Red House Painters – Songs For A Blue Guitar

 

Red House Painters – Songs For A Blue Guitar

By

Jesse E. Mullen

You’ve led a successful slowcore band for several years. You’ve released four critically acclaimed albums for one of England’s premier labels. And then your fifth album is rejected by your staunchest ally.

So was the story of Mark Kozelek in 1996. The Red House Painters singer/songwriter/guitarist had gained acclaim for his ability to distill highly personal narratives into epic-length songs. From the suicide note of “Medicine Bottle” to the highly biographical detail of “Michael,” Kozelek became noted as one of indie’s greatest lyricists.

Rarely since the mid-70s work of Bob Dylan had a songwriter so successfully stripped away all metaphor and left their soul on the page for all to see. But if Kozelek’s work showed a difficulty in his personal life, it was soon to spread over into his professional life.

When Kozelek went into the studio to record the fifth Red House Painters album, he did it without drummer Anthony Koutsos, guitarist Gordon Mack, and bassist Jerry Vessel. Kozelek instead opted to enlist the help of John Hiatt’s backing band. But this wasn’t the only issue.

While 4AD label boss Ivo Watts-Russell was previously infatuated with all of Kozelek’s work, here he wasn’t so sure. He felt that the lengthy guitar solos on two tracks, Kozelek’s “Make Like Paper” and a cover of Paul McCartney’s “Silly Love Songs” were too much to handle.

So, he gave Kozelek an ultimatum; either edit them down or find another label to release the album. Kozelek chose the latter. The album wound up on Island Records subsidiary Supreme Recordings which was run by coming-of-age filmmaker John Hughes.

The unedited album, Songs For A Blue Guitar was eventually released in July of 1996. But how did this music sound? Was Kozelek right to take it elsewhere? Or did Watts-Russell’s industry experience prove Kozelek wrong?

The album opens with one of Kozelek’s most emotionally naked pieces yet in “Have You Forgotten?” A strummed acoustic guitar and Kozelek’s warm voice introduce the track. The lyrics take the listener through childhood into adulthood, with Kozelek empathizing with the coldness of the grown-up world.

At first, it seems that Kozelek is addressing someone he knows. But as the track goes on, listeners begins to feel that he is addressing them himself. The effect is rather poignant and touching, and it’s a great way to start the album.

The semi-title track, “Song For A Blue Guitar” is equally enchanting. This time working with a full band including pedal steel guitar, the tune bears strong resemblance to Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You,” albeit in a slightly higher key.

Kozelek sings of a relationship that has fallen apart, asking “what’s left to see?” He’s joined in harmony by Stephanie Finch of Chuck Prophet’s band. Prophet was in a neighboring San Francisco studio when Kozelek was recording the album, and asked Prophet if he’d mind if he borrowed Finch for a few tracks.

Questionable methods aside, the two blend marvelously in harmony. Finch’s voice also appears on the shoegaze-y cover of The Cars’ “All Mixed Up,” to equally enchanting results. Whereas the original track had a woozy new wave synth, Kozelek straightens the arrangement out into something more adult contemporary.

When the chorus hits, the track fully gains traction. Fuzzed out guitars dominate the soundstage, and Finch’s vocals recall Bilinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine. Her presence elevates both songs to classic status. But what about the two most controversial tracks?

Both “Make Like Paper” and “Silly Love Songs” are heavily indebted to Neil Young and Crazy Horse. “Make Like Paper” recalls Youngs guitarwork on “Albuquerque” from Tonight’s The Night. Kozelek spins a tale about the end of a relationship set in the Mission District of San Francisco over course of 12 minutes.

It’s easy to see why Watts-Russell would be skeptical about such a track for commercial reasons. But in his case, the truth is far more complicated. Watts-Russell was a champion of artistic purity, but he also liked to maintain a degree of control over his artists.

He made his recording artists relinquish control over their album art so that in-house graphic artists could do the design. This wasn’t to make the works more commercially accessible. Rather, Watts-Russell wanted the albums released on his label to have a uniform look. And he wanted them to have a uniform sound as well.

So, when Kozelek unleashed the feedback-laiden monstrosity of “Make Like Paper” upon him, it’s easy to see why Watts-Russell was appalled. That isn’t to say that it isn’t an excellent track – it certainly is. It’s arguably one of Kozelek’s strongest compositions up to that point. But it’s also antithetical to the ethereal sound of 4AD.

Even more controversial is the cover of “Silly Love Songs.” Never considered one of McCartney’s strongest compositions, Kozelek radically retools it in the style of Neil Young’s “Cortez The Killer.” With a shredding, ear-piercing guitar solo intro, Kozelek’s voice doesn’t enter for several minutes. Again, while an excellent sounding track, it didn’t fit the mold that Watts-Russell was looking for. His loss.

But perhaps “Revelation Big Sur” is the strongest song of all. It also seems to be one of Kozelek’s most personal yet. Alone on an acoustic guitar, Kozelek pens a letter to an ex-lover. He says she’s “the reason that [he’s] down” but also “the promise that [he’s] found.”

He also says that she’s “the meanest” but also “a genius who’s [his].” It is this kind of duality that is the mark of a great songwriter. And Kozelek successfully nails the confusion around a relationship that has ceased to serve either party.

While a lost record deal has destroyed the best of bands, it has also served as an opportunity for a fresh start for others. The lengthy gestation period for Songs For A Blue Guitar may have been painful for Red House Painters, but it also allowed Mark Kozelek to deliver his magnum opus.

Supreme Recordings/1996