Oedipus Schmoedipus
1996 studio album by Barry Adamson
| Oedipus Schmoedipus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Barry Adamson | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Studio | GT Eden; Worldwide Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Art rock[1] | |||
| Label | Mute[2] | |||
| Producer | Barry Adamson | |||
| Barry Adamson chronology | ||||
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Oedipus Schmoedipus is an album by the English musician Barry Adamson, released in 1996.[3][4] Like Adamson's previous albums, Oedipus Schmoedipus was conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film.[5] The album peaked at No. 51 on the UK Albums Chart.[6]
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" appears in the David Lynch film Lost Highway.[7]
Production
The album was produced by Adamson.[8] Nick Cave cowrote and contributed vocals to "The Sweetest Embrace", while Jarvis Cocker cowrote and sang on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis".[9][10] Billy Mackenzie sang on "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls".[11]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [8] |
| Muzik | [13] |
| NME | 7/10[14] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[15] |
NME called the album "too cool to be cringingly kitsch, too deep to be flaky."[14] Pitchfork stated that, "with 13 tracks that sound like they could take form and commit acts of homicide on their own, the former Bad Seed's creation is undeniably ... alive."[15]
The Guardian determined that "Adamson's psychogeographical soundtracks snag your head and won't let go: he's made a (bad) dream of a music that simulates mainstream accessibility but is drenched with the maker's own terrors, memories, fixations."[16] Rolling Stone thought that "Adamson can brilliantly—and without words—suggest entire movie scenes with dizzying combinations of dance beats, jazz phrases, finger-snapping big-band arrangements, luscious strings and even references to '60s French pop."[17]
AllMusic wrote that "Adamson's skill in layering and devising unusual sound textures still qualifies him as one of experimental rock's more imaginative composers and producers."[12] Dave Thompson referred to the album as a "supreme slab of disturbance-with-a-(bit of a)-beat."[18]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Barry Adamson, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis" | Adamson, Jarvis Cocker | 5:37 |
| 2. | "Something Wicked This Way Comes" | Adamson, Adrian Thaws, Andrew Vowles, Charles Blackwell, Grant Marshall, Harry Middlebrooks, Jacques Datin, Maurice Vidalin, Mike Shapiro, Robert Del Naja | 4:32 |
| 3. | "The Vibes Ain't Nothin' but the Vibes" | 4:48 | |
| 4. | "It's Business as Usual" | Adamson, Carla Bozulich, John Napier | 4:28 |
| 5. | "Miles" | Miles Davis | 5:26 |
| 6. | "Dirty Barry" | 7:25 | |
| 7. | "In a Moment of Clarity" | 4:12 | |
| 8. | "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls" | Adamson, Billy Mackenzie | 4:26 |
| 9. | "Vermillion Kisses" | 3:02 | |
| 10. | "The Big Bamboozle" | 3:33 | |
| 11. | "State of Contraction" | 1:37 | |
| 12. | "The Sweetest Embrace" | Adamson, Nick Cave | 4:46 |
| 13. | "Set the Controls Again" | 1:32 |
Personnel
- Barry Adamson - lead vocals
- Mark De Lane Lea, Ken Low - guitar
- Richard Hand - classical guitar
- Jarvis Cocker - vocals on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis"
- Billy Mackenzie - vocals on "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls"
- Nick Cave - vocals on "The Sweetest Embrace"
- Seamus Beaghen - Hammond organ, piano
- Pete Wyman - saxophone, clarinet
- Ileana Ruhemann - alto flute
- Carla Bozulich, John Napier - voice overs on "It's Business As Usual"
- Miranda Gooch - storyteller on "Vermillion Kisses"
- Beverley Skeete, Chantel Mapp, Roy Hamilton, Zeeteah Massiah - backing vocals
- Atticus Ross - programming and sounds on tracks 1-6
- Ivor Wimborne - additional programming
- Audrey Riley, Billy McGee - string arrangements
- Technical
- Kevin Petrie - recording
- Barry Adamson, Simon Henwood - sleeve concept
- Steve Gullick - cover photography, still from Philippe Garrel's Le Révélateur
References
- ^ Keylock, Miles (2016). "Barry Adamson - Oedipus Schmoedipus". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 784.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 51.
- ^ "Barry Adamson Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Unsworth, Cathi (27 July 1996). "Mummy's boy". Melody Maker. Vol. 73, no. 30. p. 47.
- ^ "Barry Adamson Oedipus Schmoedipus". Pop Albums. The Independent. 2 August 1996. p. 10.
- ^ "Barry Adamson Full Official Chart History". Official Charts.
- ^ Laderman, David; Westrup, Laurel (19 April 2014). Sampling Media. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-994931-1.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 8.
- ^ Dalziell, Tanya; Welberry, Karen (13 May 2016). Cultural Seeds: Essays on the Work of Nick Cave. Routledge. ISBN 9781317156253.
- ^ Sturdy, Mark (15 December 2009). Truth And Beauty: The Story of Pulp. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857121035.
- ^ "Memento Mori: The Strange World of... Barry Adamson". The Quietus.
- ^ a b "Oedipus Schmoedipus". AllMusic.
- ^ Bush, Calvin (September 1996). "Barry Adamson: Oedipus Schmoedipus" (PDF). Muzik. No. 16. p. 132. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Oedipus Schmoedipus – 27/7/1996". NME. 17 August 2000. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000.
- ^ a b "Barry Adamson: Oedipus Schmoedipus". Pitchfork. 16 August 2000. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000.
- ^ Pennman, Ian (26 July 1996). "Barry Adamson at the controls". The Guardian. p. T10.
- ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (31 October 1996). "Oedipus Schmoedipus". Rolling Stone. No. 746. p. 70.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (19 December 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306076.
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