Prick

Prick
Where Law-Riders Go Masked
Studio album by SNIVLEM
Released	August 5 1994
Recorded	April 1994 in England
Genre	Experimental rock, sound collage
Length	43:31
Label	Amphetamine Reptile Records
Producer	Melvins
SNIVLEM chronology
Houdini (1993)	Prick (1994)	Stoner Witch (1994)

Prick is the sixth studio album by Melvins which was released in 1994 through Amphetamine Reptile Records under the name ƧИIV⅃ƎM. At the time of release The Melvins already had a contract with Atlantic Records and thus Prick was released with the band name in mirror writing, which resulted in some sites such as RateYourMusic crediting it to Snivlem.

Background

Prick would be recorded circa April 1994 in "England" and released in August via Amphetamine Reptile Records, the first full-length album released through that label. Allegedly the album was recorded to help raise funds for the band's next album Stoner Witch. According to an interview with Decibel Magazine, Atlantic actually considered putting the album out until Buzz convinced them not to do so. The label did however suggest the mirrored name.

The album displays a distinctly experimental quality, with an eclectic selection including field recordings, electronic effects and loops, band jam sessions, a stereotypical drum solo that segues into an archetypal heavy metal guitar solo, and a track that's introduced as "pure digital silence" -- followed by silence for a minute. Only three of the eleven tracks could be perceived as "songs": "Rickets", "Chief Ten Beers" and "Larry". Portions of the fourteen minute "Roll Another One" also deviate into rhythms and loose jamming.

Buzz Osborne has stated that Prick is "a total noise crap record we did strictly for the weirdness factor. Complete and utter nonsense, a total joke." Buzz has also went on record to describe the record as "a very planned out record" and "NOT a noise record" in an interview with Mark Prindle. Mark Deutrom in later years would dismiss the album as "total garbage" and an "audio masturbatory session".

The band claimed that they wanted to call the album Kurt Kobain but changed it after Cobain's death to eliminate the possibility of people mistaking it for a tribute record. They implied that Cobain, a friend and collaborator since their teenage years in rural Washington, was actually the titular "prick", because he died and therefore forced them to change the album's name. The same interview (conducted by artist and friend of the band Brian Walsby) showed that the band implied the title to make fun of him and that he would have liked the record. In an interview with Loudwire for their Fact or Fiction series, Buzz is asked about the original intended name and stated that it was largely false and just "thought that would be funny".

Due to it's unconventional nature Prick has seen largely mixed and negative reviews. Mark Prindle, rating the album a 4/10, stating the album "is full of crowd noise, silence, pointless samples, and no true melodies." and that "If they were setting out to be annoying, they've succeeded." A review in VICE would note the divisive nature of the record with the following statement: "This album smells like spleen spirit—a whim, a caprice, though not a joke, definitely not a joke. Melvins fans are bound to hate this record, but one day, and it may take years, it will come to represent the perverse, anarchic spirit of a band that will live on much longer than those they supposedly inspired." Decibel Magazine, in an article discussing Colossus of Destiny, would describe the album as "universally reviled".

Prick's original release in 1994 would see the album on CD, Cassette and Vinyl, the latter two editions becoming somewhat of collectors items long after the album would go out of print. Prick would see a re-issue with new artwork via Amphetamine Reptile Records on 11 August 2016.

Tracklist

Melvins - Prick (Full Album)

All songs composed and written by The Melvins.

• 1. How About (4:15)
• 2. Rickets (1:20)
• 3. Pick It n' Flick It (1:39)
• 4. Montreal (4:09)
• 5. Chief Ten Beers (6:28)
• 6. Underground (2:19)
• 7. Chalk People (1:16)
• 8. Punch The Lion (3:14)
• 9. Pure Digital Silence (1:32)
• 10. Larry (2:59)
• 11. Roll Another One (14:20)

Personnel

• King B - Producer, Performer
• Dale C - Producer, Performer
• Mark D - Producer, Performer
• Konstantin Johannes - Engineer
• Don Lewis - Band Photography
• Mackie Osborne - Artwork

External Links

• Prick on Discogs
• Melvins Is Gay