Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)

"Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" is a song written by Chris White and first released on The Zombies 1968 album Odessey and Oracle. It was also released as a single in the US in June 1968, backed by "This Will Be Our Year." It was recorded in one take on 20 July 1967 at EMI Abbey Road Studio No. 3. The song has also been covered by They Might Be Giants, The Immediate, John Wilkes Booze and Chrysanthemums.

"Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)"
Single by The Zombies
from the album Odessey and Oracle
B-side	"This Will Be Our Year"
Released	June 1968
Recorded	20 July 1967
Studio	Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre	Baroque pop
Length	2:48
Label	Date Records
Songwriter(s)	Chris White
Producer(s)	The Zombies
The Zombies singles chronology
"Care of Cell 44" (1967) "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" (1968) "Time of the Season" (1968)

It's an anti-war song set during World War I on the Western Front. It specifically mentions Gommecourt, Thiepval, the woods of Mametz and Verdun in France, where key battles were fought.

Lyrics and music

The lyrics are based on an incident from World War I, a subject in which White took an interest.[1][2] The lyrics tell of a battle from the viewpoint of a soldier in the midst of the fight.[2] Despite the title, the battle White had in mind when writing the lyrics occurred in 1916.[2] The Bee Gees' 1967 song "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was apparently an inspiration for the serious tone of the song.[2] In the album's CD liner notes, Alec Palao calls the song "a thinly-disguised comment on Vietnam."

Instrumentation for "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" is limited to Rod Argent playing harmonium in a manner described by Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald as "odd-sounding."[1] Sound effects are also incorporated to help give the song its strange sound.[1][2] The sound effects were developed by playing a Pierre Boulez album backwards and speeded up.[2] The effect of the harmonium and sound effects is to make the song appear to be an example of musique concrète.[1][2]

Although White wrote the song with the intention that Zombies' lead singer Colin Blunstone would sing it, White ended up singing the song because his weak trembley voice better suited the song.[3][2] Other than a verse in the song "Brief Candles," "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" is White's only lead vocal performance for The Zombies.[2]

Reception

Although, in the words of Dorian Lynskey "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" was the band's "most soberly uncommercial song," Date Records chose it for a single off Odessey and Oracle.[4] This apparently due to the company seeing the song as a metaphor for the Vietnam War, which was emerging as a hot topic at the time, and partly due to the recommendation of Al Kooper, who was championing the band at the time.[1][2][4] The band, however, was surprised that such an uncommercial song was chosen as a single.[4] Not surprisingly, the single sold poorly.[2]

Allmusic critic Matthew Greenwald called it one of The Zombies "strangest and most experimental songs," adding that it provided "a fine strangeness" to the album.[1] Pierre Perrone of The Independent claimed that the song proved that "the band were both of their time and incredibly prescient."[5] Arts writer Matt Kivel called the song a "creepy war ballad" and noted that it showed The Zombies experimenting with instrumentation in more imaginative ways than any other band except The Beatles.[6] Arts writer Mike Boehm called it "one of the greatest anti-war songs in the rock canon" and noted that it is "unsparing in its depiction of war's horrors" and "created characters and vivid, real-life scenes to take the listener into the trenches."[7][8] Music critic Antonio Mendez called it one of the sublime songs on Odessey and Oracle.[9]

Other versions

Chrysanthemums covered "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" on their 1989 version of Odessey and Oracle.[10] Allmusic critic Stewart Mason praised the "sneering hardcore punk setting" the group used for the song, stating that it "fits the horrific wartime imagery perfectly."[10] They Might Be Giants covered the song in 2000 on the multi-artist album Simply Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad About the Loser's Lounge.[11] John Wilkes Booze covered the song in 2004 on Five Pillars of Soul.[12] Jonas Prangerød noted that the John Wilkes Booze version is short and strange.[13] The Immediate covered the song in 2006 on Stop and Remember.[14] The Sound Defects used parts of the speric chorus as samples in their track "War" on The Iron Horse.

References

1. Greenwald, M. "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
2. Russo, G. (1999). Time of the Season: The Zombies Collector's Guide. Crossfire Publications. pp. 34–36. ISBN 9780964815759.
3. Zombie Heaven CD box set booklet, page 51.
4. Lynskey, D. (2011). 33 Revolutions per Minute: A History of Protest Songs, from Billie Holiday to Green Day. HarperCollins. p. 105. ISBN 9780061670152.
5. Perrone, P. (March 12, 2008). "The Zombies, Shepherds Bush Empire, London". The Independent. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
6. Kivel, M. (September 26, 2006). "Odessey and Oracle (1968)". The Michigan Daily. p. 9. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
7. Boehm, M. (November 17, 1994). "Classic of the Week". OC Live. Los Angeles Times (Orange County ed.). p. 5.
8. Boehm, M. (September 15, 1985). "Bryan Adams and Sting: safety vs. risk-taking". Providence Journal. p. H-11.
9. Mendez, A. (2007). Guía del pop y el rock 80 y 90: Aloha poprock (2nd ed.). Editorial Visión Libros. p. 413. ISBN 9788498215694.
10. Mason, S. "Chrysanthemums: Odessey and Oracle". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
11. "Simply Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad About the Loser's Lounge". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
12. Kergen, W. "Five Pillars of Soul". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
13. Prangerød, J. (2004). "Psycho Soul". groove.no. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
14. "The Immediate: Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-13.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics