Houdini (album)

Houdini
Studio album by
Melvins
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1993 (1993-09-21)
Recorded1992–1993
Genre
Length54:44
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Melvins chronology
Lysol
(1992) 		Houdini
(1993) 		Prick
(1994)
Singles from Houdini
  1. "Hooch"
    Released: 1993
  2. "Lizzy"
    Released: 1993
  3. "Honey Bucket"
    Released: 1993

Houdini is the fifth studio album by American rock band Melvins, released on September 21, 1993, by Atlantic Records. The album was the band's major label debut after releasing their previous albums through the independent label Boner Records.

The album features a cover of the 1974 Kiss song "Goin' Blind". The songs "Hooch", "Lizzy", and "Honey Bucket" were released as singles with accompanying music videos. "Night Goat" is a partial re-recording of a song the band had released as a single in 1992. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain is given co-production credit alongside the Melvins on six tracks, for guitar on the song "Sky Pup" and percussion on the song "Spread Eagle Beagle".

Background and recording

Melvins were signed, without a manager, to Atlantic Records by label president Danny Goldberg, at the enthusiastic suggestion of Kurt Cobain. Part of their deal ensured total creative control, with no label representatives allowed to enter the studio as the group recorded their work, and Atlantic were forbidden from sitting on or shelving their recordings if they were not satisfied with them. Houdini was the first of three albums they recorded for the company.[1]

Kurt Cobain was accepted by Melvins as a producer to the album after an A&R at Atlantic Records, who also ran Cobain's management company, suggested him.[2] Despite receiving a co-producer credit, the extent of Cobain's involvement in the album is questionable. Andrew Earles, who included Houdini on his book Gimmie Indie Rock (2014), stated that Cobain allegedly slept through most of the sessions.[3] Jonathan Burnside, a collaborator of Melvins and engineer on Houdini, remembered: "It's not easy reminiscing about making the album Houdini with Kurt Cobain and the Melvins. Bad communication, drugs, major label profiteering, rehab, schedule blowouts, backstabbing, and album miscrediting... it was a devil's album."[4] Speaking to Kerrang! in 2008, Melvins guitarist and vocalist Buzz Osborne, who later said in 2009 that Cobain was "in no shape to produce anything",[2] remembered:

"Houdini was the first album we did for Atlantic Records and certainly our biggest selling record, although not so much that I could put a down-payment on a new Rolls or something! It came on the whole tidal wave of Nirvana stuff and I'm sure if it weren't for that we wouldn't have had interest from a major at all. We wanted to do a record that wouldn't alienate our fans, but we wanted to do one that we would like. We also knew we weren’t gonna be dusting off a platinum album any time soon, you know? We did a bunch of sessions with Kurt Cobain [producing], but it got to the point where he was so out of control that we basically fired him and went our separate ways, which is unfortunate, because I think that would have been fun. Obviously that was a little snapshot of what would end up happening and I don't have a whole lot of fond memories of that – it was an absolute tragedy."[5]

Though the album's liner notes list Lorax as the band's bassist, she does not appear to have played on the album. On the credits for bass, Osborne stated: "This album is mostly just me and Dale Crover. Either I played bass or he did on almost all of it regardless of what the credits say…"[6]

The album's cover art features an illustration by graphic designer Frank Kozik.

Music and composition

Houdini features a sludge metal,[7][8] grunge,[9] and doom metal sound.[3] Spin critic Jonathan Gold described the record as "not precisely an accessible mainstream album in the 'alternative' mode, not with its random-sounding ten-minute percussion solo, mumbled, cut'n'paste Beef-heartian lyrics, and tempos so slow they make Flipper seem as speedy as Slayer."[10] Earles thought that the album showcases two different versions of Melvins: "a noticeably better variety of the slow, ungodly heavy, yet melodic off-kilter doom-metal with which the band had made its mark in previous years, and speedier fare, like a thick and weird sludge-thrash driven by catchy, inspired songwriting."[3] AllMusic's Patrick Kennedy regarded the album as a "full fruition" of the outfit's "syrupy distillation of Sabbath riffage and Flipper's noisy anti-punk" that was originally pried open on their Eggnog (1991) and Bullhead (1991) releases.[11]

"Pearl Bomb" features a ticking electronic beat,[12] with percussion that has been compared to a stuck typewriter,[13] while "Spread Eagle Beagle" is a "clanky percussion solo".[12] Consisting solely of percussion, the latter track has been described as a prank; it does not build to a climax, as per Cream's "Toad" (1966) or Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick" (1969), but rather "clatters obstinately until the distances between the drum thwacks grow so long that it's almost as if you’re listening to a parody of CD-era albums whose bonus tracks come after a long silence."[13]

Release and critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Chicago Tribune[14]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[15]
Pitchfork7.7/10[13]
Spin[10]

Houdini is considered Melvins' commercially biggest release. It has sold 110,000 copies[16] and peaked at number 29 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. The track "Honey Bucket" also received MTV airplay.[17]

AllMusic critic Patrick Kennedy wrote: "With their voluminous output and determination to continuously expand their sound regardless of musical trends, the Melvins oeuvre has begun to rival -- at least on paper -- the career arcs of Frank Zappa and Neil Young."[11] Jonathan Gold of Spin stated: "A few sections are recorded so hot that the guitar distortion literally breaks up into white noise in your speakers; other songs—the hits—are classic Melvins tuneage, which means that they will make you wonder if the batteries are going dead in your boom-box."[10] Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot thought that the album "asserts that a major-label deal hasn't watered them down a bit, though their king-size slam sounds clearer and punchier."[14]

Legacy

Treblezine named Houdini as one of the "10 Essential Sludge Metal Albums"[8] and "The 30 Best Grunge Albums".[18] Diffuser.fm rated it as number 10 on its list of "10 Best Grunge Albums".[9] The track "Hooch" is rated as one of the best songs of the decade by Pitchfork in the book The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present.[19]

Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor listed the album as an influence.[20]

In 2005, the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.[2] Subsequent performances of the album occurred over the next few years, such as their appearance at the Primavera Sound festival in 2007[21] and on the band's 25th Anniversary tour in 2009.[22] A specially recorded live performance of the album was released as A Live History of Gluttony and Lust in 2006.[23]

Largely out of print on vinyl since the 1990s, the album was reissued in 2016 through Third Man Records.[17]

Track listing

All songs written by the Melvins unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hooch" 2:49
2."Night Goat" 4:41
3."Lizzy" 4:44
4."Goin' Blind" (Kiss cover)Gene Simmons, Stephen Coronel4:33
5."Honey Bucket" 3:01
6."Hag Me" 7:06
7."Set Me Straight"Buzz Osborne, Mike Dillard, Matt Lukin2:25
8."Sky Pup" 3:50
9."Joan of Arc" 3:36
10."Teet" 2:52
11."Copache" 2:07
12."Pearl Bomb" 2:46
13."Spread Eagle Beagle" (instrumental) 10:14
Total length:54:44

Vinyl copies include a cover of "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)", originally by MC5, instead of "Spread Eagle Beagle". A Japanese CD release (catalog# AMCY-625) also contains "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" as the 14th track at the end of the disc, coming after "Spread Eagle Beagle".[24]

Personnel

Melvins

  • Buzz Osborne – guitar, vocals, bass, producer, mixing, engineer
  • Dale – drums, vocals, bass, producer, mixing, engineer
  • Lorax – bass (credited but did not perform)

Additional personnel

  • Bill Bartell – bass, lead guitar (4)
  • Billy Anderson – bass (6, 10); engineer (2–6, 8, 10–12), mixing (3–6, 10, 11)
  • Kurt Cobain – guitar (8), percussion (13); producer (1, 7–9, 12, 13), mixing (1, 7)
  • Al Smith – additional percussion (13)
  • Mike Supple – additional percussion (13)

Production

  • Jonathan Burnside – engineer (1, 2, 7–9, 12 and 13)
  • Tom Doty – second engineer (1, 7)
  • Garth Richardson – mixing (3–6, 9, 10, 13), producer (6, 10)
  • Joe Marquez – second engineer (3–6, 9, 10, 13)
  • Wolf Kessler – second engineer (6, 9, 10, 13)
  • Lou Oribin – engineer (8, 12)
  • Barrett Jones – engineer, mixing (11)
  • Don Lewis – band photo
  • Frank Kozik – art direction, illustration
  • Valerie Wagner – art direction, design
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering

Charts

Chart (1993) Peak
position
US Billboard Heatseekers[17] 29

References

  1. ^ Earles, Andrew (January 8, 2013). "Blame Nirvana: The 40 Weirdest Post-'Nevermind' Major-Label Albums". Spin. p. 30. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Ritter, travis (May 21, 2009). "No Happy Ending". The Stranger. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur. pp. 191–193. ISBN 978-0760346488.
  4. ^ I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana. St. Martin's. 2015. ISBN 978-1466867215.
  5. ^ Kerrang! magazine, issue #1214, June 14, 2008. "Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait of a Life in Rock. King Buzzo". P.60
  6. ^ "PRIMER: Buzz Osborne Breaks Down 10 Crucial Melvins Records, Including Their Amp-Less Album and the One Kurt Cobain Ruined :: self-titled magazine". Self-titledmag.com. June 16, 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  7. ^ Slessor, Dan (June 16, 2020). "The 13 Most Essential Sludge Records". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Terich, Jeff (September 15, 2016). "10 Best Sludge Metal Albums". Treblezine. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Robinson, Joe. "10 Best Grunge Albums". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c Gold, Jonathan (November 1993). Marks, Craig (ed.). "Melvins: Houdini". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. p. 134.
  11. ^ a b c Kennedy, Patrick. "Melvins – Houdini". AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Robbins, Ira. "Melvins". Trouser Press. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Bromfield, Daniel (September 18, 2022). "Melvins: Houdini Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Kot, Greg (October 28, 1993). "Melvins – Houdini". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  15. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  16. ^ "The Melvins finally crack the Billboard Top 200 after 26 years". The Washington Post. June 13, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c Adams, Gregory (June 14, 2016). "The Melvins '90s-Era Major Label Albums Get Reissue Treatment via Third Man". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  18. ^ Green, Adam (October 6, 2016). "The 30 Best Grunge Albums". Treblezine. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  19. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
  20. ^ Kerr, Dave (November 13, 2014). "Under the Influence: Mastodon's Brann Dailor". The Skinny. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  21. ^ Diver, Mike (May 30, 2007). "DiS at Primavera Sound: the preview". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  22. ^ Young, Alex (March 5, 2009). "Melvins to relive Houdini". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  23. ^ Prato, Greg. "Melvins - Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust". AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  24. ^ "Melvins – Houdini". Discogs. Retrieved June 28, 2021.

Read other articles:

Brigadas Amanecer de la Libertad

Dawn of Freedom Brigades[1]​'جيش تجمع ألوية فجر الحرية'Operacional 2014-finales de 2015Liderado por Hasan al-Banawi (Abu Juma)[2]​ Faisal Saadoun (Abu Layla) Nizar al-Khatib (Abu Laith; former)[3]​[2]​ Wael al-Khatib (Abu Fuad) (P.D.G.)[4]​ Muhammad Salah Shkoder †[5]​Objetivos Combatir al estado Sirio y rebeldes islámistasRegiones activas Maré y Kobane, Siria Gobernación de Alepo[6]​ Gobernación de Al-Raqa[7]̴...

 

Edward William Mountford

Edward William Mountford Battersea Town Hall (1891–1893) Sheffield Town Hall (1890–1897) The Old Bailey (1900–1907) Lancaster Town Hall (1906–1909) Edward William Mountford (22 September 1855 – 7 February 1908) was an English architect, noted for his Edwardian Baroque style, who designed a number of town halls – Sheffield, Battersea and Lancaster – as well as the Old Bailey in London. He served as President of the Architectural Association, and as a council-member of the Royal I...

 

波兰

「波兰共和国」重定向至此。關於历史上其他的波兰共和国，請見「波蘭共和國 (消歧義)」。 波兰共和国Rzeczpospolita Polska 国旗 国徽 国歌：《波兰沒有灭亡》Mazurek Dąbrowskiego波兰的位置（深绿色）– 欧洲（绿色及深灰色）– 欧洲联盟（绿色）  —  [圖例放大]首都及最大城市华沙52°13′N 21°02′E / 52.217°N 21.033°E / 52.217; 21.033官方语言波兰

Mécanisme narratif dans les jeux de rôle sur table

Le but des jeux de rôle sur table, et de manière plus générale des jeux narratifs, est de créer une histoire. La manière dont se construit l'histoire utilise des mécanismes qui sont souvent implicites dans le cas des jeux de rôle datant d'avant les années 2000 — les ouvrages contiennent au mieux une section « conseils aux meneurs de jeu » — ou bien qui sont édictés par des règles dans le cas d'un certain nombre de jeux publiés à partir des années 2000 (dont les ...

 

Alexei Iwanowitsch Sudajew

Alexei Iwanowitsch Sudajew (russisch Алексей Иванович Судаев; * 23. August 1912 in Alatyr, Russisches Kaiserreich; † 17. August 1946 in Moskau) war ein russischer Waffenkonstrukteur. Er ist der Entwickler der Maschinenpistole PPS-43. Leben Grabstelle Sudajew wurde in der heute zur Teilrepublik Tschuwaschien gehörenden Stadt Alatyr geboren. Sein Vater war ein Mechaniker beim Telegraph. 1929 schloss Sudajew eine Berufsschule ab und arbeitete zunächst als Schlosser. 1932...

 

Chaibasa Assembly constituency

Constituency of the Jharkhand legislative assembly in India ChaibasaConstituency No. 52 for the Jharkhand Legislative AssemblyConstituency detailsCountryIndiaRegionEast IndiaStateJharkhandDistrictWest SinghbhumLS constituencySinghbhumTotal electors207,455Member of Legislative Assembly5th Jharkhand Legislative AssemblyIncumbent Deepak Birua Elected year2019 Chaibasa Assembly constituency is an assembly constituency of Chaibasa in the Indian state of Jharkhand.[1][2] Members of ...

Shrunken head

For the 1994 film, see Shrunken Heads (film). For the 2007 album by Ian Hunter, see Shrunken Heads (album). Specially prepared human head Shrunken heads in the permanent collection of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Seattle A shrunken head is a severed and specially-prepared human head – often decreased to many times smaller than typical size – that is used for trophy, ritual, trade, or other purposes. Headhunting is believed to have occurred in many regions of the world since time immemorial, bu...

 

God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation

Modern English translation of the Greek New Testament God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation is a modern English translation by Heinz Cassirer of the Greek New Testament, published in 1989.[1] Cassirer completed his translation of the New Testament in just thirteen months.[2] Below is a sample passage, Matthew 7:24-25. What, then, is the nature of the person, whoever he may be, who hears these words of mine and acts on them? He is like a man of prudence who built his ...

 

Asia Society Hong Kong Centre

Magazine A of the Former Explosive Magazine of the Old Victoria Barracks in Admiralty, Hong Kong. Centre entrance along Justice Drive. Modern footbridge within the compound. The Asia Society Hong Kong Centre is one of the global centers of the New York City based Asia Society. Located in Admiralty, in the business district of Hong Kong, it was dedicated on February 9, 2012.[1] The centre is situated on the site of a former British military explosives magazine and includes several rest...

Octocorallia

Class of Anthozoa with 8-fold symmetry OctocoralliaTemporal range: Ordovician–recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Dendronephthya klunzingeri Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cnidaria Subphylum: Anthozoa Class: OctocoralliaHaeckel, 1866 Orders Alcyonacea Helioporacea Pennatulacea Octocorallia incertae sedis Synonyms Alcyonaria Octocorallia (also known as Alcyonaria) is a class of Anthozoa comprising around 3,000 species of water-based organisms formed ...

 

The Little Buckaroo

1928 film The Little BuckarooDirected byLouis KingWritten byFrank Howard ClarkOliver DrakeProduced byRobert N. BradburyStarringBuzz BartonMilburn MorantePeggy ShawCinematographyRoy EslickEdited byDella M. KingProductioncompanyFilm Booking Offices of AmericaDistributed byFilm Booking Offices of AmericaRelease dateFebruary 25, 1928Running time50 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguagesSilentEnglish intertitles The Little Buckaroo is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Louis King and sta...

 

Secessionism in Tasmania

Location of Tasmania in Australia Secessionism in Tasmania has been proposed several times throughout Tasmania's history. Pre-federation Before Federation, there was a lot of support for Tasmania joining the Commonwealth, though there was some opposition. The opposition argued that Federation would cause financial devastation to Tasmania, which obtained much of its revenue from customs and excise.[1] Most prominently among those who were concerned about Tasmania's future in the propos...

Calculator (Apple)

Calculator application on Apple systems CalculatorCalculator running on macOS Big SurStable releasemacOS: 10.16 Operating systemClassic Mac OS, macOS, iOS, watchOSTypeCalculatorWebsiteiOS: support.apple.com/en-us/guide/iphone/iph1ac0b5cc/iosmacOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/calculator/welcome/mac Part of a series onmacOS Features History Transition to Intel processors Transition to Apple silicon Architecture Built-in apps List of applications List of games Versions Rhapsody (Develo...

 

Academia.edu

Commercial social networking website for academics Academia, Inc redirects here. For other companies, see Academia (disambiguation). Academia, Inc.Screenshot Type of businessPrivateType of sitePlatform for sharing research papersAvailable inEnglishHeadquartersSan Francisco, CaliforniaArea servedWorldwideFounder(s)Richard PriceEmployees53[1]URLacademia.eduRegistrationRequiredUsers71 million[2]LaunchedSeptember 2008Current statusActive Academia.edu is a for-profit...

 

Barnum, Denver

The “Welcome to Barnum” sign at Denver Fire Station No. 20 on Knox Court just south of Sixth Avenue. Barnum is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The neighborhood is located in the area known as West Denver. According to the Piton Foundation, in 2007, the population of the neighborhood was 6,456, and there were 1,924 housing units.[1] Demographics As of the year 2000, the racial makeup of Barnum is 20.73% White non-Hispanic, 0.61% African American, 0.83% Native American, 0.64% As...

Casino de la Reina

Alegoría de la donación del Casino a la reina Isabel de Braganza por el Ayuntamiento de Madrid, de Vicente López Portaña, actualmente en el Museo del Prado. El lienzo, con unas medidas de 881 x 608 cm y pintado al temple, inspirado en los frescos de Corrado Giaquinto para el Palacio Real de Madrid, decoró desde 1818 el techo del salón principal del palacete. Posteriormente, como parte de la colección real, pasó al Prado.[1]​ El Casino de la Reina es una casa de recreo o casa de ...

 

Ernst Larsen

Questa voce sull'argomento atleti norvegesi è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Ernst Larsen Nazionalità  Norvegia Altezza 183 cm Peso 65 kg Atletica leggera Specialità Siepi Società Ranheim IL Record 5000 m 14'038 (1957) 3000 siepi 8'424 (1956) Carriera Nazionale 1954-1956 Norvegia Palmarès Competizione Ori Argenti Bronzi Giochi olimpici 0 0 1 Europei 0 0 1 Per maggiori dettagli ve...

 

William Bailie (bishop)

Styles ofWilliam Bailie, D.D.Reference styleThe Right ReverendSpoken styleMy LordReligious styleBishop William Bailie, D.D. (William Bailey, Baily, or Bayly; died 1664) was an Anglican clergyman who served in the Church of Ireland as Bishop of Clonfert and Kilmacduagh from 1644 to 1664. Early life and family Born in Scotland, he was named after his father, William Bailie, a native of Ayrshire.[1][2] He was educated at Glasgow University, but graduated with a Doctorate of Divin...

Violetta Egorova

Russian pianist Violetta EgorovaBackground informationBorn (1969-11-16) November 16, 1969 (age 54)Krasnodar, Russia, USSRGenresClassicalOccupation(s)PianistInstrument(s)PianoWebsitewww.violettaegorova.comMusical artist Violetta Egorova (Russian: Виолетта Викторовна Егорова) is a Russian concert pianist.[1] Biography She was born in Krasnodar on November 16, 1969, a city in the southernmost section of Russia. She began to play and improvise on the piano at...

 

Yehuda Ashlag

Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and Kabbalist Ashlag redirects here. For other uses, see Ashlag (disambiguation). Yehuda AshlagBorn1885 (1885)Łódź, Congress PolandDied1954(1954-00-00) (aged 68–69)JerusalemOccupationRabbi Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (1885–1954) or Yehuda Leib Ha-Levi Ashlag (Hebrew: רַבִּי יְהוּדָה לֵיבּ הַלֵּוִי אַשְׁלַג), also known as the Baal Ha-Sulam (Hebrew: בַּעַל הַסּוּלָם‎, Author of The Ladder) in reference t...

 

Strategi Solo vs Squad di Free Fire: Cara Menang Mudah!