Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Talk About The Weather

For a substantial chunk of the '80s, the City of Leeds was a reliable exporter of the darker side of life. Whether this was down to proletarian dissatisfaction, the effects of Thatcherism or simply due to a preponderance of drum machines stuck on heavy reverb settings, we may never know. The Lorries tended to be dogged by Joy Division comparisons rather than the usual questions about occult interest, but a few bars of Talk About The Weather quickly reveals why their brand of beat-heavy gloom was ushered beneath the tattered wings of Goth. Claustrophobia reigns supreme, choking any moments of space and silence before they have the chance to expand. Every second is comprehensively smothered by an echoing snare-snap, or the wide, murky guitar washes which practically swamp each track. Lyrically, the record richly mines the irony of titles such as “Happy” in order to explore the chillier sides of human interaction and dabble in moderate doses of existential angst. As a result, this is one weather discussion devoid of sunshine.

The Lorries' first full album kicks off with the grinding title track, steady, not punishing, but still aggressive and Chris Reed's abrupt but not shouted vocals. Keeping that in mind, Talk About the Weather has more going on for it than meets the eye. There's certainly more than a little ghost-of-Andrew Eldritch in the arrangements, not to mention Ennio Morricone (thus trumping the Fields of the Nephilim's own twist on that influence by a couple of years), but Reed's lyrics and singing definitely show the Ian Curtis touch more in their emotional roil as opposed to Hammer horror. As a result, compared to the Sex Gang Children or the like, the Lorries come across more straightforwardly, their music here sounding often brusque. The album's downside is that the basic sound doesn't really change much, but when it's on, as with the title track, it's very much on. "Hollow Eyes" is another one of the winners, taking the high-speed, nervous post-punk approach and adding on a great, simple, but effective chorus to the spiralling riffs and the hollow bass lope, while the sudden shift in velocity on "Strange Dreams" shows a great sense of drama. "Sometimes" ranks up there as well for being the secret winner (it's the closest the album gets to a quiet and tender love song, which it really isn't per se). But Reed's singing aims at a warmer approach here on the chorus, as does the music, and there's definitely a tangled emotional interplay that comes through, love and hate in a few words.

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

One of England's more subtly original goth rock groups, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry were initially branded as worshipful Joy Division acolytes, but came up with enough distinct variations to break free of their main influence. Their foundation always remained icy, droning post-punk, replete with sludgy, murky guitars and mumbled Ian Curtis-style vocals. However, as the Lorries evolved, they gradually sprinkled in elements of industrial dance, early rave music, and spaghetti Western soundtracks, as well as liberal doses of inventive, acid-tinged guitar work. Taking their name from a British tongue twister, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry were formed in Leeds in late 1981 by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney. Reed and Sweeney had previously performed in the local bands Radio Id and Knife Edge, respectively, and added a rhythm section of bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown. Sweeney left within a year, however, and Reed took over lead vocal duties, with Martin Fagan coming on-board as a second guitarist.

Later in 1982, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry signed with the independent Red Rhino label and issued their debut single, "Beating My Head." Although it was a hit on the British indie charts, Fagan subsequently left the band and was replaced by Dave "Wolfie" Wolfenden, who became Reed's frequent song writing partner; bassist Smith also departed in favor of Paul Southern. The band's second single, "Take It All," appeared in 1983, as did the third, "He's Read"; both helped solidify the Lorries' popularity on the indie listings. After another single, 1984's "Monkeys on Juice," the band finally got around to recording its debut album; Talk About the Weather was released in early 1985, and was a hit on the indie charts thanks to the single "Hollow Eyes." It was followed by two non-LP singles, "Chance" and "Spinning Round."

In 1986, Reed and Wolfenden regrouped with a new rhythm section of bassist Leon Phillips and drummer Chris Oldroyd. They were in place for the Lorries' second LP, Paint Your Wagon, which drew on imagery of the old American West and featured another indie hit in "Walking on Your Hands." Following one more non-LP single that year, "Cut Down," the band temporarily adopted its long time nickname of the Lorries, and issued one single, 1987's "Crawling Mantra," under that moniker before reverting back to the original form. Later in 1987, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry signed a major-label deal with Situation Two, a subsidiary of RCA affiliate Beggars Banquet. They debuted in 1988 with the LP Nothing Wrong, which spun off the single "Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)."

On their second major-label album, 1989's Blow, the Lorries flirted with the sound and visual style of England's emerging rave culture, resulting in their clearest, most spacious production to date. There was more turnover in the rhythm section; drummer Oldroyd was replaced by Mark Chillington prior to the recording of the album, and bassist Phillips departed before the supporting tour, with his spot permanently filled by Gary Weight. Chillington, in turn, left during the tour, and George Schulz came on board in his stead. The Lorries subsequently parted ways with Beggars Banquet and released their fifth LP, Blasting Off -- with several song writing contributions from Weight -- in 1991, on the small Sparkhead label. The album didn't appear in the U.S. for another three years, until Relapse finally picked it up. By that time, faced with diminishing returns, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry had disbanded. Several CD retrospectives of the group's work have since been released, including the career-spanning 2014 box set See the Fire. Reed revived the Red Lorry Yellow Lorry name in 2004 with four new tracks made available on the band's website, but a promised album never appeared.

Nothing Wrong

On Nothing Wrong, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry glides through track after numbing track of quasi-industrial post-punk, once again smacking heartily of Joy Division. The relentless guitar and vocal drones create a claustrophobic feel, and Chris Reed's constant mumbling is among the most incoherent in all of rock. There's an especially shoddy feel on lesser tracks like "World Around" and the surprisingly dull title track. These many drawbacks completely overshadow stronger songs like the reckless "She Said" and "Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)," with its spacious arrangement and almost intelligible melody. In the end, many of the disc's facets that could be considered pop/rock hindrances are admired by fans of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. In fact, Nothing Wrong is a bit of a fan favourite. From the casual listener's perspective, however, this 1988 release probably won't contend with the Cure, Joy Division, or many other notable post-punk/goth artists of the '80s.

Paint Your Wagon

The semi-Ennio Morricone touches and twangs on the band's earlier work get a little more foregrounded on the Lorries' second album, but then that had more than a little to do with the cover art and font style; pure Old West (as filtered through TV and movies). Again, the Fields Of The Nephilim may have made it more famous, but the Lorries probably had more outright fun (of a sort) with it in the end. Though that said, "Shout at the Sky" has Chris Reed sounding exactly like the Nephs' Carl McCoy, which if intentional might not have been the wisest way to go. Trappings aside, Paint Your Wagon is another fine album and actually probably a better one in the end, with a bit more energy in the arrangements. Reed's guitar playing, supplemented by David Wolfenden, shows a touch more intricacy and flair this time around; not a major leap forward but he often creates some inspired, epic, work, as on "Last Train" or the slow grind conclusion "Blitz." "Head All Fire" and "Save My Soul" are sharp examples of how Reed and company can rework what were already established approaches into something new and thrilling. "Which Side" goes that step even a bit further thanks to the use of the old "which side are you on" trope; Billy Bragg did it one way, Reed aims for something a bit more in his echoed milieu. Even some of the semi-filler tracks like the instrumental "Mescal Dance" have enough spikiness to carry the day.