Fear and Whiskey

This made me think of fusion buffet restaurants... You know when you want to go somewhere nice to eat, and people can't agree on where to go? Always choose somewhere specialised. The pizza place? Great! The Tex-Mex restaurant in the town? Cool! But more than two is a red flag... abs by the time you look at the combination pizza-taco-sushi-outback-spaghetti place, you know that bone of the food will be up to the standard of another place because they're trying to do so freaking much. So a record that's 80s- country- punk- alternative- beat poetry? Yeah, pick a lane. If i wanted to listen to any of those genres, i would have gone to another artist that just did that. And i don't think I'll ever want this particular mix of flavours again, thank you. One of their songs from another album played after this, and when they're just doing punk? Pretty decent! This, however, was tripe.

One of the worst albums I've had on this list

Another album on the list that has no business being here. Super uninfesting British folk-ish rock

I liked a lot of the elements on this album. I could hear some Talking Heads, country/bluegrass beats in there and almost more chaotic verison of Arcade Fire. But overall just didn't fully vibe like I hoped I would

A little more, and the idea will displace creativity itself.

I wasn't in the mood for this.

Pretty dreadful. Punk vocals over random instruments and violins is not a good mix. Only one track (Last Dance) actually resembled a song, the rest was jumbled up nonsense. 1.5/5.

Headache

I just couldn’t do it. Nice for them to have an outlet I guess

Awful in the worst kind of way. Not even fun-bad, just absolute shit. Like watching Master of Disguise in the year 2026, just nothing about it is funny or good anymore. A slog through a collection of sounds that may occasionally get close to sounding musical. Like monkeys on typewriters but the monkeys are eight (yes there are 8 members in this band) British post-punk band and the typewriters are the instruments left in the storage closet of their studio they broke into to record this. Kind of reminds me why I chose not to pursue music as a career. Hard to imagine literally anyone enjoying anything about this. The Wikipedia article says that their "fans" consider this their masterpiece but I can't help to think it's top-tier gaslighting and professional sarcasm. Hard pass, 2/10

This may be one of the most god awful things I've listened to on this list so far.

This album sucks ass. Listening to it was painful, awful and boring. WHY IS IT ON THIS LIST?!

Ok

This was not for me, it might be my headspace but ai don't thonk so I wasn't in the mood for this.

Sounds like all British pop

Music is ok. Did not care for a lot of the vocals.

Wasn't into this one

Really good. I’m quite taken with this record.

nice enough

This was pretty cool. Apparently it’s considered alt country but I don’t feel it was all that countryish. Certainly some elements.

This band made where Were You, so have always been favoured but this is ordinary.

I think this is a really great album. It's kind of in the tradition of The Pogues and Irish or Scottish folk. Maybe Mekons were inspired by American Country, but Appalachian music is just a descendent of Irish and Scottish Folk, as well. But this album is also not just a copy of The Pogues style. It is something a bit different and definitely has its own heart. I would give it 4.5 stars, because I don't think it quite hits a transcendent level, like some Pogues albums, but it is very close and is something special.

Couldn’t get into this or grasp its significance outside of blending punk and country.

noo i acc liked this the strings were a nice touch

Trying not to be too judgmental towards the throngs of British bands that gets thrown at us from the 1900s. Rambling over music does not make you punk.

Fear and Whiskey by the Mekons sounds like what happens when a below-average English punk band is handed the wrong set list, told to play it anyway, and then given the additional instruction to “make it Country and Western.” The result is this album. It’s punk rock that wandered into a honky-tonk, got confused, and apparently decided to stay. There are moments where you can hear what they’re going for, but the whole thing feels like a band experimenting with a musical identity they found in the lost-and-found bin. And this is one of those albums where, when it ends, you don’t think, “Wow, I need to hear that again.” You think, “Wow… that kinda sucked, didn’t it?” A crowning achievement in the “Why the hell was this on the 1001 Albums list?” category. Somewhere along the way, somebody apparently confused important with good and the rest of us have been paying for it ever since.

Not very enjoyable. Haphazard and strange. I had no idea what they were going for at all with this.

De paso, está vacilón, no necesariamente para volver a el muchas veces pero si con un sonido interesante e incluso algo excéntrico manteniendo sus raíces del Reino Unido Lo definiría como un post punk, shoegaze, pop de mediados de los 80s Si se pasa un buen rato en el viaje, pero honestamente requiere de mucho esfuerzo que el álbum crezca en uno con el tiempo

Kind of, somewhat ok country from a jot country band. Honestly I was reading a book and didn’t pay that close of attention.

Based on the description of this album as something of a fusion of punk rock and country, I was excited to hear it. However, I found it largely disappointing. The most overt country elements don't appear until the last four songs, and the songs preceding that point come across as pretentious efforts to put together a concept album without a very clear concept in mind. As an American who ended up missing a lot of British music that made little impact in the states, I'm always hopeful that I'll find a forty- or fifty-year-old gem that slipped past me in my youth. While this certainly seemed to have that potential, it turned out to be yet another mostly nothing burger.

Indie with a Country twist. Or is it Hipster-Country? Either way, it didn't leave much of an impression. Key tracks: Chivarly

A bit of a mess. At intervals it promises something more interesting, but only occasionally delivers.

Disliked some tracks and amazingly liked some.

It was a mess, which was at first an interesting mess, but lost its appeal pretty quickly. I am not sure what it was or what it was trying to achieve…

Started off alright but this got incredibly messy and worse as the album ran on. A number of songs sounded like a pub band getting up on stage unrehearsed and then playing something from memory. There were patches that reminded me perhaps of The Pogues without MacGowan’s drawl, and others of something closer to The Magnetic Fields but the majority of it was too much of a soup of genres, that was left to boil for much too long.

Very strange, mental talking over some loose backing tracks. Sorry but this was not my sort of music

I liked it well enough. It's a weird little alternative country(?) thing, but it sounds alright and is not too unpleasant. Standouts Psyco Cupid - Danceband On the Edge of Time 3/5

Pre Listen: Haven't heard of these fellas. I can't really gleam anything from the album cover, band title, or even album title. Probably gonna be some sort of heavier rock genre..? First album I got no expectations for in a while. Notable Tracks: Trouble Down South - This is awful, least favorite track. This feels like something that would spawn from a group project in a music/theater class from highschool. Post Listen: What in the British ""music"" was that. I have no fucking clue what they were trying to cook here. It felt like the musical version of a hoarders house. Too many genres, too much random shit, but minimal value underneath all the random crap. The vocal work was the weakest part, one of many albums were I wish I could shush the singer until they left the recording studio. The guitarist and drummer have some potential, they were the best elements of most songs, but nothing more than just potential. Normally I like fiddles in a lot of songs, but this particular fiddler was not it. There was no cohesion between songs, and even within songs, minimal cohesion between musical elements. Overall the album was about as palatable as the food that comes from the same region it spawned from. I disliked every song. This album is definitely either a 2 or a 1. I'll go with 1, but it's a high 1 because isolated elements of the album are just alright, if that's any consolation. There's just nothing here that holds any of it together. Album left me fearing what was next, and needing whisky to forget everything I just heard. 1/5

It is a bit odd for me, but reasonable. I wouldn't say it's bad, just different in a way I didn't like.

British alternative country from a punk band. Awesome stuff

Decent album and I can believe that maybe it was influential, but the supposedly important country elements are pretty light, certainly in comparison to the general 80's vibe. Not much later there'd be bands doing a more genuine fusion of county and punk, but maybe this was a breakthrough

It's okay but nothing special.

I'm familiar with the Mekons and liked what I heard but never dug deep. So this was a fun one for me. Lots of variety. The album really take off with Love Hard To Be Human Again, which turns into a driving maelstrom. Then what would be vinyl side 2 really gets moving, with Flitcraft, Country, and a run of great tunes through the final Lost Country. Great listen. I'll come back to this one.

Un miscuglio di folk americano, country e punk, sicuramente ben riuscito. I testi sono molto popolari e le registrazioni di voci e strumenti molto grezzi suppongo per supportare lo stile country e popolare. Metto 3/5 perché non è propriamente il mio genere ma il disco è valido

5.5/10

Pretty,. ugly, funny, serious

ok

Yeah, i liked this. Cant belive ive never heard of them before.

Not one for me this. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to latch onto and enjoy because I can’t find it.

I'm sorry I must be using the wrong list. I got one from 1001 albums you should never hear before you die. This has to be one of the worst things I've ever heard and at may age I've listened to some garbage in my time. Probably doesn't even deserve one star

1-2 rats

The Wikipedia description of the album sounded interesting. A punk band going direction country. But then after listening … no … didn't work. Some songs ok but overall not really good. More like an average pop/rock album.

Really enjoyed this

3.5

From the first 4 songs I was expecting to really like this but it falls off in the second half, still very nice though

4/10

Punk giveth and punk taketh away. I just had a punk album from the Damned that was much better than anticipated. Really full album with a great sound. This was not close to that level. I just find punk singing to be unappealing and unless there is a lot more musicality, I am not a huge fan. This ended up falling into that camp. A relatively inferior record. 2 stars.

A mix of punk and country, with noisy guitar riffs and violin. It was interesting to listen to but I'm not sure it's for me. I feel like I might enjoy it more with a second run through.

The coin is caught between the back of a cat and the unbuttered side of a buttered piece of toast, the two of which were carefully bound with twine. The agglomeration, having been brought together to help me determine whether or not I like this album, is dropped from a height. Heads, I like it; tails, I don't. It never touches the ground. I expected this and didn't, I am nonplussed, much as I imagine this band to have been when they conjured up this aural Jabberwocky. 🌕🌕🌗

This is essentially the dichotomy of man in one musical piece. It was great and it was awful.

Странная хрень, но иногда проскакивала адекватная музыка

Not bad but felt like a joke at times. Once again why on this list.

Meh

Totally whatever. Kinda boring, kinda annoying. Not impressive or really good at all.

Once again-WHY is this on here??? Weird music styles, strange sing song talking over music, and horribly tone deaf vocals. Ew

Some silliness and upbeat music along with a fiddle. This is not what I imagine when I saw the cover. Another pub album.

what a mess. I couldn't get through it

This is a great album. Listening to it felt fresh and full of character. The mix of country and punk works really well, creating a unique sound that stands apart from both genres. The storytelling is strong and carries a rough, lived-in quality that fits the music perfectly. The band sounds loose but purposeful. There is a clear sense of personality in the songs, with a mix of bitterness, humor and quiet observation. Nothing feels polished for the sake of it. The whole record has a dusty, slightly chaotic energy that stays interesting from start to finish. The production is straightforward and effective. It keeps a raw edge while still letting the instruments and voices come through clearly. The sound has a homemade quality that suits the material and adds to the atmosphere rather than getting in the way. Fear and Whiskey remains one of the Mekons’ strongest records. A unique and well realized fusion with real storytelling and a sound of its own.

Incredibly weird. It might be good but I’d need to listen to it a bunch more times and I really can’t be bothered.

Don’t mistake this 3 star rating as saying it’s average. There’s nothing average about this. 3 stars represents utter confusion. I don’t know what I just listened to or how I feel about it.

Album itself: 2 Reviews of the album: 5

Mediocre mix of The Clash and The Cure.

7/10

Fear and Whiskey was...something. The lead singer is doing a David Bowie impression, and it sounds like when Mekons recorded this album, it was the first time the band played together. Just a very odd experience all around.

This made no impression on me

Not bad, but not great.

Never heard of this before. Says first alt country album, and some of its ok but sometimes gets a little too Celtic for me, which I’m not a fan of.

Some weird ass British outsider rock that I thought I’d hate more

Vocals are pretty unpleasant and off putting, and they dont ever seems to mesh with the Folksy twang being put on for the backing. Feels like its trying to capture that free wild child energy including all the unseemly qualities that that entails. Instruments that plop and screech, and lay about. The fiddle/ violin is something to latch onto but doesn't pull it together to be enjoyable.

Gav mig inte så mycket

Lite oklart och inte heller så bra.

Härlig mix!

Den här är nog värd mer.

This is another case where I feel way out of touch with most other reviewers. The average score almost puts it in the bottom of albums on this site, but I thought it was downright delightful. The description saying they combined country and punk definitely feels misleading though. It more so sounds like new wave with the occasional fiddle thrown in. Some of the vocals and production reminded me of The The, another great discovery I’ve had from this list

Crap

I cannot make my mind whether I liked it or not. It sounded like I would have had a really great time on a small live concert with a beer in my hand. 6/10

Beer and whiskey, the perfect combination.

ass

There were threads that I kinda liked…but as a whole no thanks.

This record was not made for me. The vocals and the way they're mixed are grating. I guess musically it's fine enough but honestly... it's like it's doing something and nothing at the same time.

I can see why folks don't like this. Interesting though, you can see the through line to a lot of modern British post-punk. I prefer their 1989 record.

It sounded like the Smiths, I fucking hate the Smiths. Then came the wave of violins etc. I'm glad some people like this, cause I sure don't.

This is fucking terrible. A singer that can't sing, tracks with speaking over crap music, and a completely out of tune fiddle.

This is a joke right?

Utterly forgettable. Listened to the whole thing and I don’t remember one lyric or melody. The best song was a cover.

I love the pink attitude and loose/drunken country vibes. This genre has endured and these guys do it well.

I liked this! It’s pretty cool and interesting! Call me ignorant but i think other bands do and have done this style better. It doesn’t quite SCREAM “alt-country” to me? The only one i think would come closest is the only cover on the record.

British punk pioneers who listened to a lot of American country music decided to mix the two and this was the result. While the punk sensitivity of challenging authority is the theme, specifically a town in the throes of a post-war malaise, crossing it with fiddle and steel guitar give it a sound where you can hear future bands like The Pogues. Good album, probably should've been a little more popular.

Never heard of them. Not bad

Hit and miss. Gave it a relisten. Confirmed that 3 is fair.