''Hanky Panky'' is the fifth studio album by English band

The The () are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer-songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles ...

, released on 14 February 1995. It consists of cover versions of country singer

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

' songs. It reached No. 28 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. Matt Johnson intended ''Hanky Panky'' to be the first of many albums he would record covering the work of iconic musicians. Johnson provided the liner notes to ''Alone and Forsaken'', a compilation of Williams demos that was also released in 1995.

Production

Johnson originally planned to record an EP, and then a standard tribute album, with many musicians interpreting songs, before settling on an album of covers. Eric Schermerhorn played guitar on the album. Some songs contain only voice and

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

. The band was more interested in retaining the meaning of the songs rather than producing musical copies of them. "

Your Cheatin' Heart "Your Cheatin' Heart" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952. It is regarded as one of country's most important standards. Williams was inspired to write the song while driving with his fiancé ...

" was performed in a rockabilly style.

Critical reception

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'' wrote that "Johnson internalizes Williams' '50s despair and coughs it up as modernist melancholy." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' called the album "a tour de force tribute," writing that it "might have sunk to self-conscious gimmickry in less perceptive hands, but Johnson makes it work beautifully." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' stated that it "drones with the overmiked rasp, sometime monotonous echo, and bluesy guitars that are The The's trademark." ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' determined that, "mostly, ''Hanky Panky'' demonstrates a misapprehension of Williams's art, the greatness of which lies, in part, in his ability to disguise darkness and loneliness in redemptively light settings." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' noted that "gloomy rock replaces the original relaxed melodies, and Johnson's baritone evokes only one colour from Hank's mixed palette of emotions." The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'' concluded that "as has happened with the blues and rock in the '60s, it's taken a Brit to unearth the spirit, the soul, the songs of Hank Williams."

Track listing

''All tracks by Hank Williams; arrangements/re-arrangements by Matt Johnson and D. C. Collard'' #" Honky Tonkin'" #"Six More Miles" #"My Heart Would Know" #"If You'll Be A Baby To Me" #"I'm A Long Gone Daddy" #"Weary Blues From Waitin'" #" I Saw the Light" #"

" #"I Can't Get You Off of my Mind" #"

There's a Tear in My Beer "There's a Tear in My Beer" is a country song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and later re-recorded by his son in 1988. Original version The original version was written and recorded by Hank Williams during one of his Nashville sessions i ...

" #"I Can't Escape from You"

Personnel

* Matt Johnson - vocals, guitar, bass *

Eric Schermerhorn Eric Schermerhorn is an American guitarist and composer. He played with Iggy Pop on the ''American Caesar'' and ''Naughty Little Doggie'' albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine ''It's My Life Tour'' (as background vocalist and guitarist), an ...

- electric & slide guitar *

Gail Ann Dorsey Gail Ann Dorsey (born November 20, 1962) is an American musician. With a long career as a session musician mainly on bass guitar, she is perhaps best known for her lengthy residency in David Bowie's band, from 1995 to Bowie's death in 2016. Asid ...

- bass * Reverend Brian McLeod - drums *Gentleman Jim Fitting - harmonica *D.C. Collard - treated melodica, arrangements

References

{{Authority control The The albums 1995 albums Hank Williams tribute albums 550 Music albums Epic Records albums