Mark Eitzel The Ugly American

Very Limited 180g LP pressing (500). Mastered for vinyl at Abbey Road. Seventeen years after it's initial release, Mark Eitzel's 'The Ugly American', a collection of solo and American Music Club reinterpretations performed with traditional Greek musicians is unveiled for the first time on vinyl. The ten tracks cover a varied period of Mark Eitzel's solo output, his band American Music Club's albums, and a sole composition from Greek musician Manolis Famellos ('Love's Humming'). All songs were recorded with the addition of traditional Greek instruments (bouzouki, tzouras, Cretan lyra & zournas) under the guidance of Famellos and his band. At a time when AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB albums where hard to obtain, re-interpretations of 'Western Sky', 'Last Harbour' and 'Jenny' were treated with effervescence and stunning new arrangements. 'Anything' (originally on 'The Invisible Man'), originally a stark and bleak electronica track, is now heightened to a majestic instrumentation opus. The album retains the heartfelt tales of sadness that you would expect from Eitzel in a folk and pastoral context. Today this beautiful recording is revered for it's haunting arrangements and Eitzel's deep warm and rich vocal delivery. A revisionist detour that casts Eitzel's impressive song-writing skills in renewed and sparkling adaptations.