The Raincoats (album)


The Raincoats is the debut studio album by English rock band the Raincoats. It was released on 21 November 1979 on Rough Trade Records. The album is perhaps best known for its off-kilter cover of "Lola" by the Kinks. The album's seventh track, "The Void", was covered by Hole in 1994.
In May 2010, the band performed the album in its entirety in London.

Background

In 1979, three of the four members were living in squats – Vicky Aspinall in Brixton, Gina Birch in Monmouth Road, Bayswater, where the band frequently rehearsed. The squatting culture informed the lifestyle and music of the band with an onus on improvisation and DIY. "Life on the Line" had the original lyrics penned by the original guitarist, Ross Crighton, about a suicide at Ladbroke Grove underground station.

Release

The Raincoats was re-released by Rough Trade in 1993 on CD, with liner notes by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The album was again re-released on 9 November 2009 on vinyl on We ThRee in the UK and on the Kill Rock Stars label in the U.S. This edition included a free mp3 download and an extra track, "Fairytale in the Supermarket", as well as a special edition bonus CD, including live footage from 1978 and 1979 and a video of "Fairytale in the Supermarket".

Critical reception

praised the album, writing, "This music, even at its most dissonant, is stunning and captivating".
Kurt Cobain listed it at No. 20 in his top 50 albums of all time.

Track listing

All songs written by the Raincoats, except where noted.
; Side A
  1. "No Side to Fall In" – 1:50
  2. "Adventures Close to Home" – 1:54
  3. "Off Duty Trip" – 3:16
  4. "Black and White" – 2:29
  5. "Lola" – 4:04
; Side B
  1. "The Void" – 3:52
  2. "Life on the Line" – 4:23
  3. "You're a Million" – 3:54
  4. "In Love" – 3:06
  5. "No Looking" – 3:06
"Fairytale in the Supermarket" - 3:01, the Raincoats' first single, was included as an opening track on all reissues of the album since 1993.

Personnel

The Raincoats:
with:
Technical credits: