FRICTION NYC

Trackback | The Raincoats

A friend of mine mentioned to me yesterday that he had just watched “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” over the weekend. I personally haven’t seen the 2005 documentary, but it’s something that needs to be added to my Netflix queue after hearing him talk about it. One of the things that he took from the film (aside from Johnston’s manic-depressive genius) was not about Johnston specifically, but actually in relation to Kurt Cobain. He went on to say that through Cobain, he had discovered a variety of music that he might not have ever heard if it wasn’t for the Nirvana frontman. Bands including The Meat Puppets, The Vaselines, Lead Belly, and many others he owes Cobain for his discovery.

If you haven’t seen the documentary or heard anyone else talk about it, you might be wondering how this all relates. During Nirvana’s height in the early 90s, Kurt Cobain continuously wore a T-shirt advertising Johnston’s homemade cassette, Hi, How Are You?, which eventually led to a record company executive visiting Johnston in the mental hospital and trying to sign him to a record deal. My friend didn’t necessarily discover Johnston through Cobain, but you get the point. Not only did Cobain have great taste in music, he also used his celebrity status to champion the bands he loved and thought deserved more attention.

Cobain was also a big fan of post-punk outfit, The Raincoats, dropping their name in the liner notes of Incesticide and later urging DGC to reissue The Raincoats three studio albums (The Raincoats, Odyshape, and Moving) in 1993 and 1994. While the band was still together and recording from 1978 until their split in 1984, they had teetered on mere obscurity, gaining a cult following in their native UK and a small following over here in the States. After the reissues and name dropping by Cobain, the band reunited in 1994 and toured the UK with Nirvana which was followed by a solo U.S. tour and later released the reunion album Looking In The Shadows in 1996.

Like The Slits and Kleenex, the all-female Raincoats formed in the wake of The Sex Pistols and Clash madness. Their scratchy, jittery, and unconventionally melodic self-titled debut was groundbreaking. “Their eccentric sound has lost none of its unique appeal and power. With lyrics that intelligently critique consumerism and patriarchy, The Raincoats opened a door and created new possibilities in punk (Alan McGee for The Guardian).” Although they were short-lived, the band was highly influential on the post-punk scene and following generations proving that it wasn’t just a boys’ game.

The original lineup of the Raincoats consisted of Gina Birch on bass, Ana Da Silva on guitar, Vicky Aspinall on second guitar/violin, and Palmolive (Paloma Romero) formerly of The Slits on drums. After The Raincoats Palmolive left the band and was replaced by drummer Ingrid Weiss. The four-piece went onto record two more solid albums that included Odyshape in 1981, and 1984’s Moving prior to splitting up.

Check out “Fairytale In The Supermarket” from their debut and another favorite from that record, their cover of The Kinks “Lola” below.

[MP3]: The Raincoats  ”Fairytale In The Supermarket”
The Raincoats, Rough Trade; 1979
[MP3]: The Raincoats  ”Lola (Kinks cover)”
The Raincoats, Rough Trade; 1979