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Midnight Rose's

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Midnight Rose's
Studio album by
Released1991
GenreFunk, punk funk,[1] funk rock[2]
LabelSire
ProducerEric Calvi
Royal Crescent Mob chronology
Spin the World
(1989)
Midnight Rose's
(1991)
13 Destruction
(1992)

Midnight Rose's is an album by the American band Royal Crescent Mob, released in 1991.[3][4] The first single was "Konk".[1] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[5] Royal Crescent Mob was dropped from Sire Records after the release of Midnight Rose's.[6]

Production

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The album was produced by Eric Calvi.[7] As on previous albums, the band was influenced by fellow Ohioans the Ohio Players.[8] "Pretty Good Life" is an examination of the yuppie lifestyle.[9] "I'm Sayin'" is about a marriage proposal.[1] "Mt. Everest" is about a romantic relationship with an extremely tall woman.[10] "Timebomb" contains a rap verse.[11] Singer David Ellison played harmonica on the album.[12]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The Buffalo News[14]
Robert Christgau(neither)[15]
The Cincinnati Post[12]
Dayton Daily News[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]
Orlando Sentinel[16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[17]

Newsday stated: "In the tradition of the Ohio Players and the other '70s funkateers they grew up listening to, Royal Crescent Mob takes a conscious stand against the notion of significance... As long as Royal Crescent Mob persists with this bizarre modesty, they'll be one of rock's best kept secrets."[18] The Orlando Sentinel wrote that on the album's best track "the group ... abandons its funkateering and comes up with some delightfully loopy rock. 'Drunkard's Nose' combines a New Orleans rhythmic feel and swampy horns with country-flavored licks and one of the most original subjects ever for a rock song—the nose of the title and alcoholic's deteriorating looks."[16] Trouser Press determined that guitarist Mr. B "colors the songs in with cogent flashes of aptly aimed guitar as the rhythm section sets the rhythmic clock in motion."[9]

The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that "the only chink in the Mob's armor is that some of its songs exist only as one-dimensional grooves, with Ellison wisecracking over them."[19] The Houston Chronicle opined that, "where the [Red Hot Chili] Peppers thrash and bash and peel their clothes off in concert, the Mob layers melody, lyrical wit and subtle grooves to the attack, never more evident on Midnight Rose's."[20] The Austin American-Statesman concluded that, "where so many bands with similar influences ... seem to think that establishing a style is mainly a matter of extending cliches toward the point of parody, the Mob has real songs to go with its real grooves."[21]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Ramblin'" 
2."Big Mistake" 
3."Apples" 
4."Konk" 
5."Mt. Everest" 
6."I'm Sayin'" 
7."Pretty Good Life" 
8."Woodsnake" 
9."Timebomb" 
10."Drunkard's Nose" 

References

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  1. ^ a b c Browne, David (March 22, 1991). "Midnight Rose's". Entertainment Weekly.
  2. ^ Heim, Chris (27 Dec 1991). "Royal Crescent Mob and Urge". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. Q.
  3. ^ "Funky rockers have a winner in 'Midnight Rose's'". The Grand Rapids Press. 13 Mar 1991. p. E7.
  4. ^ Wright, Rickey (29 Apr 1991). "Mob Turns Up the Heat with Funky Review". Art & Travel. Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 20.
  5. ^ Kim, Jae-Ha (27 Dec 1991). "Royal flush: Label gives Crescent Mob the heave-ho". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Royal Crescent Mob Biography by Uncle Dave Lewis". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 579.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Mark (30 Aug 1991). "Groovy Rut for Royal Crescent Mob". The Washington Post. p. N17.
  9. ^ a b "Royal Crescent Mob". Trouser Press. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  10. ^ Terrell, Steve (8 Mar 1991). "The Mob turning into contenders". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 13.
  11. ^ a b Larsen, Dave (8 Mar 1991). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 17.
  12. ^ a b Nager, Larry (16 Feb 1991). "RC Mob returns to its roots". The Cincinnati Post. p. 5C.
  13. ^ "Midnight Rose's Review by Steven McDonald". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  14. ^ Anderson, Dale (8 Mar 1991). "Pop". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 32.
  15. ^ "Royal Crescent Mob". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  16. ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (12 Apr 1991). "Royal Crescent Mob, Midnight Rose's". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 18.
  17. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 608.
  18. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (17 Mar 1991). "Disinheriting the Meek". Part II. Newsday. p. 15.
  19. ^ DeLuca, Dan (3 May 1991). "Royal Crescent Mob". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D3.
  20. ^ Racine, Marty (12 May 1991). "Ohio funk group plays with style". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
  21. ^ McLeese, Don (25 June 1991). "In terms of musical style, there's an extensive gulf separating...". Austin American-Statesman. p. C5.