The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen

The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen is the debut album by the Mekons, released in 1979. The title is a play on the line "The quality of mercy is not strained," spoken by Portia in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice.

The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen
Studio album by
The Mekons
Released1979 (1979)
LabelVirgin
The Mekons chronology
The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen
(1979)		 The Mekons
(1980)

Music and lyrics

The music of the Mekons' debut is aggressively primitive. Most of the songs are built on one or two chords, and each is "propelled by Jon Langford's herky-jerky, somewhat arrhythmic drumming".[1]

The lyrics are all highly political in nature and, like those of their friends in Gang of Four, decidedly far left, but with "a more literary approach".[1]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Trouser Pressunfavourable[3]

Trouser Press wrote that the album "suffers from the screamed vocals, which obscure both the music and the left-wing lyrics: minimalism is one thing, but rank amateurism another."[3]

Track listing

Side A

  • 1. Like Spoons No More (2:05)
  • 2. Join Us In The Countryside (2:05)
  • 3. Rosanne (2:34)
  • 4. Trevira Trousers (4:05)
  • 5. After 6 (4:53)
  • 6. What Are We Going To Do Tonight (1:48)

Side B

  • 7. What (2:08)
  • 8. Watch The Film (3:18)
  • 9. Beetroot (4:12)
  • 10. I Saw You Dance (2:17)
  • 11. Lonely And Wet (5:03)
  • 12. Dan Dare (2:32)

A CD reissue in 1990 included six more tracks, drawn from singles released in 1979 and 1980:[3][2]

  • 13. Teeth (3:27)
  • 14. Guardian (4:15)
  • 15. Kill (4:40)
  • 16. Stay Cool (4:02)
  • 17. Work All Week (3:16)
  • 18. Unknown Wrecks (3:14)
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References
  1. Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (2005). Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed. New York: Routledge. The Mekons: The Quality of Mercy is not Strnen/OOOH!. ISBN 9781135879211.
  2. Dougan, John. "The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen – The Mekons | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  3. Flashner, Graham; Robbins, Ira; Stenger, Wif; Kot, Greg. "Mekons". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
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