OOOH! (Out of Our Heads)

The Mekons | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 20, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Quarter Stick
• ASIN: B00006AG5E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,667 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Thee Olde Trip to Jerusalem

2. Dancing In the Head

3. This Way Through the Fire

4. Hate Is the New Love

5. Take His Name In Vain

6. Only You and Your Ghost Will Know

7. Lone Pilgrim

8. Winter

9. One X One

10. Bob Hope & Charity

11. Stonehead

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant album, August 24, 2002

By 

Andrew L. Folpe "afolpe" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: OOOH! (Out of Our Heads) (Audio CD)

Typical Mekons- brilliant, and nothing like the previous one. Standout tracks so far include "Thee Old Trip" and "Only you and your ghost", but they're all very strong. I'm not sure I hear the Celtic influences the Amazon reviewer found, in the sense of Irish/Scottish etc. The influence that comes through the strongest to me is actually white American late 19th century spiritual (shapenote, that kind of stuff). You can hear it in the harmonies and the melodies, as well as some of the lyrics. I suppose that music was Celtic influenced. (Of course the band would probably laugh at all this analysis). Anyway, buy this album (and Original Sin and New York and, oh all of them!!)

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soothing cowpunk for hard times, December 12, 2002

By 

Jennifer Barger (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: OOOH! (Out of Our Heads) (Audio CD)

This album-a pastiche of art rock, country and gospel-is the best thing the Leeds-Chicago band has done in years. WIth its dreamy, fiddle-backed songs of zombies, coming through fire and the general toughness of modern life, it seems like a response to September 11- though interviews with the Mekons reveal it was in the can before then. Overall, their folksiest album, and amazingly fresh for a band that's been touring for 25 years.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars decent enough but not great, April 17, 2009

By 

David Sleger "Lagerd" (West Allis, WI) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: OOOH! (Out of Our Heads) (Audio CD)

A curse upon anyone who claims OOOH is a return to their mid-'80s form. Now there's nothing objectionable or distasteful about this record. As far as albums go it's quite nice. It seems the cutting edges both stylistically and lyrically of those great "ghost town country" records is absent. Yeah, I listened to sound samples prior to purchasing so I knew I wasn't getting HONKY TONKIN' or THE EDGE OF THE WORLD but I was hopeful that OOOH in its full context would offer a classic period ('85-'89) Mekons fan like myself a compelling reason to pursue all those other albums that I avoided since my double whammy purchases of RETREAT FROM MEMPHIS and F.U.N.'90 many years earlier

I'll listen to this CD from time to time because I do think it's OK and perhaps it'll grow on me. But I'll not rush out to get other generously consumer-rated titles like CURSE OF THE MEKONS and JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT. I fear those albums may strike me, like this one, as being too safe, too domestic. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery it seems Joe Strummer was impressed by this CD, as I hear OOOH all over his STREET CORE record.

I've come to realize that if the Mekons wished to return to the style of their golden age, they would have by now. Frankly they're so far removed from that particular period that I don't think they could effectively revive that style even if they wanted to. Ghost town country was unique and significant 20+ years ago and may not have the same impact now.