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Red Mecca
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work
During a tour of the United States in November 1979, Cabaret Voltaire became interested in the rise of the Christian right and its use of television. The band compared that with the growth of Islamic politics in the Middle East. Red Mecca, recorded in May 1981 at Western Works in Sheffield, tied those themes to the bleak atmosphere of impoverished northern England under Margaret Thatcher. Richard H. Kirk pointed to Afghanistan and the American hostages in Iran as the occasion for the title.
The album was released in August 1981 on Rough Trade and reached the top of the British independent albums chart. NME placed it ninth in its year-end list. AllMusic called the record tight and dense, without a single quiet moment. In 2019 Pitchfork counted it among the best industrial albums of all time.
Listening
Track list
- 1A Touch of Evil3:11Apple Music ↗
- 2Sly Doubt4:59Apple Music ↗
- 3Landslide2:08Apple Music ↗
- 4A Thousand Ways10:35Apple Music ↗
- 5Red Mask6:55Apple Music ↗
- 6Split Second Feeling3:47Apple Music ↗
- 7Black Mask3:19Apple Music ↗
- 8Spread the Virus3:41Apple Music ↗
- 9A Touch of Evil (Reprise)1:34Apple Music ↗
30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗