| If Mark Eitzel were into Country,it would be as cold and barren as an Alaskan Bank Holiday. Going on the basis that
anything goes but always comes home at the end of the day, his American Music Club are the hangover breaking out
before the party has even ended.
More tearful than cheerful, singer and self-confessed geek Eitzel rambled through the gamut of emotions from pain to erm, agony. "Gratitude Walks" is a grapple of passions set to music, where Nick Cave plays table tennis with Cathal Coughlan and AMC go careering down the Middle of the Road firing broadsides at fellow travellers. In short,as comfy as a pair of slippers. Stuffed full of scorpions. Review by Simon Williams for NME 7th September 1991 The feeling is scary: I've never seen them before, what if they're crap? Just hold on......I watch as several old-type people move about in front of me, the stage crew surely. Except,they're picking up the instruments and starting to play them! What is this? All these kids gathered to pay homage to five thirtysomething beings playing music that is country derived of all things? Yet their music, unlike their clothes, is quite possibly timeless. Singer Mark Eitzel is a star.He is balding and bearded and too nice and too too sad.A tent full of hardened Big Black fans are nearly moved to tears by classics like "Blue and Grey Shirt" and "Mom's TV". If I was surprised that he stopped a song to ask what someone has just shouted at him, I was perfectly freaked when he stopped another,said "I got the lyrics mixed up", told a few jokes, pissed around with the guitarist, played a bit of a different tune and then rejoined the song at the point he left it. Completely cool. The guy who plays the knitting machine type contraption deserves a mention too: apart from Mark's creamy voice,that's where a lot of the beautiful sounds come from. Review by Karren Ablaze for Ablaze #8 Return to homepage here |
| American Music Club Reading Festival,UK August 28th 1991 |