The Raincoats: Discography 1979 - 1983

 

All-female British band whose D.I.Y. approach and experimental sound defied categorization, influencing everything from indie rock to twee pop. The Raincoats are a British punk band formed

in 1977. They were founded by Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) while the two were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Other prominent members have included Vicky Aspinall (violin, vocals, keyboards), Palmolive (drums), and Richard Dudanski (drums). Signed to the label Rough Trade, the band released three albums in their early incarnation: The Raincoats (1979), Odyshape (1981), and Moving (1984). They reformed in 1993 and released the album Looking in the Shadows in 1996. 
                                      

One of the more unusual bands to rise from the British punk explosion of the 1970s, the Raincoats were post-punk before punk's first act had fully played out; they had little interest in the speed or

velocity of the Clash or the Sex Pistols, instead embracing a more open and dynamic approach which incorporated purposefully chaotic arrangements that made the members' lack of instrumental experience a virtue rather than a drawback. They also occasionally employed acoustic instruments (particularly violin) as well as percussion that showed influences of reggae and world music, and sang lyrics that dealt with feminism and personal politics in a direct yet non-dogmatic manner. 
                                     

On 21 November 1979, Rough Trade released the band's self-titled debut album. Palmolive had left the band in September, shortly before The Raincoats came out, and teenager Ingrid Weiss joined the

band on drums. The Raincoats' second album, Odyshape, was released in 1981 and featured Weiss as well as drumming contributions from Dudanski, Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine), and Charles Hayward (This Heat). The Raincoats employed a diverse selection of cheap second-hand instruments such as the balophone, kalimba and gamelan on Odyshape, and the album incorporated British folk, dub basslines, polyrhythmic percussion and elements of free jazz among other world music influences. Its eclectic mix of musical genres has been described as one of the "great lost moments of women-in-rock".
                            

In 1994, Birch and de Silva assembled a new version of the Raincoats and recorded an EP, Extended

Play, which appeared on Smells Like Records (a label founded by Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley), and they followed with a full-length album, 1996's Looking in the Shadows, which was released by DGC in America and Rough Trade in Europe.
                   

 

                                                   

STUDIO ALBUMS 1979 - 1984
                                       

The Raincoats (1979, Rough Trade) – No. 5
Odyshape (1981, Rough Trade) – No. 5
Moving (1984, Rough Trade) – No. 5

01.  THE RAINCOATS - THE RAINCOATS 1979

                            

Picking the "best" Raincoats is more an intellectual exercise than it is a work of thoughtful criticism. So,

to make it easy for the benighted, all three studio releases are absolutely essential. Their live cassette is wonderful, but not the ideal entry point. Better yet, start with their debut, a soaring, daring, avant-garde-influenced folk-punk record. Don't let the words "avant-garde" scare you off; the Raincoats are not harsh or unapproachable. In fact, this music, even at its most dissonant, is stunning and captivating. There's a great cover of the Kinks' "Lola" that's so skewed and obtuse, Ray Davies probably never dreamed it could sound this way. Reissued by Geffen on CD with extra tracks in 1995. 

                                    

The Raincoats – The Raincoats
Label: Rough Trade – R3022
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: UK
Released :1993
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave

TRAXS

                                  

01. Fairytale In The Supermarket    2:55
02. No Side To Fall In    1:46
03. Adventures Close To Home    1:52
04. Off Duty Trip    3:14
05. Black And White   2:28
Saxophone – Lora Logic    
06. Lola   4:01
Lyrics By, Music By – Ray Davies    
07. The Void   3:51
Lyrics By – Ross Crighton, The Raincoats    
08. Life On The Line    4:21
09. You're A Million    3:38
10. In Love   3:11
Lyrics By [From A Poem] – Jacques Prévert
Lyrics By [Translated And Adapted] – The Raincoats    
11. No Looking    3:16

LINE - UP

                            

Vocals, Bass – Gina Birch
Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards – Ana Da Silva
Vocals, Violin, Guitar – Vicky Aspinall
Drums – Palmolive

NOTES

This 1st CD edition includes one track (track #1) from the 7" 'Fairytale In The Supermarket' not included in the original LP released on Rough Trade Records in 1979.

Flac Size: 216 MB

02.  THE RAINCOATS - ODYSHAPE 1981

                           

It was the late Kurt Cobain (with some help from labelmates Sonic Youth) who initiated Geffen's reissue of the Raincoats' catalog. And listening to Odyshape, it's easy to see why Cobain loved them

so. There's an emotional directness about these songs that hooks you from the start. Mostly you hear about emotions and situations, sometimes indirectly, almost as if you are eavesdropping on a conversation. Then it hits you: it's almost like you're talking to old friends. That's the way the Raincoats' music works: it's deceptively simple, but extremely complicated. Also, as on this record, it makes demands of the listener. But songs like "Red Shoes" and "Dancing in My Head" say this far more eloquently. 
                                     

The Raincoats – Odyshape
Label: DGC – DGCD-24623
Format: CD, Album, Reissue Mar 1, 1994
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Post-Punk, Experimental
 
TRAXS

                             

01. Shouting Out Loud   4:54
Bass – Gina
Drums – Ingrid Weiss
Guitar [Guitars] – Ana, Vicky
Violin, Backing Vocals [Backing Vocal] – Vicky
Vocals [Vocal], Shruti Box [Scruti Box] – Ana
02. Family Treet   4:12
Bass [Bowed Bass] – Gina
Drum [Hand Drum], Claves – Ana
Drums – Charles Hayward
Vocals [Vocal], Violin, Piano – Vicky    
03. Only Loved At Night   3:32
Bass – Vicky
Guitar – Gina
Kalimba, Vocals [Vocal], Acoustic Guitar – Ana
Percussion – Ana, Charles Hayward    
04. Dancing In My Head   5:26
Bass – Ana
Cello – Georgie Born
Piano – Vicky
Shanai – Kadir Durvesh
Timpani [Timpanis], Percussion [Skulls], Claves, Balafon [Balaphon] – Richard Dudanski
Vocals [Vocal] – Gina    
05. Odyshape   3:37
Bass – Ana
Drums – Ingrid
Guitar [Guitars] – Gina, Vicky
Vocals [Vocal] – Gina
Voice [Unison Voices] – Ana, Gina, Vicky    
06. And Then It's O.K.   3:05
Balafon [Balaphon], Bass, Voice [Spoken Voice] – Gina
Drums – Robert Wyatt
Finger Cymbals [Finger Cymbal] – Ingrid
Guitar [Guitars] – Ana, Vicky
Words By – Caroline Scott    
07. Baby Song   4:54
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Vicky
Bass, Vocals [Vocal] – Gina
Drums, Percussion – Charles Hayward
Ektare – Dick O'Dell
Voice [Other Voices] – Ana, Gina, Vicky    
08. Red Shoes   2:51
Guitar, Bass, Vocals [Vocal], Percussion, Harmonica – Ana
Violin – Vicky    
09. Go Away   2:23
Bass – Gina
Drums – Charles Hayward
Guitar, Vocals [Vocal] – Ana
Violin – Vicky
Voice [Other Voices] – Ana, Gina
    

LINE - UP

                               

Gina Birch - Bass, Vocals
Ana Da Silva - Guitar, Vocals
Vicky Aspinall - Violin

NOTES

Reissue of LP originally released on Rough Trade Records in 1981.
Recorded at Bob's Berry St. Studio between 1980-81 "over a period of weeks."

Flac Size: 216 MB

03.  THE RAINCOATS - MOVING 1984

                         

What a wonderful cacophony of sounds! The Raincoats' last record (until their reunion EP of 1996) is a triumph of excitement and intensity equaling that of their previous studio work. Some of these songs are

from the live tape and are in sharper (and I'd say better) form here. Yet another important record by one of the most important bands of the post-punk era. Reissued by Geffen with extra tracks in 1995. When preparing the album for reissue in 1994, the group's core members elected to remove one song written by Vicki Aspinall, 'Honey Mad Woman', and two written and sung by drummer Richard Dudanski, 'Avidoso' and 'Dreaming in the Past'. The album was reissued in 1993 by Geffen Records, inspired by Kurt Cobain's public praise for the group.
                                           

The Raincoats – Moving
Label: Rough Trade – R3062
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1994
Country: UK
Released: 1984
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave

TRAXS

                        

01. No One's Little Girl    4:28
02. Ooh Ooh La La La    3:06
03. Dance Of Hopping Mad    5:31
04. Balloon    4:34
05. Mouth Of A Story    3:13
06. I Saw A Hill    3:02
07. Overheard    4:29
08. Rainstorm    4:30
09. The Body    3:33
10. Animal Rhapsody    4:29

LINE - UP

                       

Vicky Aspinall - vocals, organ, bass, piano, violin
Gina Birch - vocals, bass, guitar, vibraphone
Ana da Silva - vocals, guitar, percussion

WITH

Harry Beckett - trumpet, flugelhorn
Richard Dudanski - percussion, drums, balafon
Michael McEvoy - synthesiser bass on "Animal Rhapsody", horn arrangements
Paddy O'Connell - bass, tenor saxophone, penny whistle
Derek Goddard - percussion, bongos, conga, drums
Roger Freeman - percussion
Chris "C.P." Lee - trumpet
Mgotse Mothie - double bass

Flac Size: 270 MB