''Circus Maximus'' is the debut album by Scottish musician

Momus Momus (; Ancient Greek: Μῶμος ''Momos'') in Greek mythology was the personification of satire and mockery, two stories about whom figure among Aesop's Fables. During the Renaissance, several literary works used him as a mouthpiece for their ...

, released on 15 January 1986 on

Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...

. It deals primarily with

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

and

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

themes, making reference to figures such as

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

St. Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbonne, Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Roman Italy, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional beli ...

Lucretia According to Roman tradition, Lucretia ( /luːˈkriːʃə/ ''loo-KREE-shə'', Classical Latin: ʊˈkreːtɪ.a died c. 510 BC), anglicized as Lucrece, was a noblewoman in ancient Rome, whose rape by Sextus Tarquinius (Tarquin) and subseq ...

, and

Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...

. The title, ''Circus Maximus'', refers to the ancient Roman chariot racing and entertainment venue of the same name.

Background and influences

''The Guardian'' has characterised the lyrical content of ''Circus Maximus'' as a "skewed reading of certain classical and biblical themes," adding that "the urgent, whispering

omus ''Omus'' is a genus of tiger beetles, subfamily Cicindelinae Tiger beetles are a family of beetles, Cicindelidae, known for their aggressive predatory habits and running speed. The fastest known species of tiger beetle, '' Rivacindela hudsoni' ...

professes himself a masochistic St. Sebastian ('preferring the ache to the aspirin') and sings of 'The Rape of Lucretia' like a

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

who had not stopped at an enthusiasm for

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

but mined the whole decadent tradition: Pater,

Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as ''Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...

, Huysmans."

Track listing

All songs written by Nicholas Currie (Momus). #"Lucky Like St. Sebastian" - 3:19 #"The Lesson Of Sodom (According To Lot)" - 3:43 #"John The Baptist Jones" - 3:12 #"King Solomon's Song And Mine" - 3:17 #"Little Lord Obedience" - 5:13 #"The Day The Circus Came To Town" - 3:25 #"The Rape Of Lucretia" - 4:57 #"Paper Wraps Rock" - 3:58 #"Rules Of The Game Of Quoits" - 4:03

Personnel

*Backing Vocals – Jane Davies *Engineer – Noël Thomson *Producer – Momus *Synthesizer mulator 2– Neill Martin

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Circus Maximus 1986 debut albums Momus (musician) albums Song cycles Él Records albums Folk albums by Scottish artists