- The Raincoats · 1979
- The Raincoats · 1979
- The Raincoats · 1979
- The Raincoats · 1979
- The Raincoats · 1979
- The Raincoats · 1979
- Moving · 1984
- The Raincoats · 1979
- The Raincoats · 1979
- Odyshape · 1981
- The Raincoats · 1979
- The Raincoats · 1979
- Odyshape · 1981
Essential Albums
- The all-female British band The Raincoats—championed by Kurt Cobain in the early ‘90s—released three studio albums between 1979 and 1984. Their self-titled debut had a fiercely independent flavor that didn’t quite fit the post-punk mold of the time. With scratchy violin, spare guitar/bass, and polyrhythmic layers of clattering percussion, The Raincoats mined the sort of tribal, off-kilter territory that The Slits were also exploring then. (In fact, in 1979 Slits drummer Palmolive left her band of three years for The Raincoats.) Songs alternate between primitive folk and gutsy punk—with art-school flair—as the vocals veer from sweetly flat and off-key to shouty choruses and sour mewling. Gems not to miss are the first single, “Fairytale in the Supermarket” (not on the original album), “No Side to Fall In,” a cover of The Kinks’ “Lola,” and the bittersweet “In Love.” The Raincoats is a priceless piece of rock history. Cool notes: Mayo Thompson of The Red Krayola was a producer here, and Lora Logic of X-Ray Spex contributed sax work. Palmolive left the band shortly after this release, embraced Christianity, and moved to the U.S.
Albums
- 1984
- 1983
- 1981
- 1979
Music Videos
- 2006
Artist Playlists
- Schoolgirl yelps and shambolic guitars from decades-spanning post-punkers.
Singles & EPs
More To Hear
- The Raincoats founder on her solo LP I Play My Bass Loud.
About The Raincoats
It is not an exaggeration to call the Raincoats one of the most important British bands of the late 1970s. Releasing three albums on the famed Rough Trade label, the Raincoats (composed of an all-female lineup) played music that was punk only in the sense that it defied pop conventions and gender expectations at nearly every turn. In the process, the band inspired myriad off-shoots of punk and D.I.Y. music, from Riot Grrrl to twee pop to Sonic Youth and Nirvana. The Raincoats' albums remained out of print for many years until, at the insistence of Kurt Cobain, their first three albums were reissued on Geffen in the mid-'90s. In the following years, the band made live appearances and reissued material from their back catalog. ~ Rovi Staff
- ORIGIN
- London, England
- FORMED
- 1977
- GENRE
- Alternative