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

While touring the United States in November 1979, Cabaret Voltaire 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 Albums chart.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
Record Collector[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[7]
Uncut[8]

NME named Red Mecca the ninth best album of 1981.[9]

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] Uncut cited Red Mecca as Cabaret Voltaire's "masterpiece", where the band "struck the perfect balance between experimentalism and entryism".[8] Record Collector's Ian Shirley called it "a seismic release" and noted "its timeless sheen, with the Cabs' use of echo, space and phasing lending depth and vibrancy to the album."[5] In 2019, Pitchfork ranked Red Mecca as the fourth best industrial album of all time.[10]

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

References
  1. Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Faber and Faber. pp. 171–72. ISBN 0571215696.
  2. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. p. 311. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
  3. Kellman, Andy. "Red Mecca – Cabaret Voltaire". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  4. Howe, Rupert (April–May 2002). "Cabaret Voltaire: (Various)". Blender. No. 6. Archived from the original on 10 February 2003. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  5. Shirley, Ian (September 2013). "Cabaret Voltaire – Red Mecca". Record Collector. No. 418. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. Sinker, Mark (1995). "Cabaret Voltaire". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 67–68. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  8. "Cabaret Voltaire: Red Mecca". Uncut. No. 69. February 2003. p. 92.
  9. "1981 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  10. "The 33 Best Industrial Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 17 June 2019. p. 3. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
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