High Land, Hard Rain Explained

High Land, Hard Rain
Type:Album
Artist:Aztec Camera
Cover:High Land, Hard Rain.jpg
Released:April 1983
Recorded:September 1982–January 1983
Studio:ICC Studios, Eastbourne
Genre:
Length:36:44
Label:Rough Trade
Producer:John Brand, Bernie Clarke
Next Title:Knife
Next Year:1984

High Land, Hard Rain is the debut album by jangle pop band Aztec Camera, released in 1983. Three tracks from the album originally appeared on the Oblivious EP, which reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart when re-released in November 1983.[8] The album itself reached number 22 on the UK Albums Chart.[8]

Background and recording

Following the demise of the Forensics, vocalist and guitarist Roddy Frame formed Aztec Camera 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 at the Bungalow Bar in Paisley, Renfrewshire in December 1980; they were witnessed by Alan Horne of Postcard Records, 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. "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, before the role was permanently taken by Dave Ruffy of the Ruts. Keyboardist Bernie Clarke joined soon afterwards.[9]

Aztec Camera recorded their debut studio album at the International Christian Communication studio in Eastbourne in three weeks. Frame said they were "rush[ed], 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 [guitar] effects again. Acoustic sounded refreshing to me ..."[10] 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.[11] The single "Oblivious" was a conscious attempt to write a pop hit.[12] He intentionally borrowed the guitar part from "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale" (1967) by Love for it. Frame said "Pillar to Post" was purposely trying to emulate the work of the Clash and bands on the Tamla-Motown label.[10] "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 progressions.[13] It inspired by a local East Kilbride 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

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 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.[14] Writing for The New York Times in 1983, music critic Jon Pareles wrote that Aztec Camera "traffic in the sounds of folk-rock" and that "If not for the firmness of the rhythm section and the clever use of echoes, Aztec Camera's High Land, Hard Rain (Sire) might almost have been made 15 years ago."[6]

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."[15]

Personnel

References

Citations

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Roddy Frame to perform Aztec Camera's High Land, Hard Rain in full. 29 August 2013. The Guardian. 28 August 2013. Sean Michaels.
  2. Web site: The Herald. Top 10: Scotland's all-time favourite albums. 29 June 2018. 23 March 2023.
  3. Book: Scapelliti, Christopher. Gary . Graff . Daniel . Durchholz . 1998 . MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . Aztec Camera. . Detroit . 55-56.
  4. Web site: Beats Per Minute. For Your Health: Quarantine Listening. Joshua Pickard. 20 April 2020. 13 August 2023.
  5. Web site: NME. The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 300-201. Emily Barker. 24 October 2013. 23 March 2023.
  6. Web site: The New York Times. OLD AND NEW ACTS IGNITE A FOLK-ROCK COMEBACK. 18 September 1983. 4 May 2023. Jon Pareles.
  7. Web site: Far Out. From Joni Mitchell to The Fall: LYR's Simon Armitage prescribes 9 of his favourite albums. Jack Whatley. 24 June 2020. 23 March 2023.
  8. Book: Roberts, David . 2006 . British Hit Singles & Albums . 19th . Guinness World Records Limited . London . 1-904994-10-5 . 35.
  9. Thompson 2000, p. 164
  10. Bacon 1984, p. 17
  11. Davis, Hays Aztec Camera - Roddy Frame on 1983’s “High Land, Hard Rain” Under The Radar 9 April 2014
  12. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_X1-h8vWHpc Aztec Camera interview 1988
  13. Bacon 1984, p. 19
  14. Web site: Aztec Camera interview 1988 #1. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/_X1-h8vWHpc . 2021-12-21 . live. megumino2 on YouTube. Google, Inc. 29 May 2014. Video upload. 28 July 2009.
  15. Thompson 2000, p. 165