Mexican Moon Explained

Mexican Moon
Type:	Album
Artist:	Concrete Blonde
Cover:	Concrete Blonde Mexican Moon 1993 album cover.jpg
Released:	October 19, 1993
Genre:	Alternative rock, gothic rock
Length:	62:28
Label:	IRS Records (later reissued by Capitol Records)
Producer:	Concrete Blonde with Sean Freehill
Prev Title:	Walking in London
Prev Year:	1992
Next Title:	Still in Hollywood
Next Year:	1994

Mexican Moon is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band Concrete Blonde.^{[1] [2]}

Mexican Moon takes the gothic rock of the previous albums and adds more of a hard rock edge to it. Johnette Napolitano provided the vocals, bass guitar, samples, and the album artwork. Paul Thompson played drums and James Mankey played guitar.

"Jenny I Read" details the rise to stardom and subsequent fall into happy obscurity of a fashion model (rumoured to be Bettie Page), while "Mexican Moon" finds Napolitano singing about a failed romance and fleeing into Mexico. The song "Jonestown" is a critique of the theology surrounding the Jonestown Massacre and opens with a minute-long sample of Jim Jones ranting about warfare. "End of the Line" is a Roxy Music song, written by Bryan Ferry and released on Siren.

On the closing track, "Bajo la Lune Mexicana," Napolitano (who does not speak Spanish) wrote the Spanish lyrics, which are a literal translation of the lyrics to the album's title track. However, none of the verbs are conjugated, noun gender is ignored, and correct grammar is non-existent; it doesn't detract from the overall translation from Spanish to English.

Critical reception

People wrote that "even in its quieter moments, Mexican Moon seethes with emotion."^[3] Trouser Press wrote: "Napolitano — who is still a mighty bad singer and doesn’t seem to know it — gives her headstrong, knicker-twisting all to the effort, and very nearly gets by on sheer gumption."^[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Johnette Napolitano, except where noted.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Mexican Moon CD album booklet.^[5]

Concrete Blonde

• Johnette Napolitano – vocals (all tracks), guitars (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7–8, 12), bass (tracks 1, 3–4, 7–8), keyboards (track 12), percussion (tracks 6–7, 9, 11), electric guitar (tracks 2, 13), piano (track 9)
• James Mankey – guitars (tracks 1, 4–12), bass (tracks 2, 5-6, 9–11, 13), guitar synthesizer (tracks 6–7, 11), vocals (track 9), Spanish guitar (tracks 2, 13), acoustic guitar (tracks 2, 13), additional voices (track 4)
• Paul Thompson – drums (tracks 3–9, 11–12), timpani (tracks 3, 5), percussion (tracks 6–7)

Additional musicians

• Harry Rushakoff – drums (tracks 1–2, 10, 13)
• Andy Prieboy – additional voices (track 4), additional piano (track 9), piano (track 12)
• Jeff Trott – additional voices (track 4)
• Texacala Jones – vocals (track 10)

Production

• Concrete Blonde – producer
• Sean Freehill – producer, recording, additional drum programming
• Alex Gordon, Robert Fayer – recording assistance
• Earle Mankey – additional recording
• Robert Read – additional recording assistance
• Tim Palmer – mixing
• Mark O'Donoghue, Jamie Seyberth – assistant mixers
• Ted Jensen – mastering

Other

• Johnette Napolitano – paintings, photographs
• Stephen Stickler – band photograph
• Brigid Pearson – cover design, assemblage

External links

• Concrete Blonde (official website)

Notes and References

1. Book: Buckley, Peter. The Rough Guide to Rock. June 15, 2003. Rough Guides. 9781843531050. Google Books.
2. Web site: Concrete Blonde. Troy J.. Augusto. March 8, 1994.
3. Web site: Picks and Pans Review: Mexican Moon. PEOPLE.com.
4. Web site: Concrete Blonde.
5. Mexican Moon . . 1993 . US CD album liner notes . . CDP 0777 7 81129 2 1.
6. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia. pdf. 65.