''High Land, Hard Rain'' is the debut album by

jangle pop Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song " Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the g ...

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. Formed in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: ''High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Knife'' ...

, released in 1983. Three tracks from the album originally appeared on the '' Oblivious'' EP, which reached number 18 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

when re-released in November 1983. The album itself reached number 22 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 ...

Recording and content

The majority of the album was recorded at the ICC Studios 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. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

. The album included two early songs by

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 ...

, "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 "Down the Dip" was inspired by a local

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

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

Aztec Camera's debut album, ''High Land, Hard Rain'', was produced by John Brand and Bernie Clarke for the Rough Trade record label. The album was released in April 1983 and was distributed in different formats on Domino Recording Co. Ltd. in the US (in addition to Sire), WEA and Celluloid in France, Nuevos Medios, 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, and peaked at number 129 on the ''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.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals, guitar, harmonica *Bernie Clarke – piano, organ *Campbell Owens – bass *Dave Ruffy – drums, percussion

References

External links

Domino's page on 30th Anniversary Edition of ''High Land, Hard Rain''
1983 debut albums Aztec Camera albums Sire Records albums {{newwave-album-stub