Tracklist Preface I II III IV Epilogue Acknowledgements Works Cited
A love letter to the iconic British, post-punk, all-female band The Raincoats.
Jenn Pelly is an editor at Pitchfork. Her work has appeared in SPIN, Nylon, and The Village Voice.
It is a record that could only be made by women, and although Pelly
doesn't labor over this, she does an excellent job of showing its
truth. Pelly writes of how, without any pretension or the slightest
concern for the surface fashion of the movement, The Raincoats
embodied the true expressive spirit of punk, and how these four
women created music that was very much of their lives rather than
by using any proven yet worn-out formulas.
*Under the Radar*
The book is a seamless hybrid of criticism and reportage; Pelly
spent time with the band and visited their old haunts. But what’s
extraordinary is that she doesn’t seem to be recounting the
Raincoats’ early years so much as time-traveling back to the squats
of late-’70s London and mind-melding with each of the four very
different women who came together to make this strange, enchanting
music. Over the years, The Raincoats has become a sort of talisman
for feminist punks, a document that is somehow challenging and
comforting at once. Pelly doesn’t just describe that effect—her
writing recreates it.
*Pitchfork*
Pelly's writing is a pitch-perfect blend of academic references and
a genuine fan's adoration that raises both the band and their debut
record to a status they very much deserve but haven't received
until now.
*Record Collector: Books of 2017*
Recent years have seen some excellent additions to the [33 1/3]
series ... Joining this list is Jenn Pelly's study of The
Raincoats' self-titled debut album.
*The Wire*
The 33 1/3 series of books on individual albums ... is an
intriguing project, and this title is a welcome addition.
*International Times*
One of the strangest and most inspiring of punk rock stories,
finally brought into the light. Jenn Pelly’s brilliant book is a
crucial work of history, not just music history, opening up the
story of how four women formed a band and created a legend, passed
from fan to fan around the world.
*Rob Sheffield, author of Love Is a Mixtape and Dreaming the
Beatles*
Jenn Pelly's The Raincoats brings much-needed attention to the
British post-punk group's landmark self-titled 1979 album. [Pelly]
adeptly traces the connections between The Raincoats' arty,
playfully inventive and boldly feminist music and the
male-dominated classic-rock music scene they were rebelling
against, and also points out how their unpredictable songs still
resonate today.
*LA Weekly*
[An] empathetic, encyclopedic, and eloquent reclamation of the
musical canon. Pelly’s vivid study offers a meticulously detailed
look at the band’s origins, influences, and legacy from their days
squatting in London basements to Kurt Cobain’s passionate
fandom.
*Bookforum*
This book from Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series is more than a history of
The Raincoats' eponymous album. It is a very comprehensive and
entertaining biography up until the release of the album, that also
documents the development of the British punk and post-punk scene
in the 1970s.
*OX-Fanzine (Bloomsbury Translation)*
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