Any love here for McCarthy?

Malcolm Eden, Tim Gane and John Williamson met at Barking Abbey Comprehensive School. Gane was originally a drummer, but was initially taught to play guitar by Eden, who also taught Williamson to play bass. Eden and Gane were fans of punk groups such as the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Buzzcocks, and they covered their songs in small gigs as teenagers. Baker joined in 1984, and with the new line-up deciding on the name McCarthy (a reference to American politician Joe McCarthy), they released a self-financed first single, "In Purgatory" in 1985. The band were signed by the Pink Label, releasing two further singles "Red Sleeping Beauty" and "Frans Hals". The band had a track included on the NME C86 album ("Celestial City").

If I were to list ten favourite alt-rock / post-punk bands, McCarthy would be in it and that's no mean feat for a band formed out of Essex schoolmates who would stay together only five years.

That half a decade spawned three studio LP's but also a good collection of singles. There's also the obvious link with Stereolab, another passion entirely, through Tim and Laetitia Sadler.



Tommy Gunnarsson for Penny Black Music wrote:

One of the first interviews that I did for Pennyblackmusic, back in 2001, was with McCarthy's singer and lyricist Malcolm Eden. I tracked him down via a French chess website, and the interview we did was the first he had done since the demise of his band back in 1990. A year or so later, I managed to get hold of their guitarist, Tim Gane, now leader of the more successful band Stereolab, and did an interview with him about his first real band. Now I have had the opportunity to talk to another member of this fantastic, left-wing indiepop group, bassist John Williamson.

According to most music guides, McCarthy formed in Barking, Essex in 1984 (but John will tell us that's not the case a little later on), and consisted of Eden, Gane and Williamson, with Gary Baker behind the drum kit. They released their first self-financed single, ’In Purgatory’ in 1985, and quickly signed to the new Pink label, who released their next two singles, the now-classic ’Red Sleeping Beauty’ and indie chart hit ’Frans Hal’.

Before the band split up in 1990, they released three albums , ’I Am a Wallet’ (September Records, 1987), ’The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth’ (Midnight Music, 1989) and ’Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today’ (Midnight Music, 1990), and several other singles and EPs.

Even though they didn't make much of an impact while still together, their legacy lives on, and they have influenced many bands later on, such as for example the Manic Street Preachers (who have covered three of their songs, ’We Are All Bourgeois Now’, ’Charles Windsor’ and ’Red Sleeping Beauty’).

The Cherry Red label re-released all the albums on CD in the late 1990s, alongside a compilation, ’That's All Very Well... But’, with singles and radio sessions. With the band's inclusion on the ’NME C86’ box set, I'm sure they will find even more new fans around the world.

John Peel was quite a fan and like a lot of people I've him to thank for exposure to bands like McCarthy and The Fall.

With a day free today, I'll be airing the albums again, hence the thread and question, any love for McCarthy here?

 

Yes. I can't say I necessarily agree with their point of view on everything but I liked their jangly style with many punchy pop tunes. I have all three of the LPs and CDs (all in both formats) plus the compilation That's All Very Well But ... I also have a number of vinyl EPs.

I think the last LP is the best; it sounds like McCarthy crossed with Stereolab (who I'm not really a fan of, but it didn't matter here). The first LP has over a dozen clean guitar pop tunes; the second, The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth, has by far the best title but is easily the weakest, with sprawling songs that don't seem to go anywhere.

Edit: I suppose I should list a few favourite songs -

The Well-fed Point of View
Write to Your MP Today
This Nelson Rockefeller
God Made the Virus
The Vision of Peregrine Worsthorne
The Procession of Popular Capitalism

As usual, it's the music I listen to far more than the lyrics ...

 

I got a reply - thanks!

Although I was surprised to find that ENRAGED was sandwiched between WALLET and VIOLENCE.

I think ENRAGED is by far their best album.

The opener BOY MEETS GIRL, SO WHAT - I can hear Poptones in there somewhere - is sublime and GOVERNING TAKES BRAINS, KEEP AN OPEN MIND OR ELSE and WHAT OUR BOYS ARE FIGHTING FOR are standouts.

"The Frogs dealt with Kevin it seems, while he was having a piss - but we'll have our revenge" hints at the idiocy of football violence.

Sure, I'm not bothered by the political vent or the lyrics, fantastic tunes - the climax to Charles Windsor is like 20 seconds of jangle-pop heaven!

 

They influenced the Manic Street Preachers

I have a vinyl of The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth. I haven’t listened to it yet, but I’ll make sure to give it a spin over the weekend.

 

I would have liked to contribute too but all I know about McCarthy is that they have been on C-86 and that it's Tim Gane's Pre-'Lab band! Never heard any album.

 

Please do. I noticed that on YouTube also, the Manics were covering a McCarthy song or two!

 

“Enraged” is the one with programmed drums, no? Not so keen on that one. A fine, distinctive band. I probably listen to them more than Stereolab these days.

 

I first read the title as “Any love here for McCartney?“ and figured it was the first post by a new and clueless member.

 

I bought all their stuff at the time of release but haven't listened to them in a while

 

I'm more or less in the same boat - I knew who McCarthy were, but haven't knowingly heard more than a couple of their songs, one of them of course being the c86 track. Oddly enough, I'm more familiar with Tim Gane's previous noise electronics project Unkommunity.

 

Not sure but it is certainly more lavish in production, not as raw or as energetic as Wallet. I can see why some might say Baking, Violence was a return to form as with songs like Write To Your MP Today and A Child Soon In Chains would have blended in nicely if they were on Wallet.

 

I am a clueless member coincidentally- just not new.

 

DISC ONE:

1. PRIMAL SCREAM – Velocity Girl
2. THE MIGHTY LEMON DROPS – Happy Head
3. THE SOUP DRAGONS – Pleasantly Surprised
4. THE WOLFHOUNDS – Feeling So Strange Again *
5. THE BODINES – Therese
6. MIGHTY MIGHTY – Law
7. STUMP – Buffalo *
8. BOGSHED – Run To The Temple *
9. A WITNESS – Sharpened Sticks
10.THE PASTELS – Breaking Lines *
11.AGE OF CHANCE – From Now On, This Will Be Your God *
12.SHOP ASSISTANTS – It’s Up to You *
13.CLOSE LOBSTERS – Firestation Towers *
14.MIAOW – Sport Most Royal
15.HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT – I Hate Nerys Hughes (From The Heart)
16.THE SERVANTS – Transparent
17.MacKENZIES – Big Jim (There’s No Pubs In Heaven) *
18.BIG FLAME – New Way (Quick Wash And Brush Up With Liberation Theology) *
19.WE’VE GOT A FUZZBOX AND WE’RE GONNA USE IT – Console Me *
20.McCARTHY – Celestial City *



21.THE SHRUBS – Bullfighter’s Bones *
22.THE WEDDING PRESENT – This Boy Can Wait (A Bit Longer!)

DISC TWO:

1. THE JUNE BRIDES – Just The Same
2. YEAH YEAH NOH – Another Side To Mrs Quill
3. THE PRIMITIVES – Lazy
4. JESSE GARON & THE DESPERADOES – Splashing Along
5. THE BAND OF HOLY JOY – Rosemary Smith
6. THE McTELLS – Virginia M.C. *
7. B.M.X. BANDITS – E102
8. ONE THOUSAND VIOLINS – Like One Thousand Violins
9. THE DENTISTS – Peppermint Dreams
10.THE MEMBRANES – Everything’s Brilliant
11.THE WEATHER PROPHETS – Worm In My Brain
12.THE BRILLIANT CORNERS – Meet Me On Tuesdays
13.TALULAH GOSH – I Told You So
14.PIGBROS – Hedonist Hat
15.14 ICED BEARS – Inside
16.ST. CHRISTOPHER – Go Ahead, Cry *
17.THE GROOVE FARM – Captain Fantastic (Demo)
18.KILGORE TROUT – The Peacock Nose *
19.THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – Inside Me
20.THE HIT PARADE – You Didn’t Love Me Then
21.THAT PETROL EMOTION – Mine
22.THE TURNCOATS – One Breath *
23.A RIOT OF COLOUR – Skink (Flexi Version) *
24.PAUL GROOVY & THE POP ART EXPERIENCE – Tune In, Turn On, Trip Out **
25. THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – Darkness And Colour

DISC THREE:

1. THE CHESTERF!ELDS – Sweet Revenge
2. THE JASMINE MINKS – World’s No Place
3. STITCHED-BACK FOOT AIRMAN – Why *
4. RAZORCUTS – Sad Kaleidoscope
5. TREEBOUND STORY – I Remember *
6. THE NIGHTINGALES – Part Time Moral England
7. EPISODE FOUR – Strike Up Matches
8. THE AVONS – Everything’s Going Right *
9. MEAT WHIPLASH – Don’t Slip Up
10.KING OF THE SLUMS – Spider Psychiatry *
11.HAPPY MONDAYS – Freaky Dancin’
12.BIFF BANG POW! – Love’s Going Out Of Fashion
13.BLUE AEROPLANES – Outback Jazz
14.LAWRENCE & THE COMFORTABLE SOCIETY – Heartache *
15.LAUGH – Take Your Time, Yeah (Flexi Version) *
16.NORTH OF CORNWALLIS – Billy Liar **
17.POP WILL EAT ITSELF – Mesmerized
18.BENNY PROFANE – Hang Fire *
19.GO! SERVICE – Real Life
20.JANITORS – Good To Be The King *
21.THE CLAIM – Gullible’s Travels
22.THE AUCTIONEERS – Scoop **
23.NOSEFLUTES – Perfect Cockney Hard-On *
24.THE LOVE ACT – Hep Clothes **
25.THE ENORMOUS ROOM – I Don’t Need You *

Such great bands on this. I had it in mind to do a related thread entitled C30 C60 C86 GO! with a nod to Bow Wow Wow.

 

Haven't listened to anything in a long while, but I am a big Tim Gane and Stereolab fan, so maybe I'll dust some off

 

I have a C86 LP on vinyl. Definitely not three volumes, because if I had heard Like One Thousand Violins by One Thousand Violins I would have sat up and taken note. Fortunately I discovered that track on another compilation the first week of 1987 or so ...

 

Giving them a whirl tonight. Still all the love is there. Fantastic melodies, distinctive sound. A very private love.

@John54 I love that OTV track too.

 

I love Paul McCarthy!