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Concrete Blonde is, without doubt, my favorite band. I guess they qualify as alternative rock. Anchored by Johnette Napolitano at lead vocals and bass and James Mankey at lead guitar(s), Concrete Blonde has a distinctive sound that is often deep, dark and moody.
I was lucky enough to get to see the Blonde when they visited Seattle. A friend and I caught them at a club called "Under the Rail", with The Oblivious (led by Holly Vincent) as the opening band. All in all, it was an awesome concert -- my friend and I managed to stake out a spot next to the stage. Unfortunately, the sound system and/or acoustics of the joint made it very difficult to make out the vocals. Plus, the audience had this strange desire to press towards the stage, making for a very cramped and physically brutal experience (a number of smaller women in the audience had to be hoisted over the protective barrier between the band and the mob, and led to safety). But, getting to see the Blonde live made it all worth it.
Concrete Blonde may have started as a band called, I think, Dream 6. Only one album was put out by Dream 6, as far as I know. Some of the music on that album was re-released in the Blonde's later albums. In addition to the albums listed below, a number of tracks from their self-titled album were also included in the soundtrack of the movie The Hidden, and the Blonde's rendition of "Everybody Knows" also appeared in the soundtrack of the movie Pump Up the Volume.
After "Mexican Moon", Johnette Napolitano ventured off to do some side projects. One paired her with Holly Vincent under the name of Vowel Movement. Later, Johnette teamed up with Marc Moreland and Danny Montgomery to form her current band, Pretty & Twisted. Each of these projects has, to date, resulted in a single, self-titled album.
After Pretty & Twisted released their album, Concrete Blonde (apparently) reformed and teamed up with Los Illegals to release their latest album ("Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals").
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Concrete Blonde Your Haunted Head Dance Along the Edge Still in Hollywood Song for Kim (She Said) Beware of Darkness Over Your Shoulder Little Sister Make Me Cry Cold Part of Town True (Instrumental) It'll Chew You Up & Spit You Out (CD Only) |
As Concrete Blonde's earliest album, this has much more of a LA garage-band flavor to it than their later albums. This is apparent in songs like "Still in Hollywood" which was featured on the soundtrack of the cult movie The Hidden (as was "Your Haunted Head"). Yet, the music and lyrics are still clearly "alternative" (as opposed to Top-40 or dance hits) and infused with the dark, moody, cynical sound that seems to be the Blonde's signature. My favorite songs on this album are "True" and "Dance Along the Edge". |
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Free Run Run Run It's Only Money Help Me Sun Roses Grow Scene of a Perfect Crime Happy Birthday Little Conversations Carry Me Away |
Free, like the Blonde's self-titled album, stays close to mainstream rock, or more so than their later albums, anyway. But, as is true with all of their albums, the lyrics remain anything but mainstream. Johnette Napolitano is also credited with the artwork used on the album covers. My favorite songs off this album are "God is a Bullet" and "Scene of a Perfect Crime", although I'm also fond of "Sun". |
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Bloodletting The Sky is a Poisonous Garden Caroline Darkening of the Light I Don't Need a Hero Days and Days The Beast Lullaby Joey Tomorrow, Wendy |
Bloodletting was the Blonde's first introduction to mainstream society, I believe, with their hit "Joey" (which received a lot of airtime on radio stations and whose video was shown on MTV). Certainly, this was my first exposure to them. Bloodletting, in my opinion, is also the point when Concrete Blonde's sound became smoother, more "mature" and refined. The music moved away from the youthful, harsh and biting riffs of the first two albums to a more hauntingly melodic sound. Bloodletting, in particular, has a very gothic feel to it. Not surprisingly, a number of songs from this album have been used in the soundtracks of various vampire movies (including Blood and Donuts). Although I enjoy the entire album, my favorite tracks are "The Beast", "Lullaby", "Joey" and "Tomorrow, Wendy". |
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Walking in London Walking in London Les Coeurs Jumeaux Woman to Woman Why Don't You See Me City Screaming Someday? I Wanna Be Your Friend Again Long Time Ago It's a Man's World |
I have to admit that, of the Blonde's full albums, this is the one I like the least. That's not to say that there aren't any good songs on it -- there are. I guess this is really a testament to how good the other albums are. The only song from Walking in London that I've heard on the radio was "Someday?", but I like "Why don't you see me?" better, which is one of my favorites among all of their songs. "It's a Man's World" is also a good cover of the James Brown hit. |
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Mexican Moon Mexican Moon Heal It Up Jonestown Rain I Call it Love Jesus Forgive Me (for the Things I'm about to Say) When You Smile Close to Home One of My Kind End of the Line (Love is a) Blind Ambition Bajo la Lune Mexicana |
This album was one that grew on me: the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. The only mainstream hit off of it was "Heal It Up", which, coincidentally, is one of the simpler songs on the album. Much better, in my opinion, are "Jesus Forgive Me" and "(Love is a) Blind Ambition". "Rain" is also one of the songs that was released by the band when they were known as Dream 6. A great song in its own right, I'm glad they re-released it. |
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Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals Viva la Vida La Llorona Echoes Despierta Another Hundred Years of Solitude Maria Elena (Letter from L.A.) Ode to Rosa Lopex Xich vs. The Migra Zombies Deportee |
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Caroline (Single) Roses Grow [live] Tomorrow, Wendy [live] The Sky is a Poisonous Garden [live] Little Wing |
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Walking in London (Single) God is a Bullet [live] Free 100 Games of Solitaire |
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Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man (Single) Bloodletting (the Vampire Song) [extended version] Everybody Knows The Ship Song |
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Mexican Moon (Single) Bajo la Luna Mexicana Mandocello Castles Made of Sand Shout |
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Still in Hollywood (Anthology) Everybody Knows Free God is a Bullet [live] Probably Will Mandocello The Ship Song Joey [acoustic] Little Wing Roses Grow [live] The Sky is a Poisonous Garden [live] Bloodletting (the Vampire Song) [extended version] Simple Twist of Fate Side of the Road 100 Games of Solitaire Tomorrow, Wendy [live] |
This album collects many of the alternate or live versions of Concrete Blonde's hits as well as covers they did of other songs. In particular, "Everybody Knows" is a great version which was featured on the soundtrack of the movie Pump Up the Volume. |
| A good site with lots of info about the Blonde. | |
| The lyric database of the Concrete Blonde Website. Worth mentioning as most of the Concrete Blonde albums do not come with lyric sheets. I make no claims as to the accuracy of these lyrics, though. | |
| Rock Out Censorship's list of Concrete Blonde links. | |
| Warner Bros' official (?) Pretty & Twisted homepage. |
Last Updated: 12/18/98 |
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