Sunday 10 September 2023

Melvins – "A Tribute To Roxy Music" (Amphetamine Reptile Records – Scale 141) 2013


Jello Biafra joins in on the fun reinterpreting Roxy's classic "In Every Dream Home a Heartache",which is a love song to a sex doll from what I can make out.
Alas, Jello changes the transition hook from "She Blew My Mind" to,inexplicably, "I Blew Up Your Body"? Thus removing any irony from the picture.
However, Jello does a fine Brian Ferry impression for the first half, before the characteristic Biafra warble cuts in for the the rocking part.
A classic experimental glam tune that, again is safe in anyone's hands.
Seems that Buzzo had a perchant for British Glam,unlike most of America,save Davie Bowie.Roxy Music never broke through in the USA until the reformed 80's Armani suited version of the band,sans Eno.
Amusingly Brian Ferry came from the same town as Venom (Newcastle upon Tyne).....i'm guessing that Venom never went to Art School,like The Jam,but Brian certainly did,as did the majority of Roxy (I'm guessing NOT the drummer?).The phenomenon of Art Rock begins here,and was the group most name dropped by the ensuing UK Punk Rock initiators.
 
Tracklist:

A. In Every Dream Home a Heartache

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Roxy drummer (PaulThompson) later ended up in the Angelic Upstarts (!!!!!!!!!) so I think we can safely say he was not an art school alumni... or should that be alumnus. Oh I don't know!

SJB

Jonny Zchivago said...

You mean Mensi didn't go to Durham University and get his nick name because he spelt Mensa wrong on his application?
New Info for me Paul Thompson in the Angelic Upstarts.....must have been a very late reformed vesion.
Ah, another band fro Newcastle i over looked in my generalised slaggings.

Anonymous said...

Accompanying B-side for this 7" was unfortunately lost due to some lawsuit threats. It was rendition of Brian's own "Can't let go" where all LA references in the lyrics were replaced with striptease joints' pointers and Jerry Hall's name was used excessively, as Brian originally intended.