Requiem for a Harlequin

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Requiem for a Harlequin
DACoe harequin.png
Studio album by
David Allan Coe
Released1970
GenreSpoken word
Length31:39
LabelSSS International
David Allan Coe chronology
Penitentiary Blues
(1970) 		Requiem for a Harlequin
(1970) 		The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3/5 stars[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music3/5 stars[2]

Requiem for a Harlequin is the second album by David Allan Coe.[3][4] It was released in 1970 on SSS International Records.[5] There are no track names; side one is named, "The Beginning" and side two, "The End".

It is a concept album in which Coe repeatedly uses the phrase "Asphalt Jungle" to describe the life he grew up in. Reoccurring themes include hard tales of life, love, relationships, the Civil Rights Movement, 60's Counter Culture ideology, and modern society. The record is entirely spoken word (self described by Coe in recent years as "The first rap album") with backing musical style encompassing a wide variety of genres including rock and roll, blues, folk, and gospel.

The liner notes on the back of the album cover describe how David Allan Coe and his foster father, Jack, wrote the lyrics to the album serving time in a maximum security block in an Ohio prison.

Critical reception[]

Phoenix New Times called Requiem for a Harlequin a "politically charged psychedelic concept album ... a stylistic aberration [that] presaged Coe's fondness for the outré and counter-establishment."[6]

Track listing[]

All songs written by David Allan Coe

  1. "The Beginning" (Side A) - 15:59
  2. "The End" (Side B) - 15:40

References[]

  1. ^ AllMusic
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 2: MUZE. p. 449.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ Thrasher, Don (10 Dec 2010). "THE RENEGADE: DAVID ALLAN COE IS AN ENDURING OUTLAW LEGEND". Dayton Daily News: G4.
  4. ^ The Comprehensive Country Music Encyclopedia. Times Books. 1994. p. 73.
  5. ^ "Artist Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  6. ^ "David Allan Coe Versus Insane Clown Posse". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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