Iconic Pop/Rock band Goodbye Mr MacKenzie reissues ‘Good Deeds & Dirty Rags’ LP

One of Scotland’s most iconic rock bands, Goodbye Mr MacKenzie will be re-reissuing their seminal album‘Good Deeds and Dirty Rags’. Inspired by the massive success of their 30-year anniversary tour, they are doing a vinyl and CD reissue of the album that started it all. The long-play has been remastered for both formats. The CD version will include 3 additional tracks from those early years, not previously included on the original edition.

The band’s keyline-up consisted of Martin Metcalfe on vocals, John Duncan on guitar (previously of The Exploited), Fin Wilson on bass guitar, Shirley Manson and Rona Scobie on keyboards and backing vocals, and Derek Kelly on drums.

“This re-issue of Good Deeds was as big a surprise to us as anyone. A quick decision to reform in January and it’s been a fairground ride touring ever since. Getting the rights to re-issue was protracted but now that it’s here we are really pleased. At gigs the fans have been bringing the house down, singing along with every word,” says Martin Metcalfe.

“Thirty years Is half a lifetime ago but we feel lyrically it’s still relevant. Two songs ‘Good Deeds’ and ‘Goodwill City’ end with rants based on the received (false) knowledge of the era and seem relevant with the current ‘fake news’ obsession. Other songs look at the then rise off the Christian right in the USA and how the media pay their bills by exploiting tragedy. All this stuff is still happening now. We live in scary times and the LP’s apocalyptic landscape seems to reflect that.”

‘Good Deeds and Dirty Rags’ was Goodbye Mr MacKenzie’s first album, released in 1989. It entered the UK charts at No.16 and the band quickly attracted a large, loyal support north of the border. Incredible live shows and singles like the top 40 hit ‘The Rattler’, in particular, further cemented a fond place in many hearts.

A colourful and varied career followed, involving releases of 2 more albums through major labels, further UK singles chart positions, working and recording with members of Talking Heads, and touring and playing with bands like Blondie, The Ramones, B.A.D., Afghan Whigs, Aztec Camera and the late great Vic Chesnutt, amongst others.

As The List noted in their 50 Greatest Scottish Bands feature, “The MacKenzies left behind the most complex and fascinating footprint of any Scottish band. Live they were stunning. Lead singer Martin Metcalfe looked like the MC of a particularly debauched cabaret troupe. While their Scottish counterparts were looking at soul and Steely Dan for inspiration the MacKenzies were taking theirs from the Pixies and the Birthday Party.”

Formed in Bathgate, near Edinburgh, Goodbye Mr MacKenzie came to prominence in the late 1980s after being signed to Capitol Records on the strength of their first two independent label singles. Never standing still, they released 6 albums in total before morphing into Angelfish in the US with the line-up of Manson, Metcalfe, Wilson and Kelly and Manson taking over lead vocals. They continued to recorded music at that time.

Goodbye Mr Mackenzie played their final live show at the end of 1995 and Shirley Manson went on to enjoy huge success with Garbage, while Martin Metcalfe,Derek Kelly and Fin Wilson returned to Scotland to form Isa and The Filthy Tongues. It is now just The Filthy Tongues, a trio that still thrives today. Big John Duncan became a backline and guitar technician for Nirvana and played guitar with them during their 1993 concert in Roseland Ballroom, NYC, also having worked with Twisted Sister, the Foo Fighters and Ministry.

‘Good Deeds and Dirty Rags’ will be released viaNeon Tetra Records on November 1. While some of the tracks off the original release are streamable on Spotify, the new extended and remastered version is available exclusively from the band’s store.

After a series of sold-out recent shows, Goodbye Mr MacKenzie will be playing more gigs later this year in Scotland and England. Until then, The Filthy Tongues shows will also be playing a handful of shows in September.

TRACKLIST
01  Open Your Arms
02  Wake It Up
03  His Masters Voice
04  Goodwill City
05  Candlestick Park
06  Goodbye Mr Mackenzie
07  The Rattler
08  Dust
09  You Generous Thing
10  Good Deeds
11  Open Your Arms (1987 Demo) – bonus track
12  Diamonds (1987 Demo) – bonus track
13  You Generous Thing (1987 Demo) – bonus track

CREDITS
All tracks produced by Mack, except ‘Wake It Up’ produced by Terry Adams
‘Goodwill City’ and ‘Good Deeds’ initial production by Terry Adams, additional production and mixing by Mack
‘Goodbye Mr Mackenzie’ initial production by Kevin Maloney, overdubs by Terry Adams
and additional production and mixing by Mack
‘The Rattler’ production by the Mackenzies, extra production and mixing by Mack
Recorded in Munich , West Germany and Edinburgh, Scotland
Neon Tetra Records. Licensed from Capitol Records/UMusic 2019

Photography by The Douglas Brothers
Sleeve design by Goodbye Mr Mackenzie/Peter Barrett & Andrew Biscomb
2019 Art Refresh by David Wells

Martin Metcalfe – vocals
John Duncan – guitar
Fin Wilson – bass guitar
Shirley Manson – keyboards and backing vocals
Rona Scobie – keyboards and backing vocals
Derek Kelly – drums
Demos produced by Terry Adams 1987
Guitars on demos by Jimmy Anderson
Additional bass on demos by Neil Baldwyn

TOUR DATES 
Sept 12  Aberdeen, Scotland – The Tunnels (as The Filthy Tongues)
Sept 13  Edinburgh, Scotland – The Voodoo Rooms (as The Filthy Tongues)
Sept 15  Dundee, Scotland – Church (as The Filthy Tongues)
Sept 19  Dunfermline, Scotland – PJ Malloys (as The Filthy Tongues)
Sept 20  Glasgow, Scotland – Oran Mor (as The Filthy Tongues)
Nov. 02  Middlesbrough, England – Westgarth
Nov. 08  London, England – Dingwalls (with The Cesarians, Seil Lein)
Nov. 09  Corby, Northamptonshire, England – The Raven
Dec. 20  Glasgow, Scotland – BarrowlandsSOLD OUT

Soundcloudhttps://soundcloud.com/goodbyemrmackenzie/07-the-rattler/s-gvV7e
‘The Rattler’ original videohttps://youtu.be/F23SoNYjEwI
‘The Rattler’ on The Tubehttps://youtu.be/gCyoUu51ATY
Live on The Chart Show https://youtu.be/ZT9T3ef0a0Y
Album order linkhttps://blokshok.bigcartel.com/products

PHOTO CREDITS

Old colour photo by Simon Fowler

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