Talk:Concrete Blonde

This page does not conform to the typical standards of a Wikipedia article!!!
Are there any fans out there who can help pump this entry up? For example:

When the album credits Napolitano plays bass, does that mean that she plays bass on every song? While singing live, does she play bass at the same time? In my book, that puts her ahead of Geddy Lee! :D More specific information would really help make this a Wikipedia-worthy entry.

Has any band member ever commented on the cover of the Leonard Cohen hit? Dang, it sure is a good song!

Has any guitar magazine or other source complimented the guitar player for his individual and distinct ability to create cool guitar parts without falling into cliches?

Napolitano wrote almost all the songs that are featured on the Recollection (greatest hits) cd. How much of the band's direction based on her influence? Does she bring songs to the band for them to learn, or is there more of a collaborative environment?

Why do all the drummers just mail it in, instead of expressing themselves in a unique way, like the rest of the band members?

Napolitano seems to dis her own vocal abilities, and talks about her perseverence when she sings, "I take a painful step, then got knocked back two... And if I had the choice, I'd take the voice I've got, 'cause it was hard to find." How biographical is this quote?

Napolitano wasn't playing bass during the "Still in Hollywood" MTV video, according to my recollection. Why not?

Hmm.

Discography
Not sure how to do this with all the fancy boxes and album cover pictures and whatnot, but here are some track listings, if anyone wanted to incorporate them properly:

Concrete Blonde (IRS 1986)

1. True 2. Your Haunted Head 3. Dance Along the Edge 4. Still In Hollywood 5. Song for Kim (She Said) 6. Beware of Darkness -- (George Harrison cover) 7. Over Your Shoulder 8. Little Sister 9. (You're the Only One) Can Make Me Cry 10. Cold Part of Town 11. True (Instrumental) 12. It'll Chew You Up and Spit You Out -- (alternate version (on the CD release ) of "Still In Hollywood")

Free (IRS 1989)

1. God Is A Bullet 2. Run Run Run 3. It's Only Money 4. Help Me 5. Sun 6. Roses Grow 7. Scene of a Perfect Crime 8. Happy Birthday 9. Little Conversations 10. Carry Me Away

Bloodletting (IRS 1990)

1. Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) 2. The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden Tonight 3. Caroline 4. The Darkening of the Light 5. I Don't Need a Hero 6. Days and Days 7. The Beast 8. Lullabye 9. Joey 10. Tomorrow Wendy -- (Andy Prieboy song, released before Prieboy's version, I believe)

Walking In London (IRS 1992)

1. Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man 2. Walking In London 3. La Coeur Jumeaux 4. Woman to Woman 5. Why Don't You See Me 6. City Screaming 7. Someday? 8. I Wanna Be Your Friend Again 9. ...Long Time Ago 10. It's A Man's World -- (James Brown cover)

Mexican Moon (IRS? 1993)

1. Jenny I Read 2. Mexican Moon 3. Heal It Up 4. Jonestown 5. Rain 6. I Call It Love 7. Jesus Forgive Me (For the Things I'm About to Say) 8. When You Smile 9. Close To Home 10. One of My Kind 11. End of the Line 12. (Love Is a) Blind Ambition 13. Bajo la Lune Mexicana

Still In Hollywood (IRS? 1994) -- (Collection of rare and unreleased material)

1. It'll Chew You Up and Spit You Out -- (alternate "Still In Hollwood", as above) 2. Everybody Knows -- (Leonard Cohen cover from "Pump Up the Volume" soundtrack) 3. Free -- (would have been the title track of the 1989 album, was left off it) 4. God Is A Bullet (live) 5. Probably Will 6. Mandocello 7. The Ship Song 8. Joey (live) 9. Little Wing -- (Jimi Hendrix cover) 10. Roses Grow (live) 11. The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden Tonight (live) 12. Bloodletting (extended version) 13. Simple Twist of Fate -- (Bob Dylan cover) 14. Side of the Road 15. 100 Games of Solitaire 16. Tomorrow Wendy (live)

Vowel Movement (1995) -- Johnette Napolitano and Holly Vincent

1. Dinosaur 2. Hitchhiker 3. Frank 4. When We Collide 5. I Don't Wanna 6. Las Vegas 7. Death of a Surfer 8. Vowel Movement (A-E-I-O-U) 9. Ohohoh 10. Jackie Baby 11. Gecko 12. Jesus 13. Tiny Music 14. Jackie Baby -- (alternate version)

Group Therapy (Manifesto 2002)

1. Roxy 2. Violent 3. When I Was a Fool 4. True, Part III 5. Tonight 6. Valentine 7. Your Llorona 8. Take Me Home 9. Inside/Outside 10. Fried 11. Angel 12. Memory

The Y Los Illegals album is essentially an Y Los Illegals album and bears little relation to Concrete Blonde's music generally. I no longer have that, so have no idea of the track listing. I also didnt realize there'd been a follow-up to Group Therapy, so I don't know that either.


 * I've taken your info and created entries for each album except for Vowel Movement. When I have some time this weekend, I'll try to find my copies of these albums and add more details.  Thanks for you contribution! Csbodine 18:03, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Date Question
Incidentally, what is the rationale behind 'late 70s'? Can't refute it (everything goes back forever), but can't agree, either. It only seems useful to refer to their beginnings as the very early 80s.
 * Correct, formed 1982, as any websearch will show.

Meaning of the name "Concrete Blonde"
When they signed with I.R.S. Records in 1986, labelmate Michael Stipe suggested the name Concrete Blonde, describing the contrast between their hard rock music and introspective lyrics.

Is that a non sequitur if I ever heard one. But then, this is the guy whose own group got their name by randomly flipping open a dictionary. marbeh raglaim 13:09, 6 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Not sure what exactly is meant by it - but the phrase 'concrete blonde' does appear in the lyrics of "Still in Hollywood", on the first album. Less a non sequitur than an obscure metaphor, methinks :) Lokicarbis 13:46, 6 October 2006 (UTC)


 * By non sequitur, I was referring to the comment attributed to Stipe that the name comes from the contrast between hard rock rhythms and introspective lyrics. What does concreteness or blondeness have to do with either of those things? It's stranger still considering that the lead singer is a brunette. marbeh raglaim 15:31, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, concrete=hard does make some sense, it you interpret concrete as artificial rock (not as the opposite of abstract). --Jared (talk) 08:49, 17 December 2009 (UTC)


 * I'd actually like to find some instance where the Napolitano quote from MTV can be substantiated on this. I have found the Stipe story is true, but her quote may have to go if we cannot find a source.  Any Concrete Blonde fans out there who can help? --Stlamanda (talk) 16:57, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

"Everybody Knows" not on Bloodletting
"Everybody Knows" was on the "Pump Up The Volume" soundtrack, not the album Bloodletting. I'm not sure who to fix this, alas. R. Kevin Doyle (talk) 09:33, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Citation needed
The information from the right-hand revision of this diff needs citations or something. I've never heard of Al Bloch playing bass for Concrete Blonde and the only references a web search returns seem to point back to this article. I've also never heard that explanation for the name or even that usage of the term at all, though I couldn't refute it. I did find references to James Mankey playing in Sparks but that wasn't the only other band he played in, so I don't see listing just that. - 74.162.152.224 (talk) 01:33, 27 April 2010 (UTC)\

Another Wiki musical entry that uses "Eponymous". Somebody's inside calling card. I wonder if Wiki could delete that overused term?

Summary updated
I updated the opening summary, although I'm open to suggestions as to how to make it better. Anyone have any suggestions? --Stlamanda (talk) 21:50, 19 February 2013 (UTC)

Citations needed
I need some help here. There's some great detail that lacks sources; I can't find any credible online sources (i.e., not blogs, not sources scraping this entry, etc.) that can substantiate them, and I lack the offline sources to make them stick. And no credible source = no place in this entry.

I've flagged these as "Citation Needed" for now, but fair warning: they will need to be deleted if they continue to lack sources. Thanks in advance! --Stlamanda (talk) 14:25, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Can't figure out why it's considered "Gothic Rock"
This doesn't really make any sense. I know it's been cited, but that might just mean that the article cited is unreliable. I've tried to form a diagnostic on this:

I tried to do a diagram. I used these contents:

Concrete Blonde:
 * Sounds like Concrete Blonde (Y)
 * Has a song based on Interview with the Vampire (Y)
 * Is listed as Gothic Rock on Wikipedia (Y)
 * Dresses like vampires (N)
 * Claims to be goth (N)

4 Non-Blondes:
 * Sounds like Concrete Blonde (Y)
 * Has a song based on Interview with the Vampire (N)
 * Is listed as Gothic Rock on Wikipedia (N)
 * Dresses like vampires (N)
 * Claims to be goth (N)

Sting:
 * Sounds like Concrete Blonde (N)
 * Has a song based on Interview with the Vampire (Y)
 * Is listed as Gothic Rock on Wikipedia (N)
 * Dresses like a vampire (N) (except that time he wore bat briefs in Dune)
 * Claims to be goth (N)

The Sisters of Mercy:
 * Sounds like Concrete Blonde (N)
 * Has a song based on Interview with the Vampire (N)
 * Is listed as Gothic Rock on Wikipedia (Y)
 * Dresses like vampires (Y)
 * Claims to be goth (N)

L.A. Guns:
 * Sounds like Concrete Blonde (N)
 * Has a song based on Interview with the Vampire (N)
 * Is listed as Gothic Rock on Wikipedia (N)
 * Dresses like vampires (Y)
 * Claims to be goth (N)

Switchblade Symphony:
 * Sounds like Concrete Blonde (N)
 * Has a song based on Interview with the Vampire (N)
 * Is listed as Gothic Rock on Wikipedia (Y)
 * Dresses like vampires (N) (more like evil clown dolls)
 * Claims to be goth (Y)

So I’m stumped. The deductive reasoning matrix fails. 2601:1C2:5000:8CC7:F545:7184:BA4D:32C2 (talk) 01:54, 11 February 2024 (UTC)


 * OK, so I actually read the archived article. They use the adjective "gothic" to describe Concrete Blonde's music&mdash;Inaccurately, IMNSHO&mdash; as "darkly gothic", but they do not say that the music fits into the category of Gothic Rock. That's a misinterpretation of the text at best. I'm going to "be bold" and remove this spurious categorisation, as it's absolutely nonsensical. It should be noted that The Doors music was also called "gothic rock", at one point, but the Wikipedia article on them, as you can see, doesn't run with this, because it's not rational.

2601:1C2:5000:8CC7:F545:7184:BA4D:32C2 (talk) 02:14, 11 February 2024 (UTC)