Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?

Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? is the debut studio album by American rock band Harvey Danger. It was initially released by the independent record label the Arena Rock Recording Company on July 29, 1997. The second song on the album, "Flagpole Sitta", received extensive airplay in the United States and resulted in the band's initial fame. As the song gained national attention, the album was picked up and reissued by Slash Records, a label associated with London Records. On July 29, 2014, 17 years to the day after the album's initial release, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? was re-released, for the first time as a vinyl LP, by No Sleep Records.[5] The album has been described by Fuse as "a definitive indie power pop punk record at a time and place where grunge reigned supreme".[6]

Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?
Studio album by
Harvey Danger
ReleasedJuly 29, 1997
RecordedMarch and June 1996, February 1997
StudioJohn & Stu's Place (Seattle, Washington)
Genre
Length42:56
LabelArena Rock
Producer
Harvey Danger chronology
Harvey Danger
(1996)		 Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?
(1997)		 King James Version
(2000)
Singles from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?
  1. "Flagpole Sitta"
    Released: July 13, 1997
  2. "Private Helicopter"
    Released: October 13, 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
NME6/10[2]
Pitchfork7.5/10[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

The album was recorded over three different sessions with John Goodmanson at John & Stu's Place in Seattle, WA.[7] "Private Helicopter", "Terminal Annex", and "Carjack Fever" were recorded on March 16, 1996 and released on a commercially produced cassette tape, titled simply Harvey Danger, which was sold by the band at their shows and sent to music industry professionals. Three more songs ("Flagpole Sitta", "Wooly Muffler", and "Wrecking Ball") recorded at the June 1996 session, were sent on a one-off cassette tape to Slash/London Records at the request of Greg Glover, an intern who was convinced on the strength of the recordings that he should fund a full album. All of the recordings, except one ("Carjack Fever"), became Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? The total cost of the recording was about $3,000.[8]

The album title comes from a line in the song "Radio Silence," which itself may have been inspired by a line from the Paul Newman film Harper. "Private Helicopter" was released to radio on October 13, 1998.[9]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Harvey Danger; all music is composed by Harvey Danger.

No.TitleLength
1."Carlotta Valdez"2:44
2."Flagpole Sitta"3:35
3."Woolly Muffler"4:30
4."Private Helicopter"3:31
5."Problems and Bigger Ones"5:41
6."Jack the Lion"5:30
7."Old Hat"3:48
8."Terminal Annex"3:43
9."Wrecking Ball"4:39
10."Radio Silence" (Includes hidden track after 5:15, a partial recording of "Carjack Fever" played backwards.)5:15/8:26
Total length:42:56

Personnel

Adapted credits from the album's media notes.[10]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Kent-Abbott, David. "Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? – Harvey Danger". AllMusic. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  2. Wirth, Jim (August 13, 1998). "Harvey Danger – Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?". NME. Archived from the original on October 13, 2000. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  3. Josephes, Jason. "Harvey Danger: Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  4. Moon, Tom (May 6, 1998). "Harvey Danger: Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  5. "Harvey Danger - Where have all the merrymakers gone? | No Sleep Records". nosleeprecords.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-31.
  6. Sherman, Maria (July 29, 2014). "Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone: An Interview with Harvey Danger". Fuse. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  7. "Avvanta Communications". Archived from the original on 1999-05-08.
  8. "Gale Musician Profiles: Harvey Danger". Answers.com. Gale. n.d. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  9. "Alternative Reporters" (PDF). Radio & Records: 93. October 2, 1998. ISSN 0277-4860.
  10. Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (media notes). Harvey Danger. Slash. 1997. P2 56000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. "American album certifications – Harvey Danger – Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
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