Hello, today's band were the first post-punk band to revel in the slow, sludgy sounds of Black Sabbath. Their music is oppressively slow and heavy, only without any of the silly mystical lyrics or the indulgent guitar solos; it's just one massive, oozing pile of dark slime. Their first record was released in 1987; they've released many albums since then, but it wasn't until 1993 that they went to a major label, thanks to their protégé, Kurt Cobain. While some may find them dull and repetitious, their place in rock history is interesting, even if considered to be just a footnote. N'joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, the same town that produced Nirvana's Cobain and Krist Novoselic. Melvins were formed in early 1983 by Buzz Osborne (guitar/vocals), Matt Lukin (bass) and Mike Dillard (drums) who all went to Montesano Jr./Sr. High School in Montesano, Washington. In the beginning they played Cream and Jimi Hendrix covers, and also began playing fast hardcore punk. When Dillard left the band, Dale Crover took his place, and the band's rehearsals moved to a back room of Crover's parents house in Aberdeen, Washington. Soon afterward, they started to play songs slower and "heavier" than nearly anyone else at the time.
In 1985, C/Z Records was created to document the Washington music scene, the label released Deep Six, featuring four songs by Melvins. In 1986 the band released their debut, the Six Songs EP, on C/Z Records (later releases expanded and retitled this as 8 Songs, 10 Songs, and eventually 26 Songs in 2003 on Ipecac Recordings). The album was recorded live to a two track at Ironwood, February 8, 1986. In December 1986, they recorded their first full-length album, Gluey Porch Treatments, at Studio D in Sausalito, California. The album was released in 1987 on Alchemy Records. It was expanded again for the 1999 rerelease on Ipecac Recordings with some garage demos.
Crover played drums with Nirvana when they recorded a ten song demo on January 23, 1988 in Seattle, which later formed part of their debut LP Bleach, and played a live show in Tacoma later that day. Osborne would later introduce Cobain and Krist Novoselic to Dave Grohl. Later that year Osborne and Crover relocated to San Francisco, California. Lukin stayed and formed the band Mudhoney. Lori "Lorax" Black (daughter of Shirley Temple) replaced Lukin on bass. The band recorded Ozma in May 1989, and released it later that year. The album was produced by Mark Deutrom, who later joined the band on bass.
In 1990, the band recorded Bullhead, which marked a slower, more drone-oriented style for the band. The band then toured Europe; their January 23, 1991 show in Alzey, Germany was released by Your Choice Records as Your Choice Live Series Vol.12. When they returned to the U.S., they recorded the Eggnog EP, which was released the same year on Boner Records. Lorax left the band, and was replaced by Joe Preston. Preston appears on the Salad of a Thousand Delights (1992, Box Dog Video). Melvins then released three "solo" EPs, following the concept and imitating the cover artwork inspired by the four Kiss members' solo albums released in 1978. King Buzzo, Dale Crover, and Joe Preston were all released in 1992 on Boner Records. Later in 1992, they released the full-length album, Lysol, which had to be renamed Melvins because Lysol was a trademarked name. Preston departed from the band, and Lorax briefly rejoined.
For Nirvana and many other Seattle-area bands, The Melvins' sludge was inspirational; the younger bands took the Sabbath-styled heaviness of The Melvins, while adding an equally important pop song structure, which the group tended to lack. While all of their disciples became famous after Nirvana broke big in 1991 (including Mudhoney, which featured former Melvins bassist Matt Lukin), The Melvins only expanded their cult slightly.
When Nirvana's Nevermind became a massive, unexpected success, Melvins were one of many groups to benefit from Nirvana's support. They were signed by Atlantic Records, and their first major label release, 1993's Houdini, entered the Billboard Heatseekers chart at 29. Mark Deutrom replaced Lorax on bass shortly after the album's release. Melvins released their second album for Atlantic in 1994, Stoner Witch. Due to its experimental nature, Melvins took their next album, Prick, to Amphetamine Reptile Records. Record label conflicts prevented the band from releasing any records under the name "Melvins", so the album was released with the band name written in mirror. They returned to Atlantic one last time for 1996's Stag, which entered the Heatseekers chart at number 33. The band was dropped by Atlantic Records in 1997 after three albums.
The band signed with Amphetamine Reptile Records and released their next full-length album, Honky, in 1997. They recorded an August 1997 concert in Richmond, Melbourne, Australia as Alive at the F*ckerclub in 1998. The same year, Melvins opened for Tool. (A humorous picture on the Tool website depicts the Melvins along with the words "Melvins say...Tool Sux!" spelled out in lunch meat. The photo was taken while on tour with Tool in 2002 in Australia.) In 1998, the Melvins played the second stage at Ozzfest.
1999 saw the beginning of a partnership with Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings, which began remastering and reissuing much of the band's back catalog. The band also released three full-length albums dubbed (and later packaged together as) The Trilogy: The Maggot, The Bootlicker, and The Crybaby. The latter featured a number of guest vocalists and musicians. Kevin Rutmanis, formerly of The Cows, was bassist during this era.
In 2001, the band returned to their experimental tendencies for Colossus of Destiny, a live set of synthesizer and sampler experiments presented as two tracks (one clocking in at 59:23 and the other at five seconds). The album was described approvingly by one critic as "more like avant-garde electro-acoustic than anything else." In 2004, Osborne and Crover toured to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, and also released an art book Neither Here Nor There. The book is a collection of art by creators of their cover art as well as friends of the band, and also contained retrospectives on the past twenty years of the Melvins. The book included a CD with selected tracks from their albums.
In 2004 Melvins collaborated with ambient artist Lustmord for Pigs of the Roman Empire and with Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra for Never Breathe What You Can't See and Sieg Howdy! released in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Never Breathe What You Can't See was supported by a mini-tour with Jello Biafra and Adam Jones from Tool. A planned European tour was canceled in early October 2004 reportedly due to unknown complications(drug abuse) involving Rutmanis. In June 2005, Rutmanis officially left the band with drug abuse rumored as the major cause. When Melvins toured with Jello Biafra in October and November 2005, David Scott Stone filled in on bass.
In early 2006, Crover confirmed rumors of the members of the band Big Business joining Melvins. Commenting on adding another drummer, Crover said this about Big Business drummer Coady Willis: "He's left-handed, so we want to do this 'mirror image' type of thing. We've kind of fused our two drum sets together, and we're going to try and do some crazy thing with it. We're sharing these big toms in between us." The merged bands toured the U.S. in the fall of 2006 in support of their album, (A) Senile Animal. The long rumoured (since 2003) remix CD Chicken Switch was released on September 29, 2009 via Ipecac Recordings. Unlike usual remix CDs where the remixer is given a single track to work with, for Chicken Switch each remixer was given a full album to work with and pull from to create their track. They released their follow up to Nude with Boots, entitled The Bride Screamed Murder, on June 1, 2010.
In early 2011 they had the unfortunate distinction of being on tour first in Christchurch, New Zealand at the time of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake then in Tokyo, Japan at the time of the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. Melvins also have a lineup called Melvins Lite (Buzz, Dale, and Trevor Dunn) that toured through parts of 2011. This line-up released an album entitled Freak Puke on June 15, 2012 on Ipecac Recordings. In 2012, Melvins Lite completed a record-breaking tour, having performed every night for 51 straight days, once in each of the 50 United States and once in the District of Columbia. The tour started on September 5 in Anchorage, Alaska and ended in Honolulu, Hawaii October 25, 2012.
Mixing things up even further, the band teamed up with a host of guests, including the likes of Jello Biafra and J.G. Thirlwell, for Everybody Loves Sausages, an album of covers that arrived in 2013. In 2013, Melvins are marking 30 years as a band with an extensive summer tour supported by Honky, Die Kreuzen and Negative Approach. Grunge pioneers Mudhoney will also join the band for two shows on the Melvins' 30th Anniversary tour. On August 5, 2013, Melvins announced a new album, titled Tres Cabrones, that reunites Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover with the band's original drummer Mike Dillard. Crover replaced Dillard in 1984 and has moved over to bass for the new album. Tres Cabrones was released on November 5, 2013 on the band's longtime label Ipecac.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Much has been said about the Melvins' formative years -- they inspired Kurt Cobain to start a band, they single-handedly invented grunge by slowing down punk rock to a snail's crawl (etc., etc.). But as evidenced by the majority of the songs that comprise Mangled Demos from 1983, there was very little metal in their sound at this time, as they started as a noisy punk band. Granted, they were one heck of a noisy punk band, as evidenced by such speed-of-light thrashers as "If You Get Bored," "I'm Dry," and "The Real You." But the biggest standout here is a great take of their early classic, "Set Me Straight," which obviously served as a blueprint for Nirvana's Bleach. Also included is a funny beginning bit, where the original Melvins' lineup was asked to play an Elks Lodge Christmas Broadcast, complete with observations from announcers that sound straight out of a Wide World of Sports broadcast from the '70s. Also, you get some extensive, yet uncredited, liner notes from Buzz Osborne (who has a bit of venom to vent regarding a certain member of Metal Church), as he explains what the suburbs of Olympia, Washington were like before the great grunge gold rush of the early '90s. With surprisingly good sound throughout (especially for a collection of "old mangled demos"), this is a must-have for Melvins addicts.
Melvins - Mangled Demos from 1983 ( flac 280mb)
01 Elks Lodge Christmas Broadcast 3:55
02 If You Get Bored - Live Radio 2:22
03 Forgotten Principles 1:09
04 Snake Appeal 1:59
05 Untitled (Flower Symbol) 1:08
06 If You Get Bored 1:33
07 Set Me Straight 2:31
08 Untitled (Star Symbol) 1:02
09 I'm Dry 1:35
10 Forgotten Principles 1:20
11 I Don't Know 1:35
12 Matt-Alec 3:00
13 The Real You 1:28
14 Run Around 1:45
15 Keep Away From Me 1:22
16 Untitled (3 Leaf Clover Symbol) 1:02
17 Bibulous Confabulation During Rehearsal 4:59
18 Untitled (Iron Cross Symbol) 1:21
19 Untitled (Pencil Symbol) 1:10
20 Matt-Alec 3:14
21 "Walter" 3:22
22 Untitled (Scissors Symbol) 0:23
23 Untitled (Airplane Symbol) 0:24
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The second and last album done with Lukin keeps the Melvins' freak flag flying. Starting with the slow-as-hell "Eye Flys," which, if nothing else, shows off Osbourne's skill at monster soloing while Crover and Lukin play a rhythm that would be too slow even for funerals, Gluey Porch Treatments is, to a large extent, more of the same. Then again, with the possible exception of St. Vitus, not many other bands out there were embracing the love of sludge metal monstrosities as the threesome was (just compare it what Ozzy Osbourne himself was doing at the time). "Exact Paperbacks" alone would have eaten most purportedly loud groups for breakfast without even trying. The combination of sudden, herky-jerky thrash (but not thrash metal) and epic stomp and sprawl once again did wonders here. Meanwhile, Osbourne's attempts to remold the singing on "God of Thunder" into a new guise for the underground ("Bitten Into Sympathy" in particular sounds like the ultimate fusion of Gene Simmons' voice and Tony Iommi's riffs) means his voice once more sounds just ridiculously perfect. Drawn-out syllables at the end of lines descending into murk, bellowing half-understandable insanities, flanged warbles and squeals: It's all there. Crover has some great fun with drums at points -- check out the start of "Influence of Atmosphere," where the echo on his fills and pounds just makes it all the more nuttily dramatic, or the equally strong conclusion of "Leech." Besides the title track, other examples of the band's perverse wit via song title includes "Steve Instant Newman" and the perfectly descriptive "Heaviness of the Load." After being unavailable for years, Gluey Porch Treatments finally got rereleased in 2001 with a slew of demo cuts perfect for pounding your head further into your torso.
Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments (flac 358mb)
01 Eye Flys 6:16
02 Echo/Don't Piece Me 2:51
03 Heater Moves And Eyes 3:52
04 Steve Instant Neuman 1:31
05 Influence Of Atmosphere 1:51
06 Exact Paperbacks 0:43
07 Happy Gray Or Black 2:01
08 Leeech 2:32
09 Glow God 0:51
10 Big As Mountain 0:57
11 Heaviness Of The Load 3:06
12 Flex With You 0:54
13 Bitten Into Sympathy 1:45
14 Gluey Porch Treatments 0:48
15 Clipping Roses 0:49
16 As It Was 2:51
17 Over From The Excrement 4:39
Unreleased Garage Demos
18 Echohead 0:32
19 Flex With You 0:58
20 Don't Piece Me 2:20
21 Bitten Into Sympathy 1:30
22 Exact Paperbacks 0:46
23 Glow God/Big As Mountain 1:55
24 Heaviness Of The Load 3:04
25 Happy Gray Or Black 1:59
26 Heater Moves And Eyes 4:29
27 Gluey Porch Treatments 0:52
28 Eye Flys 3:11
29 Clipping Roses 0:53
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
With Black in on bass and the band relocated to San Francisco, the Melvins started, in a subtle way, exploring and developing their already-trademark sound further. The genre-dipping and out-of-nowhere efforts of later years were still some distance off, to be sure, but moments like the vocal/drum-only part on "Oven" and the needle-thin feedback treatment punctuating "Revulsion/We Reach" (along with occasional chimes) show more chances already being taken. Osbourne's tribute to Ozzy reaches new heights throughout -- opening track "Vile" in particular blends that and the running Gene Simmons fascination into a twisted monster, insistent, unnerving, and threatening all at once. "Green Honey" is another great, one of the quicker songs (at least comparatively speaking) going off as a slightly echo-shrouded Osbourne fires off a few quick rambles. Crover once again is the band's not secret weapon, as the clattering start of "Agonizer" and the subtle but spot-on tempo shifts on "Claude" make clear. Black's bass playing is steady-as-it-goes enough not to get in the way of anything, and she and Crover make enough bedrock thump for Osbourne to let loose with both his pipes and his guitar. Whether it's the creepily calm start of "Let God Be Your Gardener," plucking rather than bulldozing forward for once, or the grinding do-not-pass-go attack of "Raise a Paw," Ozma is out for blood and gets it. Killer song titles this time out include "Ever Since My Accident" and "Cranky Messiah." The random what-the-hell moment is right at the end, though -- "Candy-O," a cover of the Cars song that shouldn't work but actually does the business. Also fun -- consider the lead-guitar melody of "Love Thing" and how it oddly resembles Pearl Jam's breakthrough hit "Alive" from a few years later.
Melvins - Ozma (flac 227mb)
01 Vile
02 Oven
03 At A Crawl
04 Let God Be Your Gardener
05 Creepy Smell
06 Kool Legged
07 Green Honey
08 Agonizer
09 Raise A Paw
10 Love Thing
11 Ever Since My Accident
12 Revulsion / We Reach
13 Dead Dressed
14 Cranky Messiah
15 Claude
16 My Small Percent Shows Most
17 Candy-O
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, the same town that produced Nirvana's Cobain and Krist Novoselic. Melvins were formed in early 1983 by Buzz Osborne (guitar/vocals), Matt Lukin (bass) and Mike Dillard (drums) who all went to Montesano Jr./Sr. High School in Montesano, Washington. In the beginning they played Cream and Jimi Hendrix covers, and also began playing fast hardcore punk. When Dillard left the band, Dale Crover took his place, and the band's rehearsals moved to a back room of Crover's parents house in Aberdeen, Washington. Soon afterward, they started to play songs slower and "heavier" than nearly anyone else at the time.
In 1985, C/Z Records was created to document the Washington music scene, the label released Deep Six, featuring four songs by Melvins. In 1986 the band released their debut, the Six Songs EP, on C/Z Records (later releases expanded and retitled this as 8 Songs, 10 Songs, and eventually 26 Songs in 2003 on Ipecac Recordings). The album was recorded live to a two track at Ironwood, February 8, 1986. In December 1986, they recorded their first full-length album, Gluey Porch Treatments, at Studio D in Sausalito, California. The album was released in 1987 on Alchemy Records. It was expanded again for the 1999 rerelease on Ipecac Recordings with some garage demos.
Crover played drums with Nirvana when they recorded a ten song demo on January 23, 1988 in Seattle, which later formed part of their debut LP Bleach, and played a live show in Tacoma later that day. Osborne would later introduce Cobain and Krist Novoselic to Dave Grohl. Later that year Osborne and Crover relocated to San Francisco, California. Lukin stayed and formed the band Mudhoney. Lori "Lorax" Black (daughter of Shirley Temple) replaced Lukin on bass. The band recorded Ozma in May 1989, and released it later that year. The album was produced by Mark Deutrom, who later joined the band on bass.
In 1990, the band recorded Bullhead, which marked a slower, more drone-oriented style for the band. The band then toured Europe; their January 23, 1991 show in Alzey, Germany was released by Your Choice Records as Your Choice Live Series Vol.12. When they returned to the U.S., they recorded the Eggnog EP, which was released the same year on Boner Records. Lorax left the band, and was replaced by Joe Preston. Preston appears on the Salad of a Thousand Delights (1992, Box Dog Video). Melvins then released three "solo" EPs, following the concept and imitating the cover artwork inspired by the four Kiss members' solo albums released in 1978. King Buzzo, Dale Crover, and Joe Preston were all released in 1992 on Boner Records. Later in 1992, they released the full-length album, Lysol, which had to be renamed Melvins because Lysol was a trademarked name. Preston departed from the band, and Lorax briefly rejoined.
For Nirvana and many other Seattle-area bands, The Melvins' sludge was inspirational; the younger bands took the Sabbath-styled heaviness of The Melvins, while adding an equally important pop song structure, which the group tended to lack. While all of their disciples became famous after Nirvana broke big in 1991 (including Mudhoney, which featured former Melvins bassist Matt Lukin), The Melvins only expanded their cult slightly.
When Nirvana's Nevermind became a massive, unexpected success, Melvins were one of many groups to benefit from Nirvana's support. They were signed by Atlantic Records, and their first major label release, 1993's Houdini, entered the Billboard Heatseekers chart at 29. Mark Deutrom replaced Lorax on bass shortly after the album's release. Melvins released their second album for Atlantic in 1994, Stoner Witch. Due to its experimental nature, Melvins took their next album, Prick, to Amphetamine Reptile Records. Record label conflicts prevented the band from releasing any records under the name "Melvins", so the album was released with the band name written in mirror. They returned to Atlantic one last time for 1996's Stag, which entered the Heatseekers chart at number 33. The band was dropped by Atlantic Records in 1997 after three albums.
The band signed with Amphetamine Reptile Records and released their next full-length album, Honky, in 1997. They recorded an August 1997 concert in Richmond, Melbourne, Australia as Alive at the F*ckerclub in 1998. The same year, Melvins opened for Tool. (A humorous picture on the Tool website depicts the Melvins along with the words "Melvins say...Tool Sux!" spelled out in lunch meat. The photo was taken while on tour with Tool in 2002 in Australia.) In 1998, the Melvins played the second stage at Ozzfest.
1999 saw the beginning of a partnership with Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings, which began remastering and reissuing much of the band's back catalog. The band also released three full-length albums dubbed (and later packaged together as) The Trilogy: The Maggot, The Bootlicker, and The Crybaby. The latter featured a number of guest vocalists and musicians. Kevin Rutmanis, formerly of The Cows, was bassist during this era.
In 2001, the band returned to their experimental tendencies for Colossus of Destiny, a live set of synthesizer and sampler experiments presented as two tracks (one clocking in at 59:23 and the other at five seconds). The album was described approvingly by one critic as "more like avant-garde electro-acoustic than anything else." In 2004, Osborne and Crover toured to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, and also released an art book Neither Here Nor There. The book is a collection of art by creators of their cover art as well as friends of the band, and also contained retrospectives on the past twenty years of the Melvins. The book included a CD with selected tracks from their albums.
In 2004 Melvins collaborated with ambient artist Lustmord for Pigs of the Roman Empire and with Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra for Never Breathe What You Can't See and Sieg Howdy! released in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Never Breathe What You Can't See was supported by a mini-tour with Jello Biafra and Adam Jones from Tool. A planned European tour was canceled in early October 2004 reportedly due to unknown complications(drug abuse) involving Rutmanis. In June 2005, Rutmanis officially left the band with drug abuse rumored as the major cause. When Melvins toured with Jello Biafra in October and November 2005, David Scott Stone filled in on bass.
In early 2006, Crover confirmed rumors of the members of the band Big Business joining Melvins. Commenting on adding another drummer, Crover said this about Big Business drummer Coady Willis: "He's left-handed, so we want to do this 'mirror image' type of thing. We've kind of fused our two drum sets together, and we're going to try and do some crazy thing with it. We're sharing these big toms in between us." The merged bands toured the U.S. in the fall of 2006 in support of their album, (A) Senile Animal. The long rumoured (since 2003) remix CD Chicken Switch was released on September 29, 2009 via Ipecac Recordings. Unlike usual remix CDs where the remixer is given a single track to work with, for Chicken Switch each remixer was given a full album to work with and pull from to create their track. They released their follow up to Nude with Boots, entitled The Bride Screamed Murder, on June 1, 2010.
In early 2011 they had the unfortunate distinction of being on tour first in Christchurch, New Zealand at the time of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake then in Tokyo, Japan at the time of the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. Melvins also have a lineup called Melvins Lite (Buzz, Dale, and Trevor Dunn) that toured through parts of 2011. This line-up released an album entitled Freak Puke on June 15, 2012 on Ipecac Recordings. In 2012, Melvins Lite completed a record-breaking tour, having performed every night for 51 straight days, once in each of the 50 United States and once in the District of Columbia. The tour started on September 5 in Anchorage, Alaska and ended in Honolulu, Hawaii October 25, 2012.
Mixing things up even further, the band teamed up with a host of guests, including the likes of Jello Biafra and J.G. Thirlwell, for Everybody Loves Sausages, an album of covers that arrived in 2013. In 2013, Melvins are marking 30 years as a band with an extensive summer tour supported by Honky, Die Kreuzen and Negative Approach. Grunge pioneers Mudhoney will also join the band for two shows on the Melvins' 30th Anniversary tour. On August 5, 2013, Melvins announced a new album, titled Tres Cabrones, that reunites Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover with the band's original drummer Mike Dillard. Crover replaced Dillard in 1984 and has moved over to bass for the new album. Tres Cabrones was released on November 5, 2013 on the band's longtime label Ipecac.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Much has been said about the Melvins' formative years -- they inspired Kurt Cobain to start a band, they single-handedly invented grunge by slowing down punk rock to a snail's crawl (etc., etc.). But as evidenced by the majority of the songs that comprise Mangled Demos from 1983, there was very little metal in their sound at this time, as they started as a noisy punk band. Granted, they were one heck of a noisy punk band, as evidenced by such speed-of-light thrashers as "If You Get Bored," "I'm Dry," and "The Real You." But the biggest standout here is a great take of their early classic, "Set Me Straight," which obviously served as a blueprint for Nirvana's Bleach. Also included is a funny beginning bit, where the original Melvins' lineup was asked to play an Elks Lodge Christmas Broadcast, complete with observations from announcers that sound straight out of a Wide World of Sports broadcast from the '70s. Also, you get some extensive, yet uncredited, liner notes from Buzz Osborne (who has a bit of venom to vent regarding a certain member of Metal Church), as he explains what the suburbs of Olympia, Washington were like before the great grunge gold rush of the early '90s. With surprisingly good sound throughout (especially for a collection of "old mangled demos"), this is a must-have for Melvins addicts.
Melvins - Mangled Demos from 1983 ( flac 280mb)
01 Elks Lodge Christmas Broadcast 3:55
02 If You Get Bored - Live Radio 2:22
03 Forgotten Principles 1:09
04 Snake Appeal 1:59
05 Untitled (Flower Symbol) 1:08
06 If You Get Bored 1:33
07 Set Me Straight 2:31
08 Untitled (Star Symbol) 1:02
09 I'm Dry 1:35
10 Forgotten Principles 1:20
11 I Don't Know 1:35
12 Matt-Alec 3:00
13 The Real You 1:28
14 Run Around 1:45
15 Keep Away From Me 1:22
16 Untitled (3 Leaf Clover Symbol) 1:02
17 Bibulous Confabulation During Rehearsal 4:59
18 Untitled (Iron Cross Symbol) 1:21
19 Untitled (Pencil Symbol) 1:10
20 Matt-Alec 3:14
21 "Walter" 3:22
22 Untitled (Scissors Symbol) 0:23
23 Untitled (Airplane Symbol) 0:24
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The second and last album done with Lukin keeps the Melvins' freak flag flying. Starting with the slow-as-hell "Eye Flys," which, if nothing else, shows off Osbourne's skill at monster soloing while Crover and Lukin play a rhythm that would be too slow even for funerals, Gluey Porch Treatments is, to a large extent, more of the same. Then again, with the possible exception of St. Vitus, not many other bands out there were embracing the love of sludge metal monstrosities as the threesome was (just compare it what Ozzy Osbourne himself was doing at the time). "Exact Paperbacks" alone would have eaten most purportedly loud groups for breakfast without even trying. The combination of sudden, herky-jerky thrash (but not thrash metal) and epic stomp and sprawl once again did wonders here. Meanwhile, Osbourne's attempts to remold the singing on "God of Thunder" into a new guise for the underground ("Bitten Into Sympathy" in particular sounds like the ultimate fusion of Gene Simmons' voice and Tony Iommi's riffs) means his voice once more sounds just ridiculously perfect. Drawn-out syllables at the end of lines descending into murk, bellowing half-understandable insanities, flanged warbles and squeals: It's all there. Crover has some great fun with drums at points -- check out the start of "Influence of Atmosphere," where the echo on his fills and pounds just makes it all the more nuttily dramatic, or the equally strong conclusion of "Leech." Besides the title track, other examples of the band's perverse wit via song title includes "Steve Instant Newman" and the perfectly descriptive "Heaviness of the Load." After being unavailable for years, Gluey Porch Treatments finally got rereleased in 2001 with a slew of demo cuts perfect for pounding your head further into your torso.
Melvins - Gluey Porch Treatments (flac 358mb)
01 Eye Flys 6:16
02 Echo/Don't Piece Me 2:51
03 Heater Moves And Eyes 3:52
04 Steve Instant Neuman 1:31
05 Influence Of Atmosphere 1:51
06 Exact Paperbacks 0:43
07 Happy Gray Or Black 2:01
08 Leeech 2:32
09 Glow God 0:51
10 Big As Mountain 0:57
11 Heaviness Of The Load 3:06
12 Flex With You 0:54
13 Bitten Into Sympathy 1:45
14 Gluey Porch Treatments 0:48
15 Clipping Roses 0:49
16 As It Was 2:51
17 Over From The Excrement 4:39
Unreleased Garage Demos
18 Echohead 0:32
19 Flex With You 0:58
20 Don't Piece Me 2:20
21 Bitten Into Sympathy 1:30
22 Exact Paperbacks 0:46
23 Glow God/Big As Mountain 1:55
24 Heaviness Of The Load 3:04
25 Happy Gray Or Black 1:59
26 Heater Moves And Eyes 4:29
27 Gluey Porch Treatments 0:52
28 Eye Flys 3:11
29 Clipping Roses 0:53
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
With Black in on bass and the band relocated to San Francisco, the Melvins started, in a subtle way, exploring and developing their already-trademark sound further. The genre-dipping and out-of-nowhere efforts of later years were still some distance off, to be sure, but moments like the vocal/drum-only part on "Oven" and the needle-thin feedback treatment punctuating "Revulsion/We Reach" (along with occasional chimes) show more chances already being taken. Osbourne's tribute to Ozzy reaches new heights throughout -- opening track "Vile" in particular blends that and the running Gene Simmons fascination into a twisted monster, insistent, unnerving, and threatening all at once. "Green Honey" is another great, one of the quicker songs (at least comparatively speaking) going off as a slightly echo-shrouded Osbourne fires off a few quick rambles. Crover once again is the band's not secret weapon, as the clattering start of "Agonizer" and the subtle but spot-on tempo shifts on "Claude" make clear. Black's bass playing is steady-as-it-goes enough not to get in the way of anything, and she and Crover make enough bedrock thump for Osbourne to let loose with both his pipes and his guitar. Whether it's the creepily calm start of "Let God Be Your Gardener," plucking rather than bulldozing forward for once, or the grinding do-not-pass-go attack of "Raise a Paw," Ozma is out for blood and gets it. Killer song titles this time out include "Ever Since My Accident" and "Cranky Messiah." The random what-the-hell moment is right at the end, though -- "Candy-O," a cover of the Cars song that shouldn't work but actually does the business. Also fun -- consider the lead-guitar melody of "Love Thing" and how it oddly resembles Pearl Jam's breakthrough hit "Alive" from a few years later.
Melvins - Ozma (flac 227mb)
01 Vile
02 Oven
03 At A Crawl
04 Let God Be Your Gardener
05 Creepy Smell
06 Kool Legged
07 Green Honey
08 Agonizer
09 Raise A Paw
10 Love Thing
11 Ever Since My Accident
12 Revulsion / We Reach
13 Dead Dressed
14 Cranky Messiah
15 Claude
16 My Small Percent Shows Most
17 Candy-O
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
2 comments:
any chance of re upping The Melvins ?
sweet ! ...tanx
Post a Comment