Formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1989, MERCURY REV quickly grew to become leading figures in left field alternative rock. Earlier albums veered towards experimental, off-kilter psychedelia but by the end of the decade, the band had developed their own brand of serene, piano-based Americana with the acclaimed, best-selling LP Deserter’s Songs (1998).
Five CDs. This expanded edition of The Secret Migration is presented as a plush, hardbook containing original album lyrics, lots of visuals and new sleeve-notes by acclaimed author and journalist Barney Hoskyns. Originally issued in January 2005, The Secret Migration was the sixth album by Mercury Rev and followed All Is Dream (2001). In the UK, where the band were signed to V2, the album spawned two singles, 'In A Funny Way' and 'Across Yer Ocean'. Joining the original album are a second disc of B-sides and previously unissued outtakes, a third disc wholly devoted to hitherto unheard demos and a fourth disc of in-concert material culled from shows around the globe (again, previously unreleased). For good measure, Disc 5 revisits the band's subsequent soundtrack album, Hello Blackbird.
Formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1989, Mercury Rev quickly grew to become leading figures in left field alternative rock. Earlier albums veered towards experimental, off-kilter psychedelia but by the end of the decade, the band had developed their own brand of serene, piano-based Americana with the acclaimed, best-selling LP Deserter’s Songs (1998). ALL IS DREAM, the sequel to Deserter’s Songs, was originally released on V2 in 2001 in August (Europe) and September (North America) and boasted a more expansive, cinematic production than its predecessor (again courtesy of ex-member Dave Fridmann, by this time arguably the most in-demand producer in alternative US rock). The record was warmly received by critics and fans alike, enjoying higher chart positions than its predecessor (No. 11 UK, No. 17 US, Top 40 in Australia and in various European countries, etc.).
It slipped out of a Mississippi of hot biscuits, genteel table manners and working-class sense, suddenly overturned by a grave sinning and suicide. Carried on an evening breeze of strings and a supple, foreboding voice like sensually charged breath, “Ode to Bilie Joe”—Bobbie Gentry’s 1967 debut as a singer-songwriter and a Number One single for three weeks in the late Summer of Love—was the most psychedelic record of that year not from San Francisco or London, as if Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Brian Wilson had conspired to make a country-rock Pet Sounds. Except Gentry, just 23 when she wrote the song, got there first, in miniature.
All copies of the September 2024 issue of Uncut come with a free, 15-track CD – On The Highway – that showcases the wealth of great new music on offer this month, from Mercury Rev, MJ Lenderman and John Murry & Michael Timmins to Enumclaw, Harlem Gospel Travelers and Krononaut. Now dive in…
Here is another fabulous collection from Mercury, all important recordings by one of the greatest of all organists. Marcel Dupré, born in Normandy 1888. He had a distinctive career, recognized as a master of his instrument, and as a composer and pedagogue. He gave thousands of concerts in the United States, Canada, Europe and often performed the complete organ works of Bach from memory. Considered to be the "Paganini of the Organ," his career flourished and we are fortunate he made many recordings in stereo.