Oedipus Schmoedipus

Oedipus Schmoedipus is an album by the English musician Barry Adamson, released in 1996.[2][3] Like Adamson's previous albums, Oedipus Schmoedipus was conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film.[4] The album peaked at No. 51 on the UK Albums Chart.[5]

Oedipus Schmoedipus
Studio album by
Barry Adamson
Released1996
StudioGT Eden; Worldwide Studios, London
LabelMute[1]
ProducerBarry Adamson
Barry Adamson chronology
Soul Murder
(1992)		 Oedipus Schmoedipus
(1996)		 As Above, So Below
(1998)

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" appears in the David Lynch film Lost Highway.[6]

Production

The album was produced by Adamson.[7] Nick Cave cowrote and contributed vocals to "The Sweetest Embrace", while Jarvis Cocker cowrote and sang on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis".[8][9] Billy Mackenzie sang on "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls".[10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[1]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]
Muzik[12]
NME7/10[13]
Pitchfork8.1/10[14]

NME called the album "too cool to be cringingly kitsch, too deep to be flaky."[13] Pitchfork stated that "with 13 tracks that sound like they could take form and commit acts of homicide on their own, the former Bad Seed's creation is undeniably ... alive."[14]

The Guardian determined that "Adamson's psychogeographical soundtracks snag your head and won't let go: he's made a (bad) dream of a music that simulates mainstream accessibility but is drenched with the maker's own terrors, memories, fixations."[15] Rolling Stone thought that "Adamson can brilliantly—and without words—suggest entire movie scenes with dizzying combinations of dance beats, jazz phrases, finger-snapping big-band arrangements, luscious strings and even references to '60s French pop."[16]

AllMusic wrote that "Adamson's skill in layering and devising unusual sound textures still qualifies him as one of experimental rock's more imaginative composers and producers."[11] Dave Thompson referred to the album as a "supreme slab of disturbance-with-a-(bit of a)-beat."[17]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Barry Adamson, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis"Adamson, Jarvis Cocker5:37
2."Something Wicked This Way Comes"Adamson, Adrian Thaws, Andrew Vowles, Charles Blackwell, Grant Marshall, Harry Middlebrooks, Jacques Datin, Maurice Vidalin, Mike Shapiro, Robert Del Naja4:32
3."The Vibes Ain't Nothin' but the Vibes" 4:48
4."It's Business as Usual"Adamson, Carla Bozulich, John Napier4:28
5."Miles"Miles Davis5:26
6."Dirty Barry" 7:25
7."In a Moment of Clarity" 4:12
8."Achieved in the Valley of Dolls"Adamson, Billy Mackenzie4:26
9."Vermillion Kisses" 3:02
10."The Big Bamboozle" 3:33
11."State of Contraction" 1:37
12."The Sweetest Embrace"Adamson, Nick Cave4:46
13."Set the Controls Again" 1:32

Personnel
  • Barry Adamson - lead vocals
  • Mark De Lane Lea, Ken Low - guitar
  • Richard Hand - classical guitar
  • Jarvis Cocker - vocals on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis"
  • Billy Mackenzie - vocals on "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls"
  • Nick Cave - vocals on "The Sweetest Embrace"
  • Seamus Beaghen - Hammond organ, piano
  • Pete Wyman - saxophone, clarinet
  • Ileana Ruhemann - alto flute
  • Carla Bozulich, John Napier - voice overs on "It's Business As Usual"
  • Miranda Gooch - storyteller on "Vermillion Kisses"
  • Beverley Skeete, Chantel Mapp, Roy Hamilton, Zeeteah Massiah - backing vocals
  • Atticus Ross - programming and sounds on tracks 1-6
  • Ivor Wimborne - additional programming
  • Audrey Riley, Billy McGee - string arrangements
Technical
  • Kevin Petrie - recording
  • Barry Adamson, Simon Henwood - sleeve concept
  • Steve Gullick - cover photography, still from Philippe Garrel's Le Révélateur

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 51.
  2. "Barry Adamson Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. Unsworth, Cathi (27 July 1996). "Mummy's boy". Melody Maker. 73 (30): 47.
  4. "Barry Adamson Oedipus Schmoedipus". The Independent. Pop Albums. 2 August 1996. p. 10.
  5. "BARRY ADAMSON | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  6. Laderman, David; Westrup, Laurel (19 April 2014). Sampling Media. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-994931-1 – via Google Books.
  7. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 8.
  8. Dalziell, Tanya; Welberry, Karen (13 May 2016). Cultural Seeds: Essays on the Work of Nick Cave. Routledge. ISBN 9781317156253 – via Google Books.
  9. Sturdy, Mark (15 December 2009). Truth And Beauty: The Story Of Pulp. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857121035 – via Google Books.
  10. "The Quietus | Features | Strange World Of... | Memento Mori: The Strange World Of… Barry Adamson". The Quietus.
  11. "Oedipus Schmoedipus - Barry Adamson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. Bush, Calvin (September 1996). "Barry Adamson: Oedipus Schmoedipus" (PDF). Muzik. No. 16. p. 132. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  13. "NME.COM - BARRY ADAMSON - Oedipus Schmoedipus - 27/7/1996". 17 August 2000. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000.
  14. "Barry Adamson: Oedipus Schmoedipus: Pitchfork Review". 16 August 2000. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000.
  15. Pennman, Ian (26 July 1996). "Barry Adamson at the controls". The Guardian. p. T10.
  16. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (31 October 1996). "Oedipus Schmoedipus". Rolling Stone. No. 746. p. 70.
  17. Thompson, Dave (19 December 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306076 – via Google Books.
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