Red Mecca

Red Mecca is the third studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in September 1981, through record label Rough Trade.

Red Mecca
Studio album by
Cabaret Voltaire
ReleasedSeptember 1981
RecordedMay 1981
StudioWestern Works, Sheffield, England
GenreIndustrial, post-punk
Length40:11
LabelRough Trade
ProducerCabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire chronology
The Voice of America
(1980)		 Red Mecca
(1981)		 2X45
(1982)

Background

In November 1979 Cabaret Voltaire toured the United States, and became strongly interested in the rise of the Christian right and its use of television, especially the fund-raising broadcasts of TV evangelist Eugene Scott. They compared this to the rise of Islamism, devoting a side to each strand of religious politics on their 1980 mini-album Three Mantras. Red Mecca was a culmination of this interest. According to Richard H. Kirk: "The whole Afghanistan situation was kicking off, Iran had the American hostages [...] we were taking notice [...] it's not called [Red Mecca] by coincidence. We weren't referencing the fucking Mecca Ballroom in Nottingham!"[1]

Red Mecca was recorded at Western Works, Sheffield in May 1981.

Release

Red Mecca reached No. 1 on the UK Independent chart.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Record Collector[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[6]
Uncut[7]

NME named the Red Mecca the ninth best album of 1981.[8] Andy Kellman of AllMusic retrospectively praised the album, writing, "Unlike a fair portion of CV's studio output, Red Mecca features no failed experiments or anything that could be merely cast off as 'interesting'. It's a taught [sic], dense, horrific slab lacking a lull."[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Cabaret Voltaire (Chris Watson, Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder).

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."A Touch of Evil"3:11
2."Sly Doubt"4:59
3."Landslide"2:08
4."A Thousand Ways"10:35
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Red Mask"6:54
2."Split Second Feeling"3:47
3."Black Mask"3:19
4."Spread the Virus"3:40
5."A Touch of Evil (Reprise)"1:32

Personnel
Cabaret Voltaire
Additional personnel
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References
  1. Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Faber and Faber. pp. 171–172.
  2. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red. p. 311.
  3. Kellman, Andy. "Red Mecca – Cabaret Voltaire". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  4. Shirley, Ian (September 2013). "Cabaret Voltaire – Red Mecca". Record Collector (418). Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  5. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Cabaret Voltaire". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 128–29. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  7. "Cabaret Voltaire: Red Mecca". Uncut (69): 92. February 2003.
  8. "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
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