Kevin Coyne - Case History

Another under-appreciated classic reissued on 180-gram vinyl by 4 Men With Beards

"Singer-songwriter Kevin Coyne's first solo recording is a triumphant, if occasionally bleak, look at life's outsiders. Using his time as social worker in a government-run mental hospital as a basis for his narratives, Coyne deals with issues of intense alienation, indifference, substance abuse (to which he was no stranger), and mental instability in a world that would rather forget these people existed, and a labyrinthine governmental bureaucracy that often denied their humanity. This is not a happy record, and is only infrequently hopeful, but it's never cynical, and neither does Coyne indulge in glib condescension. He acts as a subjective documentarian, an advocate for a group of people who desperately need one." — All Music Guide

Coyne, who died in 2004, spent much of the 1960s working with the mentally disabled, and his song writing is informed by a deep concern for the plight and mistreatment of those who have been tossed off by society. A bit of an outsider himself, he eschewed record industry pressure and maintained focus on his singular artistic vision.

Side 1

1. God Bless The Bride

2. White Horse

3. Uggy's Song

4. Need Somebody

5. Evil Island Home

Side 2

6. Araby

7. My Message To The People

8. Mad Boy

9. Sand All Yellow

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