| Honky | ||
|---|---|---|
 Cover for the original CD issue. | ||
| Studio album by Melvins | ||
| Released | May 5 1997 | |
| Recorded | 12 - 17 February 1997 at Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood, California | |
| Genre | Experimental Rock, Sludge Metal | |
| Length | 70:53 (CD) 45:43 (Vinyl) | |
| Label | Amphetamine Reptile Records | |
| Producer | Joe Barresi | |
| Melvins chronology | ||
| Interstellar Overdrive (1996) |
Honky (1997) |
Singles 1-12 (1997) |
Honky is the ninth studio album by Melvins, which was released in 1997 through Amphetamine Reptile Records and the band's second album through the independent label. It is widely considered to be the band's most experimental album. Their first studio album after being dropped from Atlantic, the album has a heavy emphasis on soundscapes, collages and abstract instrumentation, with a few songs of sludgy rock within. A video was made for "Mombius Hibachi". The final track, "In the Freaktose the Bugs are Dying", concludes with more than 25 minutes of silence. Notably it would also be the band's first album to feature recurring guest David Scott Stone and the last to feature bassist Mark Deutrom, who was fired the same year.
Background[]
Sometime after being dropped from Atlantic Records following the release of 1996's Stag, The Melvins would begin work on their ninth album, working with GGGarth and Joe Barresi on a lighter budget. In an interview, Buzz Osborne said that album cost $3000 to make, three days rehearsal, and six days recording. The project was an attempt to plug the gap after the major release of the previous album Stag under Atlantic label. Osborne has also joked that if Stag did not get the band dropped from Atlantic then Honky definitely would have. Notably it would feature co-lead vocals from Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland on the eight-minute opener "They All Must Be Slaughtered".
Honky would be initially released circa May 1997 on CD and Vinyl. The vinyl version was also released by Amphetamine Reptile Records in a limited amount of 2500 copies, eight of which were defective and signed by the band.[1] The vinyl version splits the twelve-minute song "Air Breather Deep in the Arms of Morphius" into two parts due to limitations of the vinyl sides. Also the final song "In the Freaktose The Bugs Are Dying" omits the 25 minutes of silence. The album would be largely ignored by critics at the time of release though several retroactive reviews have surfaced, often with mixed reception,[2][3] though Sly Vinyl would cite Honky as one of the band's most underrated works.[4] Mark Beaumont, writing for NME, would award the album a 1/10 score, citing the band as "Noodling around pretending to be avant garde ambient maestros between trying to wrestle a solo out of an angry moose under the impression that it's a guitar." and that "The Lord giveth and he taketh away, they say, so here's hoping he knows where The Melvins keep their record contract.".[5]
In January 2011, Melvins played a series of four shows at Club Spaceland. A special handmade digipak edition of album was sold there, limited to 50 copies. This version had a typo in the album title, spelling it "Honkey". Another CD re-issue would surface in 2016, also as part of a limited letterpress run. Finally Amphetamine Reptile would re-issue the album on Vinyl and CD in 2019.[6]
Tracklist[]
All songs written by The Melvins.
- 1. They All Must Be Slaughtered (8:17)
- 2. Mombius Hibachi (1:58)
- 3. Lovely Butterfly (2:10)
- 4. Pitfalls in Serving Warrants (3:36)
- 5. Air Breather Deep in The Arms of Morpheus (12:12)
- 6. Laughing With Lucifer at Satan's Sideshow (2:16)
- 7. HOW --++-- (3:26)
- 8. Harry Lauders Walking Stick Tree (3:17)
- 9. Grin (4:11)
- 10. In The Freaktose The Bugs Are Dying (29:23)
Personnel[]
- King B - Guitar, Vocals
- Dale C - Drums
- Mark D - Bass
- Katherine Bjelland - Vocals (1)
- David Scott Stone - Bowed Cymbal, Oscillator
- Mac Mann - Piano, Bells, Synthesizer
- Joe Barresi - Engineer, Mixing, Producer
- Ryan Boesch - Assistant Engineer
- Mackie Osborne - Artwork, Polaroids