''Oedipus Schmoedipus'' is an album by the English musician

Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com. is an English pop and rock music ...

, released in 1996. Like Adamson's previous albums, ''Oedipus Schmoedipus'' was conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film. The album peaked at No. 51 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" appears in the

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

film '' Lost Highway''.

Production

The album was produced by Adamson.

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

cowrote and contributed vocals to "The Sweetest Embrace", while

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp (band), Pulp, he became a reluctant figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Cocker h ...

cowrote and sang on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis".

Billy Mackenzie William MacArthur MacKenzie (27 March 1957 – 22 January 1997) was a Scottish singer and songwriter, known for his distinctive high tenor voice. He was the co-founder and lead vocalist of post-punk and new wave band the Associates. He also h ...

sang on "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls".

Critical reception

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' called the album "too cool to be cringingly kitsch, too deep to be flaky." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' stated that, "with 13 tracks that sound like they could take form and commit acts of homicide on their own, the former Bad Seed's creation is undeniably ... alive." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' determined that "Adamson's psychogeographical soundtracks snag your head and won't let go: he's made a (bad) dream of a music that simulates mainstream accessibility but is drenched with the maker's own terrors, memories, fixations." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' thought that "Adamson can brilliantly—and without words—suggest entire movie scenes with dizzying combinations of dance beats, jazz phrases, finger-snapping big-band arrangements, luscious strings and even references to '60s French pop."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that "Adamson's skill in layering and devising unusual sound textures still qualifies him as one of experimental rock's more imaginative composers and producers." Dave Thompson referred to the album as a "supreme slab of disturbance-with-a-(bit of a)-beat."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Barry Adamson, except where noted.

Personnel

*Barry Adamson - lead vocals *Mark De Lane Lea, Ken Low - guitar *Richard Hand - classical guitar *

- vocals on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis" *

- vocals on "Achieved in the Valley of Dolls" *

- vocals on "The Sweetest Embrace" *Seamus Beaghen - Hammond organ, piano *Pete Wyman - saxophone, clarinet *Ileana Ruhemann - alto flute *

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, John Napier - voice overs on "It's Business As Usual" *Miranda Gooch - storyteller on "Vermillion Kisses" *Beverley Skeete, Chantel Mapp, Roy Hamilton,

Zeeteah Massiah Zeeteah Silveta Massiah (born December 24, 1956) is a Barbadian-born British singer particularly associated with reggae, jazz and house music. In a wide-ranging career she has recorded and/or toured with artists including Robbie Williams, Tom ...

- backing vocals *

Atticus Ross Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and audio engineer. He is best known for his work with American musician Trent Reznor, with whom he first worked on the musical project Tapewo ...

- programming and sounds on tracks 1-6 *Ivor Wimborne - additional programming *

Audrey Riley Audrey Riley is an English cellist and string arranger. Career Riley trained at the Guildhall School of Music with Leonard Stehn. She was a cellist for Virginia Astley from 1983 to 1986 and a one-time auxiliary member of the Family Cat. Ril ...

, Billy McGee - string arrangements ;Technical *Kevin Petrie - recording *Barry Adamson, Simon Henwood - sleeve concept *Steve Gullick - cover photography, still from

Philippe Garrel Philippe Garrel (; born 6 April 1948) is a French director, cinematographer, screenwriter, film editor, and producer, associated with the French New Wave movement. His films have won him awards at Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and ...

's '' Le Révélateur''

References

{{Authority control Barry Adamson albums 1996 albums Mute Records albums