Jandek plays a very strange and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but his lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of Eastern Texas.
Barely a handful of people claim to have contacted Jandek, whose steadfastness in anonymity is legendary. Without any conventional attempts at promotion, he releases albums through his own record label Corwood Industries, which is addressed at a Houston post office box. Fans can write to Corwood for a typewritten catalogue and order Jandek’s albums, usually at inexpensive prices. Jandek’s work has been available on vinyl and on compact discs. Many of his albums feature pictures of the same young man (seen above) at various ages; in light of Jandek's live performances it is almost entirely certain that the person featured on the album covers is Jandek himself.
Jandek’s first album, Ready for the House (1978), was first accredited to a band called “The Units” but it was obviously a solo work. Jandek presumably plays acoustic guitar and has recorded much of his work apparently unaccompanied (assuming that the person singing is also the person playing guitar). However many other songs feature female vocals and/or different male vocalists. Others feature bass guitar, electric guitar and/or drums, presumably played by collaborators. No proper credits list has ever appeared on an album, but song titles have included "Nancy Sings" and "John Plays Drums".
Some of Jandek’s allure stems from his small but devoted fan base which has included Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain, Indian Jewelry, and K Records founder Calvin Johnson.
The mystery of Jandek's identity was partially resolved in October 2004 when Jandek performed live in Scotland, at the Instal 04 music festival in Glasgow. This was Jandek's first known live appearance and performed with Richard Youngs (bass) and Alex Neilson (drums). The man on stage was obviously the same man who appears on the album covers. Corwood stipulated that the performance was not publicized in advance. Since then, "The Representative of Corwood Industries" (as Jandek sometimes insists on being called) has played a lot of concerts and recorded all of them for future releases. The last years have seen an even higher release frequency, even for Jandek.
For more information, you may go here:
www.tisue.net/jandek
www.jandekoncorwood.com
Plenty
Jandek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know why but I must keep listening
You must you must keep listening
I don't know why but I must, I must keep listening
The lyrics to Jandek's song "Plenty" reflect the singer's obsessive need to keep listening to something, despite not knowing why. The repetition of the phrase "You must you must keep listening" emphasizes the singer's urgency, almost as if they are pleading with themselves to continue. The repetition of "I don't know why but I must keep listening" further emphasizes the singer's confusion and desperation.
Perhaps the singer is referring to a specific song, or even the act of listening to music in general. The ambiguity of the lyrics allows for different interpretations, but the overall feeling is one of compulsive behavior. The repetition of these phrases throughout the song creates a hypnotic effect, drawing the listener into the same sense of urgency and confusion.
Overall, "Plenty" is a haunting and introspective exploration of the human need for stimulation and the search for meaning in that stimulation.
Line by Line Meaning
You must you must keep listening
It is imperative that you continue to listen
I don't know why but I must keep listening
Despite my lack of understanding, it is important that I continue to listen
You must you must keep listening
It is imperative that you continue to listen
I don't know why but I must, I must keep listening
Despite my confusion, it is crucial that I persist in listening
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KEVIN HEWICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pandalilpig
heroic folk wizard
@isaac1265
Thanks for uploading all of these, Jandek’s discography is so vast so it’s nice to be able to explore all his records easily. I plan on eventually buying some CDs from the Corwood website, so being able to sample most of them before buying is great
@GCSoundArtifacts
This album happens to have two of my very favorite Jandek's songs: "Hey Mister Can You Tell Me" and "Take My Will". I just really enjoy the way this album was recorded, the beautiful microtonal guitar tuning and it's a noticeable technical improvement from Sterling's guitar playing as well. Despite being a spiritual sucessor to "Graven Image", "Glad To Get Away" has a superior quality in the repertoire because there's no wasting moment.
@tomfurgas2844
Although this is listed as "Graven Image" it is actually the subsequent album "Glad To Get Away", Corwood 0752.
@slinkyparader
Fixed it, sorry about that
@tomfurgas2844
@slinkyparader Thanks, Slinky. Jandek made so many albums it's easy to get them mixed up. Especially this one, which cover looks almost identical to "Graven Image".
@chrisguitarpiano1348
Thanks for these. Will you be able to upload more anytime soon?
@slinkyparader
Hopefully I'll have more to upload by the end of the month. Apologies for the late response.
@deaddude419
Will you be continuing to upload more albums?
@slinkyparader
Yes, as soon as possible. Apologies for the lack of activity.