercoaster album peaked at #63 upon its initial release on the UK Albums Chart in 1993.[2]
[edit] Track listing
| Writer(s) |
| 1. |
"Grace Cathedral Park" |
Kozelek |
3:52 |
| 2. |
"Down Through" |
Kozelek |
2:38 |
| 3. |
"Katy Song" |
Kozelek |
8:25 |
| 4. |
"Mistress" |
Kozelek |
4:05 |
| 5. |
"Things Mean a Lot" |
Kozelek |
3:24 |
| 6. |
"Funhouse" |
Kozelek |
9:18 |
| 7. |
"Take Me Out" |
Kozelek |
4:48 |
| 8. |
"Rollercoaster" |
Kozelek |
4:17 |
| 9. |
"New Jersey" |
Kozelek |
3:58 |
| 10. |
"Dragonflies" |
Kozelek, Robyn Riel-Nail |
3:58 |
| 11. |
"Mistress" (Piano Version) |
Kozelek |
4:33 |
| 12. |
"Mother" |
Kozelek |
13:06 |
| 13. |
"Strawberry Hill" |
Kozelek |
7:35 |
| 14. |
"Brown Eyes" |
Kozelek |
1:48 |
[edit] Release history
| Country |
Date |
Label |
Format |
Catalogue # |
| United Kingdom |
May 24, 1993 |
4AD |
CD |
DAD 3008 CD |
| Double LP |
DAD 3008 |
| July 6, 1998 |
CD (reissue) |
GAD 3008 CD |
| United States |
May 25, 1993 |
Warner Bros. Records |
CD |
9 45256-2 |
| November 2, 1999 |
4AD |
CD (reissue) |
GAD 3008 CD |
[edit] "Mistress" single
Although no commercial singles were ever released from the album, a promotional-only CD was issued for "Mistress" in the US in May 1993. The single features a different mix of "Mistress" as well as the piano version, along with the album version of "Grace Cathedral Park." While the sleeve lists "Strawberry Hill" as the album version, it is in fact an edit, which removes roughly 50 seconds of guitar noise in the beginning of the song.
WEA/4AD, PRO-CD-6108:
- "Mistress" (Remix) – 4:03
- "Grace Cathedral Park" – 3:51
- "Strawberry Hill" [Edit] – 6:44
- "Mistress" (Piano Version) – 4:31
[edit] Reviews
[edit] References
[edit] See also
