A Celebration. The 1980s was a fruitful time for Scottish bands. The tail end of the 1970s into the early 1980s saw the rise of innumerable post-punk bands like Josef K, Scars, The Associates, Fire Engines and Orange Juice created a scene spawning cult independent record labels Postcard Records. At the other end of the scale, worldwide mega-stardom was achieved by the likes of Simple Minds. There was certainly plenty to celebrate in the Scottish music scene.
Criminally Under-rated Classic
For me, one of the key releases and a memorable highlight happened in 1989. Following a string of underground quintessential singles. an album came along that to this day remains fixed in my mind as an all-time criminally under-rated classic that I still play regularly, remaining as one of the constants in the ever-rotating list of my favourite albums, alongside other classics like Psychocandy and London Calling.
That album was (and still is is!) Good Deeds and Dirty Rags, the debut album from Bathgate’s top musical export, Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. An album that (in my opinion) should have spawned at least 3 top ten singles. On the album’s release, the classic line-up was settled, the core of the band, Martin Metcalfe on lead vocals and guitar, Fin Wilson on bass and Derek Kelly on drums. A trio still together to this day at the heart of the darkly majestic sound of The Filthy Tongues. Lead guitars came from Scottish guitar legend, ex of The Exploited, Big John Duncan, with the line-up completed by the keyboards and honeyed backing vocals of Rona Scobie and Shirley Manson. One of whom I believe went on to world-wide domination with Garbage.
Imposing & Captivating
This album is deserving of a huge audience, far more than it got. I still speak to people today that haven’t had the pleasure. You mention Goodbye Mr MacKenzie and they immediately think, The Rattler, which they will say they loved, but that is as far as it got for them. The imposing tunes and captivating lyrics were a cut above many of their peers of the time. While many bands were going all out pop and others were going down that 80’s path of West of Scotland soul boy, Goodbye Mr MacKenzie were an altogether edgier proposition. Metcalfe has an instantly recognisable, commanding and deeply rich baritone brogue, helping the band achieve their characteristic sound. This was bolstered by the mellifluous tones of Manson & Scobie on backing vocals, an effective foil to Martin’s strong lead.
Left of Centre
Perhaps the band were slightly too left of centre, maybe making them less accessible than other Scottish bands of the time such as Wet Wet Wet, Hue and Cry and Deacon Blue. Maybe these bands had more record company backing. Whatever the reason, from a personal perspective, Goodbye Mr Mackenzie were much more thought-provoking, they had/have a much greater and longer lasting appeal taking their lead from well-documented influences such as The Stooges, Bowie, Lou Reed & the more avant-garde like Scott Walker & Jacques Brel, along the way covering bands like Shop Assistants in their live sets. For me, the band managed to combine goth, glam and punk along with elements of the unconventional to a fiercely compelling effect.
Good Deeds – a celebration
Like much of the Mackenzie’s catalogue, the subject matter of the songs on the album come from a variety of influences, many with a bleak background, tales steeped in nefarious roots. Covering topics like the impact of drugs and alcoholism, witch trials and misplaced religion, the advent of AIDS in Edinburgh, the death of a model, I’ll stop there before I depress or put you off if you have never listened. You see, while that may be the case and the subject matter isn’t always cheery, the music is endlessly stirring and evocative, galvanising you and somehow perpetually indicating a glimmer of hope.
Open Your Arms
The rousing energy of Open Your Arms is a natural opener, for want of a better word, encapsulating all that the MacKenzies are about both lyrically and musically. If you have been living under a rock and have never experienced it before, now is as good a time as any to Open Your Arms and celebrate the music of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie.
Vocal harmonies are part of the band’s sound on the album, the chorus of the formidable Wake it Up displays these with bucket loads of verve and passion over a muscular beat and punchy guitars. Keyboards come to the fore along with a vigorous bassline on the bemoaning of a life controlled by alcohol that is His Masters Voice before the addition of vigorous guitar riffs. The powerfully compelling Goodwill City still grips me and is a perennial fan favourite, a song played by The Filthy Tongues to this day in their live sets. This is followed by perhaps one of the most affecting songs on the album, the deeply emotive and haunting Candlestick Park, evoking Metcalfe’s love of the likes of Scott Walker.
Hits in Waiting
The eponymous Goodbye Mr Mackenzie is another bona fide hit in waiting, the backbone is a juggernaut of a rhythm with thunderous drums adding vocal and guitar flourishes to delight. Of course, the rousing anthem that is “The Rattler” was the bands sole top 40 “hit”, reaching number 37 in the charts (on re-release having previously reached number 8 in the “indie charts” of the time). A total and utter travesty. The song should have been a world-wide smash. The record label not having invested enough time and energy into promoting the band despite them having been forced to change the controversial line to “eating them, cheating them” to become more radio friendly, all to no avail. I will forever see this song as a number one that never was.
Crunching guitars herald the arrival of Dust, another absorbing track that showcased the vocal talents of a pre-Garbage Shirley Manson in the chorus and in the outro calmly balancing out Metcalfe’s screaming histrionics. Urgent forceful guitars break up the initial avant-garde Walker/Cave influenced You Generous Thing You before the album reaches its climax in title track “Good Deeds”. A haunting gothic sound introducing the track building and increasing the energy and rage before reaching a dramatic and vociferous climax, the closing lyrics increasing in intensity and venom, also giving the Filthy Tongues name to the current incarnation of the bands core.
In the port of Amsterdam…
An intensely brilliant album that should be in everyone’s collection. I still remember clearly queuing up in Our Price in the Sauchiehall Centre to buy the album and have it signed by the band, at the same time having a great discussion about why Face to Face wasn’t on it. I’m glad I was of a time and an age to have experienced the band the first time around, and I’m stoked to be able to revisit these songs in a live environment again. As I write this one of my key memories of seeing Goodbye Mr MacKenzie live is flooding back to me, it was at a Christmas show in the Pavilion (alongside Love & Money, Wyoming and The Merry Mac Fun Co) and the standout moment was Martin’s performance of Brel’s Amsterdam, falling to his knees, the build up of passion and energy was palpable and I believe I watched it slack-jawed in complete awe.
The Return
I and many others very much look forward to seeing the band play again. The excitement piqued with the announcement this week that Big John Duncan would be appearing alongside Martin, Fin, Kelly and Rona. No mean feat.
Alongside them the very talented Marie Claire Lee (Seil Lien) will take Shirley’s role on and additional guitars will be provided by The Rezillos Jim Brady. The Rezillos connection continues with The Countess of Fife herself supporting in Glasgow. Other audiences should be excited by the addition of Seil Lien and Run into the Night (who I have often bumped my gums about) at some of the other dates. An exciting prospect for all concerned. There is an additional element of poignancy for me to be seeing the band in the venue I last saw Goodbye Mr Mackenzie perform, playing one of their farewell shows, The Garage in Glasgow. Roll on May 22nd.