Oedipus Schmoedipus
Studio album by
Barry Adamson
Released1996
StudioGT Eden; Worldwide Studios, London
GenreArt rock[1]
LabelMute[2]
ProducerBarry Adamson
Barry Adamson chronology
Soul Murder
(1992)		 Oedipus Schmoedipus
(1996)		 As Above, So Below
(1998)

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[8]
Muzik[13]
NME7/10[14]
Pitchfork8.1/10[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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis"Adamson, Jarvis Cocker5:37
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 Naja4:32
3."The Vibes Ain't Nothin' but the Vibes" 4:48
4."It's Business as Usual"Adamson, Carla Bozulich, John Napier4:28
5."Miles"Miles Davis5:26
6."Dirty Barry" 7:25
7."In a Moment of Clarity" 4:12
8."Achieved in the Valley of Dolls"Adamson, Billy Mackenzie4:26
9."Vermillion Kisses" 3:02
10."The Big Bamboozle" 3:33
11."State of Contraction" 1:37
12."The Sweetest Embrace"Adamson, Nick Cave4:46
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

  1. ↑ Keylock, Miles (2016). "Barry Adamson - Oedipus Schmoedipus". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 784.
  2. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 51.
  3. ↑ "Barry Adamson Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  4. ↑ Unsworth, Cathi (27 July 1996). "Mummy's boy". Melody Maker. 73 (30): 47.
  5. ↑ "Barry Adamson Oedipus Schmoedipus". The Independent. Pop Albums. 2 August 1996. p. 10.
  6. ↑ "BARRY ADAMSON | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  7. ↑ Laderman, David; Westrup, Laurel (19 April 2014). Sampling Media. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-994931-1 – via Google Books.
  8. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 8.
  9. ↑ Dalziell, Tanya; Welberry, Karen (13 May 2016). Cultural Seeds: Essays on the Work of Nick Cave. Routledge. ISBN 9781317156253 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Sturdy, Mark (15 December 2009). Truth And Beauty: The Story Of Pulp. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857121035 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ "The Quietus | Features | Strange World Of... | Memento Mori: The Strange World Of… Barry Adamson". The Quietus.
  12. 1 2 "Oedipus Schmoedipus - Barry Adamson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. 1 2 "NME.COM - BARRY ADAMSON - Oedipus Schmoedipus - 27/7/1996". 17 August 2000. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000.
  15. 1 2 "Barry Adamson: Oedipus Schmoedipus: Pitchfork Review". 16 August 2000. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000.
  16. ↑ Pennman, Ian (26 July 1996). "Barry Adamson at the controls". The Guardian. p. T10.
  17. ↑ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (31 October 1996). "Oedipus Schmoedipus". Rolling Stone. No. 746. p. 70.
  18. ↑ Thompson, Dave (19 December 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306076 – via Google Books.
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