| Misguided | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Argyle Park | ||||
| Released | March 21, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | Circle Studio, New York City | |||
| Genre | Industrial rock/metal Worldbeat Punk rock |
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| Length | 65:40 | |||
| Label | R.E.X. Records | |||
| Producer | Celldweller | |||
| Argyle Park chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Phantom Tollbooth | [1] |
Misguided is Argyle Park's first and only album under that name. The album was released by R.E.X. Records into the Christian rock market, and sits alongside other early 90s work by Circle of Dust and Mortal as being instrumental in introducing industrial music to the Christian music scene.
Misguided is a diverse album that combines elements such as techno, metal guitar, ragtime piano, horns, samples, and dark vocals,[2] and is notable for melding industrial metal with electronic dance music, an uncommon mix at the time; members cited influences such as Portishead and jazz being responsible for the experimentation on the album.[3] It also features a wide variety of guest appearances by other alternative Christian bands and mainstream industrial bands of the mid 90s. The lyrics generally center around themes of betrayal, bitterness, and emotional pain, with band members and associates at various times hinting that the album was acting as catharsis for a child abuse situation at the church they all attended while growing up.[3][4][5] The resultant thematic darkness of the album caused its reception to be mixed, with many Christian listeners protesting the lack of positive content, even going so far as to call it "anti-Christian".[3] R.E.X. themselves attempted to censor the band before the album's release, deeming the outro verse of the song "Doomsayer" as being too controversial and cutting it from the song. The band, however, inserted the cut snippet onto the end of the album master tape before R.E.X. noticed and the outro now appears as a hidden track at the very end of the CD. The controversy and backlash caused the band members to shut Argyle Park down two years after conception.[6]
Tommy Victor of Prong wrote the main riff for the song "Doomsayer", and later used this same riff in the Prong song "Controller".[5] Originally released on R.E.X. Records, the album was re-issued as a limited run in 2005 by Retroactive Records with bonus tracks, additional booklet information, and enhanced ROM material on the disc.[7]
Contents |
Following "Uffern", a number of silent tracks, each under a minute long, separated the three hidden features from the bulk of the album and from each other.
Hidden Tracks:
26. Phone Conversation About "Skin Shed" – 2:08
29. Message From Og ("Get It On (Bang A Gong)" Improv) – 1:53
34. Doomsayer (Original Ending) – 0:59
There were only three pressings of the album on vinyl, each of which were given to members of the band. One of these was eventually purchased by a fan, who confirmed that the vinyl edition of the album contained an extra track, "Babylon". This same song had been included on Klay Scott's 1998 Circle of Dust album Disengage, and presumably would have been one of the songs included on Buka's Backwoods Records compilation (see Backwoods on the Argyle Park wiki page).
| Label | Date | Format | Catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R.E.X. Records | 1994 | Compact Disc | REX 410172-2 | |
| stereo LP | Only three copies pressed for the band | |||
| R.E.X. Records | 1995 | Compact Disc | Repressed for R.E.X.'s new distribution deal | |
| Retroactive Records | 2004 | Compact Disc | Enhanced disc with text notes and images |
Most of the contributors to Misguided appeared under aliases or alternate spellings of their commonly known names. Their real identities, if known, are listed here.
Argyle Park – Misguided: Automatapedia
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