CD Odyssey Disc 197: Concrete Blonde

Today’s album is one of the oldest discs I own. I’ve had it for twenty years, and it has seen me through a lot of memories along the way.

Disc 197 is...Bloodletting
Artist: Concrete Blonde

Year of Release: 1990

What’s Up With The Cover?: A gothic cover for a gothic record. One white bloodstained rose, amidst a group of more traditional red ones.

How I Came To Know It: I first heard Concrete Blonde when I saw the video for "God Is a Bullet", a song off their previous album. I went to buy something by them, and couldn't find the record with "God Is A Bullet", so I bought "Bloodletting" which at the time was their new release.

How It Stacks Up: I have three Concrete Blonde albums (I used to have their 4th, "Mexican Moon" but I sold it years ago). "Bloodletting" is certainly safe from that fate - it is by far my favourite.

Rating: 4 stars.

I've had this record for so long, and heard it so many times, it is hard to be objective about how I feel about it. Put shortly, I love it, and I still enjoy hearing it, even if it is for the thousandth time.

The record is heavy on the vampire imagery, but it is more than simply a collection of theme music. It has a deep and yearning heart that isn't just about a single image, even one as iconic and complex as the vampire (yeah, I like the vampire myth - if you know me, you know this).

The lyrics are haunting and they hold a sadness that you feel is founded in resigned experience, rather than simply youthful angst. This is exemplified in "I Don't Need a Hero":

"You always said I was a liar
But we burn like a house on fire
No matter what, you know that to be true
And everything you gave to me
Changed everything I used to be
Much more than anyone I ever knew.

"And I don't need a hero
I don't need a soldier
I did when I was younger
But now that I'm older"

These lyrics, like the entire record, come alive with the world-weary siren call that is Johnette Napolitano's voice. She sounds otherworldly and old before her time. Her personality is a force of nature - when she sings softly she is a seductress; when she sings hard, she is a rock goddess. Whichever side of her personality is showing, there is always a part of her that makes you a little nervous to approach. There is a danger in her, but it is a beautiful danger, so you sidle up close anyway.

This album is rich in memory - good, bad and simply evocative. It has been a staple on gaming nights for years, in the car and when I'm painting miniatures. I remember marvelling at how much I enjoyed it, turned up loud when no one was in the house.

I remember the joy in 1992 at seeing my new room-mate, Greg, also owned it (I knew I liked him). I remember that even at the height of overplay, I would still seek out a girl for a slowdance when "Joey" came on at the dance club.

As you'll no doubt remember, "Joey" was a huge pop radio hit in the day that was grossly overplayed. For a while after that, I couldn't listen to it and always skipped it on the disc. Years later I find it has been rehabilitated. It'll never be my favourite song on the album, but I can again appreciate it for the modern classic it is. Also, for a creepy song about addiction, it makes for a pretty good slowdance.

I also will always remember the shame of overhearing my Mom crying in the kitchen as I thoughtlessly played "Tomorrow, Wendy" on a summer home from university. At the time my Aunt Wendy was dying of cancer, and the song's chorus is "hey hey, goodbye/tomorrow Wendy is going to die." I had heard the song so many times it didn't register, but it was Mom's first listen. Talk about being clueless. Sorry, Mom.

The only thing I would change about this record is that I would produce it differently. It is recorded very low, and the sound has a fuzzy indistinct quality. It would benefit from a clearer more direct rock sound, instead of the eighties pop sensibilities that it has brought forward from the last decade. Still this is a minor quibble on a record that is packed with great music that is both catchy, and makes you think.

Also, it has vampires. I like vampires.

Best tracks: Bloodletting, Darkening of the Light, Days and Days, The Beast, Lullaby, Tomorrow Wendy