Bloodletting (Remastered) Concrete Blonde

• 1Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)06:05
• 2The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden02:38
• 3Caroline05:31
• 4Darkening Of The Light03:24
• 5I Don't Need A Hero04:26
• 6Days And Days03:14
• 7The Beast03:54
• 8Lullabye03:59
• 9Joey04:09
• 10Tomorrow, Wendy05:08
• Total Runtime42:28

Info for Bloodletting (Remastered)

Bloodletting, Concrete Blonde’s third album, gave the band their first mainstream hit, making them one of the most popular alternative rock bands of the early 90s. Featuring guests such as Steve Wynn, Bloodletting was a gothic tapestry of danger, vampires, alcoholism and passion. Hit single Joey reached #19 on Billboard s pop singles chart, and the album was certified Gold. This reissue features a first-time-ever remastering, as well as long out-of-print B-sides. Born out of the early 1980s Los Angeles post-punk scene along with bands such as X, Wall of Voodoo and the Go-Gos, Concrete Blonde got their start as Dream 6 and signed with IRS Records, where labelmate Michael Stipe of R.E.M. suggested they change their name to Concrete Blonde. Their eponymous debut album came out in 1987, and was followed by Free (1989), which spawned the college radio hit God Is A Bullet. First time this album has ever been remastered. Transfers taken directly from the original master tapes. This reissue contains six rarities as bonus tracks: I Want You, the long unavailable B-side of the single version of Joey, other B-sides from the period and a previously unreleased French-language version of the title track. Features a 12-page booklet with lyrics, a new essay and rare photos.

„Though the sudden embrace of the trappings of goth culture via Anne Rice was a bit odd, given Napolitano's long-standing fascination with both Catholic and Mexican imagery (and the elements of sex and death prevalent in both) it wasn't too strange. Her songwriting and singing focus remains much more roots-oriented, as the opening strut/stroll of "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" makes clear. Not that she and the band can't kick out the jams as well -- immediately following that is "The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden," a punk-speed thrash with deliciously decadent imagery to boot. The most well known song was "Joey," which actually got some top 40 airplay; while it has a certain catchiness to it, ultimately it comes off as a less successful Heart song from the same era, which is saying something. Far more successful is nearly everything else on the album, from the dark chime of "Caroline," addressing a departed friend, to the soothing "Lullabye," which far from being a mere kiddie tune is a great love song with some fantastic guitar from Mankey. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck adds mandolin to "Darkening of the Light," which adds to the song's mysterious, haunting edge, while "I Don't Need a Hero" is barely there, the softest of music accompanying Napolitano's lyric. Her singing throughout Bloodletting is passionate and catchy, with a deep throaty ache on many cuts. Everything wraps up with a version of Andy Prieboy's "Tomorrow, Wendy." Having done a duet with him on his own recording of the song, she takes full lead here, delivering a bravura performance of the bitter, heartbreaking lyric.“ (Ned Raggett, AMG)

Johnette Napolitano, vocals, bass guitar
James Mankey, guitars, bass guitar
Paul Thompson, drums
Additional musicians:
Peter Buck, mandolin on "Darkening of the Light"
Andy Prieboy, keyboards on "Tomorrow, Wendy"
Gail Ann Dorsey, bass on "Tomorrow, Wendy"
Steve Wynn, vocals on "Bloodletting (the Vampire song)"
John Keane, slide guitar on "Darkening of the Light"

Produced by Concrete Blonde, Chris Tsangarides

Digitally remastered

Concrete Blonde
grew out of the Los Angeles post-punk club circuit that produced bands like X, Wall of Voodoo, and the Go-Go's, but it wasn't until 1987 that the band even recorded its first album. The group was founded by singer/songwriter/bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist Jim Mankey, who initially called themselves Dream 6 and released an EP. Their insistence on complete artistic control was off-putting to the major labels who took notice, however, and it wasn't until 1987 that the group signed to I.R.S. and changed its name to Concrete Blonde at the suggestion of labelmate Michael Stipe. Concrete Blonde's self-titled debut album betrayed the influence of the Pretenders, while 1989's Free was a tighter showcase for Napolitano's developing songwriting and produced a college radio hit with "God Is a Bullet." The morose, textured Bloodletting, a more accomplished record than both of its predecessors, broke the band to a wider audience with the left-field Top 20 hit "Joey," the tale of a love affair ended by alcoholism. Mexican Moon reflected Napolitano's interest in Hispanic music and culture, but Concrete Blonde's commercial fortunes had declined since Bloodletting, and Napolitano broke up the band. They reunited between 2001 and 2004, however, releasing two albums during that period, 2002's Group Therapy and 2004's Mojave, the latter featuring new drummer Gabriel Ramirez-Quezada. Napolitano announced the second and apparently final breakup of Concrete Blonde in June of 2006. (Steve Huey, AMG)

This album contains no booklet.