Category:Bands:Boyd Rice and Friends

Boyd Rice and Friends

 * https://www.discogs.com/artist/1273505-Boyd-Rice-And-Friends

Music, Martinis and Misanthropy is a mellow, neofolk and spoken word album that combines acoustic and electronic instrumentation with brutal, Social Darwinist lyrics and poetry. It was created by pioneer noise artist Boyd Rice and an assortment of dark folk all stars. Bob Ferbrache is the recording engineer.

It was recorded in Tokyo, Japan and Denver, Colorado between July 1989 and March 1990 for New European Recordings.

The lineup for this album was:


 * Boyd Rice-- vocals
 * Douglas P. of Death In June--Guitar, backing vocals
 * Tony Wakeford of Sol Invictus and --Bass Guitar
 * Rose McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade, Spell, and Sorrow--Guitar and backing vocals
 * Michael Moynihan of Blood Axis--drums
 * Bob Ferbrache--Piano, Surf Zither

This album is considered a classic, yet defies easy categorization. The music is lilting, hypnotic, and aesthetically quite pleasing to the ear. It features restructurings of works by The Carpenters, Rod McKuen, and Ragnar Redbeard, as well as original vitriolic and humanist pieces and misanthropic tunes by Rice. There is also a plaintive duet of sorts between Rice and McDowall (who would later record an album of suicide songs under the name of Spell) on the traditional murder ballad, "Down in the Willow Garden". A great deal of the music was arranged by Douglas P. in collaboration with Rice and Ferbrache.

This album was inspired by Rod McKuen's spoken word albums and Jackie Gleason's romantic recordings from the 1950s. The title and album cover are a tribute to Gleasons's album, Music, Martinis, and Memories. The liner notes thank Anton LaVey, Rod McKuen, Ragnar Redbeard, Lee Hazlewood, Pat Purdy, Richard and Karen C., The Everly Brothers' Father, Walt Disney, Artie De Gobineau and "Big" Jim Huberty.