Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?
| Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Harvey Danger | ||||
| Released | July 29, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | John & Stu's Place, Seattle, WA 1996 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:56 | |||
| Label |
Arena Rock (original release) Slash/London/PolyGram (reissue) No Sleep Records (vinyl reissue) | |||
| Producer | John Goodmanson, Harvey Danger | |||
| Harvey Danger chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| NME | (6/10)[2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.5/10)[3] |
| Robert Christgau |  [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (styled Where have all the merrymakers gone?) is Harvey Danger's first full album. It was initially released by the independent record label The Arena Rock Recording Company on July 29, 1997. The second song on the album, "Flagpole Sitta", received extensive airplay in the United States and resulted in the band's initial fame. As the song gained national attention, the album was picked up and reissued by Slash Records, a label associated with London Records. On July 29, 2014, 17 years to the day after the album's initial release, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? was re-released, for the first time as a vinyl LP, by No Sleep Records.[6] The album has been described by Fuse as "a definitive indie power pop punk record at a time and place where grunge reigned supreme".[7]
All of the 10 songs on the album were recorded in 1996; "Private Helicopter" and "Terminal Annex" were released as a demo that same year sent to music industry professionals on a commercially produced cassette tape, titled simply "Harvey Danger." Three more, including "Flagpole Sitta," were sent on a one-off cassette tape to Slash/London Records at the request of Greg Glover, an intern who was convinced on the strength of the recordings that he should fund a full album. All of the recordings, save one ("Carjack Fever"), became Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? The total cost of the recording was about $3,000.[8]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Harvey Danger; all music composed by Harvey Danger.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Carlotta Valdez" | 2:44 |
| 2. | "Flagpole Sitta" | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Woolly Muffler" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Private Helicopter" | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Problems and Bigger Ones" | 5:41 |
| 6. | "Jack the Lion" | 5:30 |
| 7. | "Old Hat" | 3:48 |
| 8. | "Terminal Annex" | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Wrecking Ball" | 4:39 |
| 10. | "Radio Silence" (Includes hidden track after 5:15, a partial recording of "Carjack Fever" from Fuel Soundtrack played backwards.) | 5:15/8:26 |
| Total length: | 42:56 | |
Personnel
- Aaron Huffman - Bass, cover design
- Jeff J. Lin - Guitar, organ, violin, backing vocals
- Sean Nelson - Vocals
- Evan Sult - drums
- Abby Grush - Backing vocals
- John Goodmanson - Production, engineering, mixing
- Harvey Danger - Production
- Greg Calbi - Mastering
- Chuck Robertson - Photography
Sample clip
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Flagpole Sitta
 |
| Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ NME review
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ Robert Christgau review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ https://nosleeprecords.com/product/7204/where-have-all-the-merrymakers-gone
- ↑ Sherman, Maria (July 29, 2014). "Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone: An Interview with Harvey Danger". Fuse. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ↑ "Gale Musician Profiles: Harvey Danger". Answers.com. Gale. n.d. Retrieved 2 June 2014.