by David Wilikofsky
It’s never been clear to me why Barbara Manning isn’t better known. Active throughout the eighties and nineties, Manning was part of a variety of legendary underground projects (World of Pooh, SF Seals) in addition to putting out some stellar solo recordings. She was signed to Matador and was opening for acts like Yo La Tengo, Pavement and Sonic Youth, but she doesn’t have the same profile today as many of her tourmates and labelmates. It’s a shame. Manning put out some of the best rock albums of the 90s, and we’re here today to talk about one of my personal favorites, 1212.
The obvious place to start are the first four tracks, a suite called “The Arsonist’s Story”. Manning conceived of these songs as a mini rock opera, telling the story of a troubled young man and his family. The songs shift perspective multiple times, narrating from the point of view of the arsonist and his mother. Manning marries the narrative of the songs with the music. Guitars crescendo as the mother realizes in horror her son is responsible for the crimes she sees on TV. The son flatly talks about how he “love[s] to watch it burn” as the backing track creeps along. It ends with Manning repeating “the best thing you could do / is not come to my rescue“, the sentiment matched by the gauzy, melancholic backing track. As a whole it’s both wildly ambitious and unlike anything her contemporaries in the indie rock space were doing.
Aside from “The Arsonist’s Story”, Manning only contributed three original songs to the album. I actually only learned this while preparing this post; my teenage self only recognized “End Of The Rainbow“, penned by the great Richard Thompson. That is a testament to how seamlessly Manning integrates these songs into her world. Perhaps the most impressive transformations is “Rickity Tickity Tin”, a cover of Tom Lehrer’s “The Irish Ballad”. The original is a parody of traditional murder ballads, but Manning’s interpretation is dead serious and suffused with dread. Elsewhere she jams over a Neu! riff and covers The Deviants and Amon Düül, yet you never feel like you’re listening to anyone other than Manning.
1212 is a perfect entry point into Manning’s discography because it captures so much of what makes her special. It’s always been evident that Manning is equal parts fan and musician; this is someone who recorded an album with Stuart Moxham (Young Marble Giants) and Jon Langford (The Mekons) called Barbara Manning Sings With The Original Artists (not to mention In New Zealand, which features members of The Clean and The Bats). She’s someone who celebrates musical history as much as she contributes to it, and that approach is evident on1212. It’s an album made by and for music fans, drawing lines between genres and eras in a celebration of what music is and can be. It’s also an album that places Manning right where she belongs: amongst the greats.