Red House Painters (Bridge)

Red House Painters
Studio album by Red House Painters
Released	October 18, 1993
Recorded	Summer 1992 – spring 1993
Studio	Undisclosed recording studio on Divisadero Street, San Francisco[1]
Genre	Folk rock, slowcore
Length	45:01
Language	English
Label	4AD
Producer	Mark Kozelek
Red House Painters chronology
Red House Painters (1993) Red House Painters (1993) Shock Me EP (1994)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]
Pitchfork	7.9/10[4]

Red House Painters (also known as Bridge or Red House Painters II to distinguish it from the first eponymous album, also known as Rollercoaster or Red House Painters I) is the third album by the group Red House Painters, released on October 18, 1993 by 4AD. The album is made up of songs from the same recording sessions for Rollercoaster.

At the beginning of the album opener "Evil," the faint laughter of Mark Kozelek and the barely audible voice of a woman playfully saying "No" can be heard. Both “Evil” and “Uncle Joe” were re-recorded versions of early demos, originally recorded sometime between 1989 and 1992. The album also includes two covers: a sunny version of "I Am a Rock" by Simon and Garfunkel, and Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner", which displays an off-beat dark humor. An acoustic version of the song "New Jersey" was on Red House Painters I. In the US, 4AD added the Shock Me EP as bonus tracks to the CD when the RHP catalog was reissued in 1999, to bring the total number of tracks to 12.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mark Kozelek, except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Evil"		7:21
2.	"Bubble"		5:30
3.	"I Am a Rock"	Paul Simon	5:32
4.	"Helicopter"	Kozelek, Jerry Vessel	5:22
5.	"New Jersey" (Electric Version)		4:24
6.	"Uncle Joe"		5:58
7.	"Blindfold"		8:26
8.	"The Star-Spangled Banner"	Francis Scott Key, John Stafford Smith; arranged by Mark Kozelek	2:28

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"Shock Me"	Ace Frehley	4:49
10.	"Sundays and Holidays"		3:00
11.	"Three-Legged Cat"		1:41
12.	"Shock Me" (Acoustic) / "(Untitled Instrumental)" (Hidden Track)	Frehley; Kozelek	10:40

Release history

Country	Date	Label	Format	Catalogue #
United Kingdom	October 18, 1993	4AD	CD	CAD 3016 CD
			LP	CAD 3016
	July 6, 1998		CD (reissue)	GAD 3016 CD
United States	October 19, 1993	Warner Bros. Records	CD	9 45441-2
	November 2, 1999	4AD	CD (reissue with 4 bonus tracks)	GAD 3016 CD
Japan	January 26, 1994	Nippon Columbia	CD	COCY-75898

Notes

• Images by Simon Larbalestier.

"I Am a Rock"/"New Jersey" single

Although no commercial singles were ever released from the album, a promotional-only CD single was issued for "I Am a Rock" in October 1993. In the US, a one-track promo featuring the radio edit was released; similarly, in the UK, a double A-side promo single, backed with "New Jersey" (Electric Version), was issued.[5]

Warner Bros./4AD, PRO-CD-5498:

1. "I Am a Rock" (Edit) – 4:44

4AD, RHP 1 CD (UK):

1. "I Am a Rock" (Edit) – 4:44
2. "New Jersey" (Electric Version) – 4:24

References

1. Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD, by Martin Aston. Page 416. Published by The Friday Project, 2013.
2. AllMusic review
3. "Rollercoaster/Bridge. RollingStone. Nov 1993".
4. "Red House Painters: Box Set". Pitchfork.
5. Red House Painters - I Am A Rock (CD, Single, Promo) at Discogs