R.I.P. (Richard Hell album)

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R.I.P.
Compilation album by
Richard Hell
Released1984
GenrePunk rock
LabelROIR[1]
Richard Hell chronology
Destiny Street
(1982) 		R.I.P.
(1984) 		Go Now
(1995)

R.I.P. is a compilation album by the American musician Richard Hell, released in 1984.[2][3] It was originally released in cassette format, and was rereleased in 1990 with different artwork.[4][5] The compilation includes songs by the Hell-fronted bands the Heartbreakers and the Voidoids, as well as songs credited to Hell.[6] It contains demo, live, and studio recordings.[7] R.I.P. was a "farewell" album, as Hell wanted to leave music in order to do more writing (although he played some 1985 shows with a band dubbed the Thing).[8][9]

Production[edit]

The songs on R.I.P. range from 1975 to 1984.[10] The compilation includes the original Heartbreakers version of "Love Comes in Spurts"; "I Live My Life" is a cover of the Fats Domino song.[11][12] "Cruel Way to Go Down" was written by Allen Toussaint, and was recorded in New Orleans by Hell with Ziggy Modeliste.[13] "Going Going Gone" is a cover of the Bob Dylan song.[14] The liner notes were penned by Hell, as Lester Meyers.[15]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Robert ChristgauB+[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[16]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6/10[5]

The New York Times determined that "Hell is a poet and lyricist whose work shares certain influences with the Beat writers more than it is influenced directly by them—the nightmare imagery and obsessive loathing that leap from the pages of Lautreamont's Maldoror, Rimbaud's vision of poetry as self-immolation, the word collages of Tristan Tzara and his performing associates in Dada at Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire during World War I."[10]

The Washington Post panned the sound of the album, but praised the guitar playing of Robert Quine.[11] Trouser Press stated: "Neither as mannered as his first LP nor as professional as his second, this collection showcases his most uninhibited singing on retreads, live takes and previously unissued material."[15] The Providence Journal-Bulletin called Hell's 1984 New Orleans songs "purposeful, passionate and intense—as punky, in a word—as anything Hell has ever done."[13]

AllMusic wrote that "the sound quality is consistent for the most part, and the music is rough, raw, and rocking—in other words, classic Richard Hell."[4]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Love Comes in Spurts"The Heartbreakers 
2."Can't Keep My Eyes on You"The Heartbreakers 
3."Hurt Me"The Heartbreakers 
4."I'm Your Man"The Voidoids 
5."Betrayal Takes Two"The Voidoids 
6."Crack of Dawn"The Voidoids 
7."Ignore That Door"The Voidoids 
8."I Live My Life"The Voidoids 
9."Going Going Gone"The Voidoids 
10."I Can Only Give You Everything"The Voidoids 
11."I Been Sleepin' on It"Richard Hell 
12."Cruel Way to Go Down"Richard Hell 
13."The Hunter Was Drowned"Richard Hell 
14."Hey Sweetheart"Richard Hell 

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 540.
  2. ^ Morris, Chris (Mar 16, 2002). "Vintage Richard Hell frozen in 'Time' on Matador". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 11. p. 26.
  3. ^ Thompson, Dave (January 25, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306076.
  4. ^ a b c "R.I.P.: The Roir Sessions". AllMusic.
  5. ^ a b Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 180–181.
  6. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 315.
  7. ^ "R.I.P. cassette". Maximum Rocknroll.
  8. ^ "Richard Hell: Spurts: The Richard Hell Story". Pitchfork.
  9. ^ Lioce, Tony (January 14, 1985). "Punk-R&B hybrid fails to thrill". The Providence Journal-Bulletin. p. A9.
  10. ^ a b Palmer, Robert (16 Dec 1984). "Rockers with Literary Aspirations Make Their Mark". The New York Times. p. A27.
  11. ^ a b "Richard Hell: Out of Synch". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Richard Hell". Robert Christgau.
  13. ^ a b Lioce, Tony (January 11, 1985). "Richard Hell adds dash of punk to R&B". The Providence Journal-Bulletin. p. D3.
  14. ^ Drozdowski, Ted (May 9, 1985). "Records". The Boston Globe. Calendar. p. 6.
  15. ^ a b "Richard Hell & the Voidoids". Trouser Press. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  16. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. pp. 227–228.
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