High Land, Hard Rain
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''High Land, Hard Rain'' is the debut album by the
jangle pop Jangle pop is a Music subgenre, subgenre of pop rock and college rock that emphasizes jangle, jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop music, pop melodies. The "jangly" guitar sound is characterized by its clean, shimmering and Arpeggio, arpeggiated ...
band
Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: '' High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Kn ...
. It was released in February 1983 through
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
. It reached number 22 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
in April 1983.


Background and recording

Following the demise of the Forensics, vocalist and guitarist
Roddy Frame Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Do ...
formed
Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: '' High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Kn ...
in 1980 with bassist Alan Welsh and drummer Dave Mulholland. By the end of the year, Welsh was replaced by Campbell Owens. The band supported
the Rezillos The Rezillos are a punk and new wave band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1976. Although emerging at the same time as other bands in the punk rock movement, the Rezillos did not share the nihilism or social commentary of their contemporaries ...
at the Bungalow Bar in
Paisley, Renfrewshire Paisley ( ; ; ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River ...
, in December 1980; they were witnessed by Alan Horne of
Postcard Records Postcard Records is a Scottish, Glasgow-based independent record label founded by Alan Horne in 1979, as a vehicle for releases by Orange Juice and Josef K. The label's motto was "The Sound of Young Scotland", a parody/tribute to the Motown mot ...
, who signed them days afterwards. Preceded by press attention in '' Sounds'', "Just Like Gold" was released as a single, reaching number 10 in the
UK Independent Singles Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the re ...
. "Mattress of Wine" followed as the next single, reaching number eight on the same chart. A planned album for Postcard, titled ''Green Jacket Grey'', was scrapped, and around this time, Mulholland left the band. The band relocated to London and temporarily drafted in Blair Cunningham of
Haircut One Hundred Haircut One Hundred (also Haircut 100) are a British pop group formed in 1980 in Beckenham, London, by Nick Heyward, Les Nemes and Graham Jones. In 1981 and 1982, the band scored four UK top-10 singles: " Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" ...
, before the role was permanently taken by Dave Ruffy of
the Ruts The Ruts (later known as The Ruts D.C.) are an English reggae-influenced punk rock band, notable for the 1979 UK top 10 hit single " Babylon's Burning", and an earlier single "In a Rut", which was not a hit but was highly regarded and regular ...
. Keyboardist Bernie Clarke joined soon afterwards. Aztec Camera recorded their debut studio album at the International Christian Communication studio in
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
in three weeks. Frame said they were "rush d but that was good because sometimes you can hear a bit of pressure in the album." He mentioned that they doubled-tracked his Masano-branded acoustic guitar, which he acquired two months before the recording sessions. He used the "slightly percussive thing where you can hear the plectrum scraping each string", which became more percussive when they doubled-tracked it, "because the two guitars end up slightly out of time."


Composition

Frame said the album's acoustic sound was not intentional; he was using an acoustic guitar "trying to be contrary when everyone else was getting more into uitareffects again. Acoustic sounded refreshing to ''me'' ..."Bacon 1984, p. 17 The album included two early songs by Frame, "We Could Send Letters" written in 1979 and "Lost Outside the Tunnel" which was performed by Frame's pre-Aztec Camera band Neutral Blue. The single " Oblivious" was a conscious attempt to write a pop hit.Aztec Camera interview 1988
Youtube
He intentionally borrowed the guitar part from " Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale" (1967) by
Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
for it. Frame said "Pillar to Post" was purposely trying to emulate the work of
the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
and bands on the Tamla-Motown label. "Down the Dip" was the last track written for the album; Frame came up with it during a period where he was experimenting with chords, only to return to basic
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
s.Bacon 1984, p. 19 It is inspired by a local
East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...
pub located close to Duncanrig Secondary School, Roddy Frame's high school. Originally called "The Diplomat" ("The Dip" for short), it is now called Gardenhall Inn.


Release

''High Land, Hard Rain'' was released through
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
in February 1983. It was produced by John Brand and Bernie Clarke. The album was distributed on Domino Recording Co. Ltd. in the US (in addition to Sire), WEA and Celluloid in France, Nuevos Medios in Spain, Powderworks in Australia, MVM Records in Portugal, and WEA for a general European release.


Critical reception

The album was successful, garnering significant critical acclaim. It peaked at number 22 on the Albums Chart and at number 129 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. Frame later revealed that the song "Oblivious" was consciously written as a Top of the Pops-type pop song and received a corresponding degree of popularity. Writing for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in 1983, music critic
Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''. Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book ''Alternative Rock'' (2000) that the album was "haunting, hopeful, and howling. Pop this brittle should be treated like fine crystal."Thompson 2000, p. 165


Track listing


Personnel

*
Roddy Frame Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Do ...
– vocals, guitar, harmonica *Bernie Clarke – piano, organ *Campbell Owens – bass *Dave Ruffy – drums, percussion


References

Citations Sources * *


External links


Domino's page on 30th Anniversary Edition of ''High Land, Hard Rain''
{{Authority control 1983 debut albums Aztec Camera albums Rough Trade Records albums Sire Records albums