Bill Drummond is a Scottish Jack-of-all-trades, which means he's a writer, A&R at Warner Brothers Records, conceptional artist, record producer, manager & producer of Echo & the Bunnymen, and a member of KLF. Recently he is on a world tour where he will produce 25 paintings by the year 2025. Oh, and he also made a solo album, "The Man" in 1989.
For someone who has almost a DADA-like approach to art and business, making this album comes as a surprise. 12 extremely well-crafted and produced songs that have a country-leaning but something twisted-like in its performance. A strong Scottish accent, at times it reminds me of Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline," only that it is suspicious that such an out-there artist like Dylan would make a 'straight' country album in Nashville. With songs like "Julian Cope is Dead," one suspects a tongue deep in the cheek, but on the other hand, it is a gorgeous album. A trebly solid electric guitar and lovely steel guitar throughout the album make it both a toe-tapper as well as a profound listening experience.
The front and back of the album cover are so dull that one has to make it into an artistic statement of some sort. Still, the performance and the quality of the songs are remarkable. They can be looked at as some kind of 'art performance.' Still, I think in actuality, they are very straightforward works of beautiful melodies and, of course, being Drummond, understanding what makes a pop song work. For sure, an essential album to have in one's collection of crazed rock n' roll managers, such as Joe Meek and Malcolm McLaren (who one can make comparisons with Drummond). If you see this album in the bins, get it.
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