Here Come the Snakes is an album by the American band Green on Red, released in 1989.[2][3] The album cover photo, titled "Afterward from the Democratic Forest", is by William Eggleston.[4]
| Here Come the Snakes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Studio | Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label | Restless[1] | |||
| Producer | Jim Dickinson, Joe Hardy | |||
| Green on Red chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
Recorded in Memphis, the album was produced by Jim Dickinson and Joe Hardy.[5][6][7] Band members Dan Stuart and Chuck Prophet were backed by local musicians.[8] Stuart and Prophet used the Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio, where they worked with Roland Janes.[9] "We Had It All" is a cover of the song made popular in part by Keith Richards.[10]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Chicago Tribune | [12] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [6] |
Trouser Press wrote: "Again switching easily among rock, blues and country idioms, what's left of Green on Red sounds relaxed and confident, a warm and boozy vehicle for Stuart's amusingly wry regrets and social observations."[5] Robert Christgau said that "Stuart reemerges on Jim Dickinson's shoulder as Neil Young and Mick Jagger fried into one bar singer."[13]
The Chicago Tribune opined that "things bottom out on 'Tenderloin', a roiling, bluesy affair with a spoken monolog about failed love that, if it were delivered from a barstool by a tavern patron, would lead any saloonkeeper to close up early."[12] The Vancouver Sun noted that "Stuart is still at the top of his art—it's just a little too disturbing for mass consumption."[15] In 1990, The Times deemed Here Come the Snakes the best album of 1989, writing that Green on Red was "the most scandalously overlooked band of the last decade."[16]
AllMusic wrote that, "from the get-go, Prophet's guitar is the cornerstone to the Let It Bleed mood that fires this record."[11]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Chuck Prophet and Dan Stuart; except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Keith Can't Read" | 3:22 | |
| 2. | "Rock n Roll Disease" | 3:08 | |
| 3. | "Morning Blue" | 3:58 | |
| 4. | "Zombie for Love" | 3:53 | |
| 5. | "Broken Radio" | 3:52 | |
| 6. | "Change" | 5:01 | |
| 7. | "Tenderloin" | 5:02 | |
| 8. | "Way Back Home" | 2:29 | |
| 9. | "We Had It All" | Donnie Fritts, Troy Seals | 3:33 |
| 10. | "D.T. Blues" | 2:52 |
Personnel edit
- Green on Red
- Chuck Prophet - guitar, vocals
- Dan Stuart - lead vocals, guitar
with:
- René Coman - bass
- Jim Dickinson - drums
- Paul Ebersold - piano
- Ed Kollis - harmonica
- The Zombie Choir - vocals
References edit
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 184.
- ^ "Green on Red Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Smith, Mat (Apr 8, 1989). "Green on Red: Snake Charmers". Melody Maker. Vol. 65, no. 14. p. 26.
- ^ O'Hagan, Sean (19 Nov 2017). "William Eggleston: 'The music's here then it's gone—like a dream'". Art and Design. The Observer. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Green on Red". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 507.
- ^ III, Albin J. Zak (November 20, 2001). The Poetics of Rock: Cutting Tracks, Making Records. University of California Press.
- ^ Buckley, Peter (January 17, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides.
- ^ "Recording remains an adventure for Prophet". The Commercial Appeal. 22 Oct 2010. p. G6.
- ^ Schoemer, Karen (Jun 1989). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 3. p. 102.
- ^ a b "Here Come the Snakes". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Popson, Tom (28 Apr 1989). "Indie LPs: Green on Red, Pylon and more". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. J.
- ^ a b "Green on Red". Robert Christgau.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 886.
- ^ Mackie, John (25 Mar 1989). "Recordings". Vancouver Sun. p. D2.
- ^ Sinclair, David (March 24, 1990). "A-Z Guide to Rock". Features. The Times.