Album: Gossip
Year: 1986
There was a bit of an Australian invasion during the 1980s, probably sparked off by the surprising success of Men At Work, but throughout the decade, band like Hoodoo Gurus, The Church and Midnight Oil made splashes and even had hit singles, which, of course led to even more Australian signings.
One of those signings was a singer/songwriter named Paul Kelly, who along with his band — renamed from the problematic “Coloured Girls” (a “Walk on the Wild Side” reference) to the more generic “Messengers” — made music that somehow split the middle ground between Lloyd Cole & The Commotions and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
And while I never loved Paul Kelly’s music as much as those two, I’ll forever recommend his two mid-1980s albums — 1986’s Gossip and 1987’s Under The Sun — as great examples of mainstream-adjacent rock of the 1980s; only a break away from crossing over in a big way. That said, it probably wouldn’t have been a song like “The Execution,” which felt more like a beloved album cut than a hit single.
But what a album cut! Anchored by Steve Connolly’s twisting and turning guitar hook that continually bounces off Michael Barclay’s toms, “The Execution” is all mood piece, expertly shifting from quiet almost whispery parts to big, noisy rock.
The monstrous has become mundane
Routine takes the place of pain
Voici le temps des assassins
You’re addicted to revolution
Addiction is no revolutionnnnnnnnnnnnn
According to Google Translate, “voici le temps des assassins” is French for “here is the time of the assassins.” And while I normally find singing a line of French in the middle of an English song to be très prétentieux, in the case of “The Execution” it totally works; probably because Kelly goes all in with it.
In the middle of “The Execution” the song breaks down to a kick drum and a hi-hat, some meandering guitars and Kelly repeats it over and over and over, his voice a little more than a whisper.
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Then, slowly, his voice gets louder, as a snare drum comes in every few measures, while he just keeps it going.
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Then finally, Kelly’s voice gets more desperate, the beat gets louder, faster and more straightforward.
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assassins
Voici le temps des assass-ass-sinnnnnns
And with that last “Voici le temps des assass-ass-sinnnnnns!!” guitarist Connolly swoops in with a loud, melodic guitar solo that twists and turns upon itself, as everything is suddenly cranked up to 11, and now Kelly is fully chuffed, having the time of his life as he’s now totally screaming.
Voici le temps des assassins!
Voici le temps des assassins!
Voici le temps des assassins!
Voici le temps des assassins!
Voici le temps des assassins!
Voici le temps des assassins!
Voici le temps des assassins!
Voici le temps des assassins!
And at the end of this Connolly comes back it, wending his way around the amazing riff that opened the song, taking “The Execution” to its fade.
I wouldn’t say that “The Execution” is a typical Paul Kelly song — it’s structured too weirdly and is more dependent of mood and feel than his more straightforward songs, but it’s still a pretty killer thing.
“The Execution”
“The Execution” performed live in 1986
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