High Land, Hard Rain

High Land, Hard Rain is the debut album by jangle pop band Aztec Camera, released in 1983. Three tracks from the album originally appeared on the Oblivious EP, which reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart when re-released in November 1983.[9] The album itself reached number 22 on the UK Albums Chart.[9]

High Land, Hard Rain
Studio album by
Aztec Camera
ReleasedApril 1983
RecordedSeptember 1982-January 1983
VenueICC Studios, Eastbourne
Genre
Length36:44
LabelRough Trade
ProducerJohn Brand, Bernie Clarke
Aztec Camera chronology
High Land, Hard Rain
(1983)		 Knife
(1984)
Singles from High Land, Hard Rain
  1. "Just Like Gold" / "We Could Send Letters"
    Released: 17 April 1981
  2. "Pillar to Post" / "The Queen's Tattoos"
    Released: 27 August 1982
  3. "Oblivious" / "Orchid Girl"
    Released: 21 January 1983
  4. "Walk Out to Winter" / "Set the Killing Free"
    Released: May 1983

Recording and content

The majority of the album was recorded at the ICC Studios in Eastbourne.[10] The album included two early songs by Roddy Frame, "We Could Send Letters" written in 1979 and "Lost Outside the Tunnel" which was performed by Frame's pre-Aztec Camera band Neutral Blue.[11] The single "Oblivious" was a conscious attempt to write a pop hit.[12] "Down the Dip" was inspired by a local East Kilbride pub located close to Duncanrig Secondary School, Roddy Frame's high school. Originally called "The Diplomat" ("The Dip" for short), it is now called Gardenhall Inn.[13]

Release

Aztec Camera's debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, was produced by John Brand and Bernie Clarke for the Rough Trade record label. The album was released in April 1983 and was distributed in different formats on Domino Recording Co. Ltd. in the US (in addition to Sire), WEA and Celluloid in France, Nuevos Medios in Spain, Powderworks in Australia, MVM Records in Portugal, and WEA for a general European release.[14][9]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
American Songwriter[7]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[15]
Paste8.7/10[16]
Pitchfork8.3/10[8]
PopMatters9/10[17]
Rolling Stone[3]
Select5/5[18]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[19]
Uncut9/10[20]

The album was successful, garnering significant critical acclaim, and peaked at number 129 on the Billboard 200.[13] Frame later revealed that the song "Oblivious" was consciously written as a Top of the Pops-type pop song and received a corresponding degree of popularity.[21] Writing for The New York Times in 1983, music critic Jon Pareles wrote that Aztec Camera "traffic in the sounds of folk-rock" and that "If not for the firmness of the rhythm section and the clever use of echoes, Aztec Camera's High Land, Hard Rain (Sire) might almost have been made 15 years ago."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Roddy Frame.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Oblivious"3:09
2."The Boy Wonders"3:13
3."Walk Out to Winter"3:23
4."The Bugle Sounds Again"2:56
5."We Could Send Letters"5:43
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Pillar to Post"3:59
2."Release"3:41
3."Lost Outside the Tunnel"3:40
4."Back on Board"4:50
5."Down the Dip"2:10
Total length:36:44
1991 CD reissue bonus tracks[22]
No.TitleOriginal releaseLength
11."Haywire"'Oblivious' EP3:57
12."Orchid Girl"'Oblivious' EP2:33
13."Queen's Tattoos""Pillar to Post" b-side2:09
2012 CD reissue bonus tracks[23]
No.TitleLength
11."Queen's Tattoos"2:09
12."Haywire"3:56
13."Orchid Girl"2:32
14."Set the Killing Free"3:45
15."Oblivious [12" mix]"3:49
16."Walk Out To Winter [12" extended version]"7:46
17."Oblivious [12" extended remix]"4:36
2013 reissue bonus 7"[24]
No.TitleLength
1."Boy Wonders (Capitol Radio session)" 
2."Release (Capitol Radio session)" 
3."We Could Send Letters (C81 Version)" 
4."The Bugle Sounds Again (Bedroom Demo)" 
2014 30th Anniversary Edition reissue bonus tracks[25]
No.TitleLength
1."Pillar to Post (original single version)"3:43
2."Queen's Tattoos"2:12
3."Orchid Girl"2:35
4."Haywire"3:59
5."Walk Out to Winter (7") (Tony Mansfield version)"3:48
6."Set the Killing Free"3:47
7."Back on Board (live on CFNY)"4:22
8."We Could Send Letters (live on CFNY)"6:55
9."Walk Out to Winter (Kid Jensen session)"3:34
10."Down the Dip (Kid Jensen session)"2:25
11."Back on Board (Kid Jensen session)"4:17
12."Release (Kid Jensen session)"3:49
13."Walk Out to Winter (John Brand unreleased single mix)"3:25
14."Walk Out to Winter (12") (Tony Mansfield version)"7:48
15."Oblivious (Colin Fairley remix)"3:51
16."Oblivious (Langer/Winstanley remix)"4:37

Personnel
  • Roddy Frame – vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Bernie Clarke – piano, organ
  • Campbell Owens – bass
  • Dave Ruffy – drums, percussion

References
  1. Sean Michaels (28 August 2013). "Roddy Frame to perform Aztec Camera's High Land, Hard Rain in full". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  2. "Top 10: Scotland's all-time favourite albums". The Herald. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  3. Fricke, David (15 September 1983). "Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  4. Jack Whatley (24 June 2020). "From Joni Mitchell to The Fall: LYR's Simon Armitage prescribes 9 of his favourite albums". Far Out. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  5. Emily Barker (24 October 2013). "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 300-201". NME. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  6. Jon Pareles (18 September 1983). "OLD AND NEW ACTS IGNITE A FOLK-ROCK COMEBACK". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. Horowitz, Hal (19 February 2014). "Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain". American Songwriter. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  8. Heller, Jason (4 February 2014). "Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  9. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 35. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  10. Forster, Robert (14 August 2017). Grant & I: Inside and Outside the Go-Betweens. Omnibus. ISBN 978-1785585845. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  11. Davis, Hays Aztec Camera - Roddy Frame on 1983’s “High Land, Hard Rain” Under The Radar 9 April 2014
  12. Aztec Camera interview 1988 Youtube
  13. "ecosse19" (Richard). "AZTEC CAMERA-DOWN THE DIP" (Web site).
  14. Raggett, Ned. "High Land, Hard Rain – Aztec Camera". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  15. Christgau, Robert (1990). "Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. p. 43. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  16. Ham, Robert (4 February 2014). "Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain 30th Anniversary Reissue". Paste. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  17. Folland, Richard (21 February 2014). "Aztec Camera: High Land Hard Rain (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  18. Collins, Andrew (November 1993). "Aztec Camera: High Land Hard Rain". Select. No. 41. p. 96.
  19. Huston, Johnny (1995). "Aztec Camera". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  20. McKay, Alastair (2 January 2013). "Aztec Camera – reissues". Uncut. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  21. "Aztec Camera interview 1988 #1" (Video upload). megumino2 on YouTube. Google, Inc. 28 July 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  22. "Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain (1991, CD)". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  23. "Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain (2012, Expanded Edition, CD)". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  24. "Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain (2013, Gatefold, Vinyl)". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  25. "Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain (2014, digipack, CD)". Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 14 February 2020.


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