The third album from what could be called
the Mekons' "soused socialist hillbilly-punks from Leeds" period, 1987's
Honky Tonkin' built on the
country-influenced musical and lyrical themes of
Fear and Whiskey and
The Edge of the World, where the boozy ambience of classic Nashville sounds found a sympathetic ear among this pack of political and emotional underdogs. As a set of songs,
Honky Tonkin' isn't quite up to the standards of the previous two albums, which creatively kick started the band after a period of inactivity, but as an album
Honky Tonkin' is one of the band's best efforts. Touring and frequent visits to the recording studio had tightened up
the Mekons' sound a bit ("tight" being a highly relative concept), and while it's many miles away from slick, the more full-bodied engineering and production on
Honky Tonkin' was a decided improvement on the often hollow and slapdash recording of
Fear and Whiskey. And given a sympathetic recording environment for a change,
the Mekons truly delivered the goods; the rollicking sway of
"Kidnapped" and
"Keep Hoppin'" finds room for a boozy joy in an unfriendly world, while the bitterness and defeat of
"Spit" and
"I Can't Find My Money" put a sympathetic human face on this band's class-conscious rage. And while this album didn't contain
the Mekons' first stab at the 19th century protest song
"The Trimdon Grange Explosion," this version was a remarkable meeting of
folk-rock's earnestness and
punk's spitting wrath which ranks with the group's most powerful recorded moments. Just short of a masterpiece, and one of the high points of
the Mekons' twangy period. ~ Mark Deming
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