Melvins Poll

Melvins seem to be in a reflective state of mind this year, what with their Friday performances at Spaceland of Lysol, Eggnog, Houdini, Bullhead and Stoner Witch, and their upcoming live album. It is time. The descriptions for albums up through 2006 below were rescued from the no-longer existent stonerrock.com forum, by EGO the Living Planet. At the end he wrote "I would say the best places to start for most beginners are the Atlantic albums and Hostile Ambient Takeover. Nirvana fans might want to start with Bullhead. Punkers will want that or Gluey Porch Treatments. Metalheads will want to go with The Maggot. Drone fans should start with Lysol. Sludge fiends will want to start with Gluey Porch Treatments."

Let's see what ILM prefers.

I kept getting errors, so will put the comments here.

10 Songs (C/Z, 1986)(reissued as 26 Songs on Ipecac in 2003 with tons of bonus stuff and improved sound) Great early stuff. I’d maybe wait until you’ve got more just ‘cause the bonus stuff on the reissue is demos and other versions of the same stuff, which is somethin’ that’ll appeal more to fans than the merely curious.

Gluey Porch Treatments (Boner, 1987; Ipecac, 2000) The first full length and a total classic. Obvious influence from Flipper, My War-era Black Flag, and ‘70’s metal (KISS, Black Sabbath) but totally original. Get the Ipecac reissue, ‘cause the dramatically improved sound really helps kick it out from your speaker. Depending on your tastes it maybe a good place to start.

Ozma (Boner, 1989) Another album in the early Flipper/Flag mode. Good stuff and they’re showin’ some growth, but the disc desperately needs a sonic upgrade. The CD also includes Gluey Porch Treatments, but the Ipecac reissue sounds so much better it might as well not. Also the debut of bassist Lori "Lorax" Black (Shirley Temple’s daughter)

Eggnog EP (Boner, 1991) Killer EP. Get it if you find it.

Bullhead (Boner, 1991) Tied as my favorite Melvins album. If yer into pre-Nevermind grunge this would be an excellent place to start.

Lysol (Boner, 1992) The spray people sued so the title’s not on it anymore and it’s often referred to as self-titled. One 30-minute track. Brutally slow and heavy, but also kinda droney. Many folks think this is their definitive release. One of my favorites. A major inspiration to band like Earth, Boris, and Sunn0))).

The KISS style solo albums (Boner, 1992) Buzz`s and Dale`s are great. Joe’s is too, but for fans of Lysol/Earth-type stuff

Houdini (Atlantic, 1993) Another favorite. As others have said, Cobain produced a few tracks and also played guitar on one song. A "desert island" disc for me. There’s a big jump in production value ‘cause they got on a major label. Atlantic must’ve had no idea what they were gettin’ into.

Stoner Witch (Atlantic, 1994) Probably their most accessible album, but very good. Dale in particular is on fire on this one.

Prick (Amphetamine Reptile, 1994) Careful with this one. It’s the first album length manifestation of their weird/experimental side and it’s way too "out there" for most folks. It’s mostly a bunch of weird noises. It`s not a joke like some folks think, but there are some parts I find quite funny. I love it, but it’ll clear a room.

Stag (Atlantic, 1996) The last major label disc. It’s my wife’s favorite Melvins album. Fuckin’ killer. Some great heavy shit and some of their best weirdness.

Honky (Amphetamine Reptile, 1997) The first post major label album, and it’s a bit of a "fuck you" to Atlantic. Dark, weird and atmospheric, but totally engrossing. Another of my favorites.

Singles 1 - 12 (Amphetamine Reptile, 1997) There’s some interesting stuff and some forgettable stuff. Definitely worth hearing for fans, but not for newcomers. It was limited so it’s probably pretty hard to come by now anyway.

Your Choice Live (Your Choice, 1994)

Alive at The Fucker Club (Amphetamine Reptile, 2001) Solid live releases. Both are hard to find. Neither is the absolute live album throw down they could make if they wanted to.

The Maggot (Ipecac, 1999) Their most consistently heavy album. Absolutely brutal. Just try and find another band that would (or could) make an album like this 15 years into their career. A great place for metal heads to start.

The Bootlicker (Ipecac, 1999) Oddly quiet and eerie. Unlike any other Melvins album (except for maybe parts of Honky). Great, but it’s not gonna give much of an idea what the rest is like.

The Crybaby (Ipecac, 2000) Features a different guest on every track, including Mike Patton, Kevin Sharp, Skeleton Key, Tool, Hank III, David Yow, and Leif Garrett (you read that correctly, he joins them for a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"). Everything on it is good, but it doesn’t "flow" well as an album. Interesting for fans, though.

Electroretard (Man’s Ruin, 2001) Another of the weirdo releases. It was on Man’s Ruin and is therefore out of print. Includes some great covers and new, more experimental versions of old stuff. Worth it for the artwork for sure.

Colossus of Destiny (Ipecac, 2001) One hour long noise composition ending with a brutal version of "Eye Flys" from the first album. It’s a great album to kick back and clear the mind to, but most folks find it just too damn hard to love.

Hostile Ambient Takeover (Ipecac, 2002) As it turns out, the last non-collaboration with Kevin Rutmanis on bass. It’s a big fan favorite that has both some absolutely prime ROCK and also stretches out into some neat weird/noise stretches. In some ways I’m even starting to think of it as the quintessential Melvins album, or at least amongst the later Melvins album. Definitely a keeper.

Fantômas And Melvins Big Band - Millennium Monsterwork (Ipecac, 2002) A live album from the Fantomas-Melvins Big Band (all seven members of both bands onstage at once). It was recorded for archival purposes and then released after word got out that it was recorded and Ipecac got flooded with requests. It must have been really fuckin’ cool to watch live. I would absolutely LOVE it if they made a studio record with this line up. The music is cool, but it’s more of a fun one off thing than a serious album. It doesn’t help that the sound quality is about on par with a good bootleg (remember they didn’t record it with the intention of releasing it). Another one that’s good more for fans than the merely curious.

Neither Here Nor There (Ipecac, 2004) The book has some beautiful artwork and some entertaining bathroom reading. The accompanying CD is a solid comp with some nice rarities.

Melvins/Lustmord - Pigs of the Roman Empire (Ipecac, 2004) A collaboration. Has three classic Melvins rockers and some generally long (the title track is 20+ minutes) cinematic instrumental pieces. Definitely succeeds at creating a cool, creepy atmosphere. They really expand on some ideas from COD, HAT, Electroretard and Honkey in a nice way. A very strong release. Not for those who just want the rock.

Jello Biafra And The Melvins - Never Breathe What You Can`t See (Alternative Tentacles, 2004) Another collaboration. This is more of a Jello Biafra album than a Melvins album for sure. The Melvins sound like LARD and Black Flag on this. Very good, but only if you’re into Jello.

Mangled Demos (Ipecac, 2005) Early demos from the original lineup (pre-Dale Crover!) They were a surprisingly good Black Flag style hardcore band. Good stuff, but it’s the only place you’ll ever hear the Melvins sound even a little bit generic.

Jello Biafra And The Melvins - Sieg Howdy! (Alternative Tentacles, 2005) The second collaboration with Jello Biafra feels less like an "album" than an EP or a mix tape, if you know what I mean. That`s it`s charm though. There`s some great new songs ("Voted Off the Island" is my favorite), a great remix by Dalek (and I HATE remixes, so don`t take that compliment lightly), and a hilarious update of "California Uber Allis" with lyrics about "the Governator." It`s lots of fun, especially if you`re a Jello fan too.

A Live History of Gluttony and Lust (Ipecac, 2006) A rippin’ live recording of a show where they played the Houdini album in it’s entirety. Some of the songs were never intended to be played live, so they’ve been changed around some for this recording. There’s some stellar bass work form guest bassist Trevor Dunn. A very nice treat for fans, but not somethin’ I would recommend for a starter. My only complaint is that there isn’t more of this (like stuff from other albums).

A Senile Animal (Hydra Head, 2006) After the departure of longest term ever bassist Kevin Rutmanis, the Melvins recruited both members of Big Business (bassist Jared Warren and SECOND drummer Coady Willis). The result is one of the most hard driving (if not THE most hard driving) records of their career. It’s also strangely possibly the most accessible album they’ve ever done. It’s probably a good place for beginners, and longtime fans won’t want to miss this fist pumping, high energy rock-a-thon/percussion avalanche.

Nude With Boots (Ipecac, 2008) The second album with the same double-drums lineup, and the band has tightened up, with the trademark lumbering heaviness accented by several concise, almost sprightly fast cuts, with more dips into tuneful melody than ever.

Chicken Switch (Ipecac, 2009) Remixes from Matmos, Lee Ranaldo, Boredoms' Yamatsuka Eye, Acid Mothers Temple's Kawabata Makota and Merzbow, mostly warping the original material beyond recognition.

The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac, 2010) Another surprisingly accessible album, together with A Senile Animal and Nude With Boots, might compare favorably to their Atlantic trilogy.

Sugar Daddy Live (Ipecac, 2011) This live set was recorded at The Busta-Guts Club in Downey, CA, and will feature fan favorites such as "Boris," "A History of Bad Men," "The Kicking Machine," "Rat Faced Granny," "Civilized Worm," their cover of "The Star Spangled Banner" and seven others. It will be released on May 31.

Poll Results

― Fastnbulbous, Tuesday, 15 March 2011 21:03 (thirteen years ago) link