The Edge of the World (The Mekons album)

Released1986

LabelSin

ProducerThe Mekons

The Edge of the World

Studio album by

the Mekons

Released

1986

Label

Sin

Producer

The Mekons

The Mekons chronology

Crime and Punishment
(1986)

The Edge of the World
(1986)

Slightly South of the Border
(1986)

The Edge of the World is an album by the British band the Mekons, released in 1986.^[1]^[2] The album is dedicated to Richard Manuel.^[3] The band supported the album with a North American tour.^[4]

The album was produced by the Mekons.^[5] Sally Timms and Rico Bell joined the band prior to the recording sessions.^[6]^[7] It contains cover versions of Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams" and Hank Williams's "Alone & Forsaken", which borrows music from the Velvet Underground's "The Black Angel's Death Song".^[8]^[9] "King Arthur" was inspired by the 1984 UK miners' strike.^[10] In "Big Zombie", the narrator turns to cat food, rather than alcohol, due to his alienation.^[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[12]
Robert Christgau	A−^[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[14]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	^[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[15]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	9/10^[16]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hello Cruel World"
2.	"Bastard"
3.	"Oblivion"
4.	"King Arthur"
5.	"Ugly Band"
6.	"Shanty"
7.	"Garage d'Or"
8.	"Big Zombie"
9.	"Sweet Dreams"
10.	"Dream Dream Dream"
11.	"Slightly South of the Border"
12.	"Alone & Forsaken"
13.	"The Letter"

References

↑ Tucker, Ken (24 Apr 1987). "The English band the Mekons...". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 22.
↑ Pareles, Jon (24 May 1987). "Country Music Is Roaming Far from Its Roots". The New York Times. p. A15.
↑ Cromelin, Richard (3 May 1987). "Lost Souls of Leeds". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 69.
↑ Sullivan, Jim (30 June 1986). "Mekons: Back to the country". The Boston Globe. p. 13.
1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 744.
↑ Kot, Greg (3 Nov 1991). "Curse of the Mekons". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 18.
↑ "The Mekons Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
↑ Morris, Chris (Aug 17, 1996). "Mekons: Versatile artisans of punkdom". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 33. p. 61.
↑ Langford, Jon (2006). Nashville Radio: Art, Words, and Music. Verse Chorus Verse. pp. 9–10.
↑ The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. 2003. p. 662.
↑ Friskics-Warren, Bill (2006). I'll Take You There: Pop Music and the Urge for Transcendence. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 178.
1 2 "The Edge of the World Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
↑ "Mekons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 690.
↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 466.
↑ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 248.
↑ "Mekons". Trouser Press. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
↑ Marcus, Greil (October 1986). "Speaker to Speaker: Can We Talk?". Artforum. p. 7.
↑ Griffin, John (8 Jan 1987). "The year pop pooped out". The Gazette. p. E1.

The Mekons

Albums

The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen (1979)
Fear and Whiskey (1985)
The Edge of the World (1986)
The Mekons Honky Tonkin' (1987)
So Good It Hurts (1988)
The Mekons Rock 'n Roll (1989)
The Curse of the Mekons (1991)
I Love Mekons (1993)
Retreat from Memphis (1994)
Me (1998)
Journey to the End of the Night (2000)
OOOH! (Out of Our Heads) (2002)
Punk Rock (2004)
Natural (2007)
Ancient & Modern 1911–2011 (2011)

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