Tuesday 5 August 2014

The Mekons - Work All Week




I was going to move on to another band but it didn’t feel right not including the Mekons third single, "Work all week". Another classic which I have never stopped playing. This is on the best of album, but be prepared it is nothing like the original single. It’s still good, but the original is the best.



Band: The Mekons
Label: Virgin
Year: 1979
Name: Work All Week / Unknown Wrecks
Anyway enough about the Mekons, time to listen, ripped from glorious scratched vinyl to inferior mp3, Work all Week and Unknown Wrecks

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for that single - fantastic, I had not heard it.

You might be able to help me... In 1983 I recorded a fantastic Mekons track off the radio but lost it. I now have several Mekons CDs including one called Original Sin. This album contains a song entitled 'Country' (I believe it is also from the album Fear And Whiskey), but the version I am looking for is completely different, much slower with a light drum machine rhythm, bass, simple two-note piano melody and echoing vocals. Do you or any Mekons fans know what album that version is from so I can track it down ? I think the radio announcer introduced it as "One Country Dance", but I can't seem to find any mention of it on the internet other than the version called 'Country'.

The opening lyrics are as follows -
"We know that for many years there's been no country here
Nothing here but the war, and again and again we say
I'm not ready for this, I am not ready for this
Over and over and over, I'm really not ready at all".

Hope you can help, the upbeat rock version from Fear And Whiskey / Original Sin is great but would be marvellous to hear this elusive slow version again after all those years - the first thing I ever heard by them.

Anonymous said...

@ Chris: Try http://www.mybloop.com/di/eFLO2E/Mekons-The%20English%20Dance%20Master%20EP.rar

the version u are looking for is from the 1983 'The English Dancing Master' 12 inc 4 Tracker, named 'No Country Dance' there.
Enjoy!
Matt

Unknown said...

Thanks so much Matt, you have made me incredibly happy in findng that. Amazing to hear it again after all those years, and the original version of Last Dance too which I had not heard.
Cheers
Chris

Punkzer0 said...

Hey Chris thanks for requesting the search, I was looking for it for you (I had never hear of it) but Matt beat me to. So thanks to Matt as well for sharing it. I'm a big Mekons fan but was unaware of this track.

This is what I most love about this blog, the continual introduction to new music and everybody helping people to identify or find stuff.

So thanks to both of you.

Unknown said...

Thanks for looking too Gary, I really was overjoyed to find it - very moving and beautiful track. Another track on the EP called Parson's Farewell was great too. Read alot about them recently in the Simon Reynolds "Rip It Up.." book. Along with site's such as this, has really inspired me and a couple of mates to search out some of the gems and lesser known bands of that great era. Cheers.

Punkzer0 said...

Hi Chris, Ill have to read "Rip it up" sometime soon.

I still love finding new music, to the extent its nearly obsessive. I read the Clash's biography "Return of the last gang in town2 and read that they were influenced by a band called the Standells. Went straight out and bought a Standells album, and its outstanding. I love following links like that. I was planning on starting a second blog called links but still never found the time.

Unknown said...

Gary, yeah I know what you mean about obsessive, I get stuff any way I can - net, local import store, mail order. Rip It Up And Start Again deals with 'postpunk 1978-84' - everything from No Wave, Tribal, DIY, industrial, goth, hardcore, two-tone, synthpop. Clash book sounds great - will get my library to buy it.

Punkzer0 said...

Hi Chris, if I can buy it I buy it, but so much of this stuff is difficult to find.