| Stag | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Melvins | ||
| Released | July 15 1996 | |
| Recorded | 1996 at Sound City, A&M Studios, Entourage and Falconer | |
| Genre | Grunge, Stoner Rock, Sludge Metal | |
| Length | 50:56 | |
| Label | Atlantic Records | |
| Producer | Melvins, GGGarth, Joe Barresi | |
| Melvins chronology | ||
| Tora Tora Tora (1995) |
Stag (1996) |
Interstellar Overdrive (1996) |
| Alternative Cover | ||
| ||
Stag is the eighth studio album by Melvins. Released in July 1996 via Atlantic Records. It would notably be the last album the band would release through the label as they would be dropped the same year. While notable for live staples such as "The Bit" and "The Bloat", Stag is also notably for it's musical diversity and general experimental nature, which would be divisive to listeners.[1]
History[]
Following the release of 1994's Stoner Witch and extensive touring, The Melvins would begin work on their next album. Recording and Mixing would take place at Sound City Studios, A & M Studios, Entourage, Falconer Studios, Paramount and Kozlowski Sound along with recording at home. Mastering would take place at Precision Mastering.
Stag would be originally released on 15 July 1996 on CD, Cassette and 12" Vinyl. A music video and single would be made for "Bar-X the Rocking M".[2] A single would also be released for "The Bit", featuring a radio edit and two album outtakes in a remix of "Tipping The Lion" and a cover of "Interstellar Overdrive",[3] both outtakes appearing on a 10" EP via Man's Ruin Records.[4] On 11 December 1996 the album would be released in Japan with the two outtakes as bonus tracks. Stag would peak at #33 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts.
Reviews for Stag would be relatively average at the time. Sia Michel, writing for SPIN in September 1996, awarded a 6/10.[5] Tom Cox, writing for NME in July 1996, awarded the album a 2/10 and describing it as "farts in the direction of three chord boredom and makes Rancid sound about as hardcore as moist fishfingers." along with describing "Black Bock" as a song that "threatens to become a hard rock Ween." before closing out lauding the record as "Stag o' shite".[6] Lollipop Magazine would however praise the album as a "mystifying genre-fuck", describing the experimental tracks as "soundtracks to nightmares" and overall praised the fact it essentially got them dropped from Atlantic, closing out the review with the following statement: "The bottom line is that the Melvins have outpunked everyone with this “fuck you” to the board bosses at Warners (how bad was the deal they signed, anyway?). Stag is a weird record, that’s for sure; it’s funny, annoying, and, every once in a while, downright brilliant (or maybe it’s just a downright brilliant snowjob). Regardless, the Melvins aren’t brown-noser Toadies and, anyway, platnumb sales figures aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.".[7]
Several retroactive reviews of Stag over the years have been much kinder to the album. In a written guide to the Melvins via Stonerrock.com, the site would praise "Stag" as "Fuckin’ killer. Some great heavy shit and some of their best weirdness."[8] Metal Review would award an 86/100 score and praising the variety, stating that "Stag fits right in between the niche. Equal parts rock album and experimental, this is the perfect place to start if you of the uninitiated. It isn’t their best or even my favorite (is there really a best Melvins album?) but it was the one that got me into their sound and into a lot of similar bands.".[9] Post-Trash, reviewing all three of the Atlantic Trilogy in light of their Third Man reissues, would state that "Stag is a powerful and awesome album, but it’s not a great starting point for the uninitiated.".[10] Spectrum Culture would write a tribute in light of the album's 20th anniversary, praising the diversity and general lighthearted tone.[11]
Tracklist[]
All lyrics by Buzz Osborne. All music by Buzz Osborne except where noted.
- 1. The Bit (4:45) (Crover)
- 2. Hide (0:50)
- 3. Bar-X the Rocking M (2:24) (Crover, Deutrom, Osborne)
- 4. Yacobs Lab (1:17) (Deutrom)
- 5. The Bloat (3:41)
- 6. Tipping The Lion (3:48)
- 7. Black Bock (2:43)
- 8. Goggles (6:30) (Crover, Deutrom, Osborne)
- 9. Soup (2:39) (Crover, Deutrom, Osborne)
- 10. Buck Owens (3:11)
- 11. Sterilized (3:30) (Crover, Deutrom, Osborne)
- 12. Lacrimosa (4:40) (Crover, Deutrom, Osborne) (Words: Deutrom)
- 13. Skin Horse (5:16)
- 14. Captain Pungent (2:21)
- 15. Berthas (1:25)
- 16. Cottonmouth (0:50) (Crover) (Words: Crover)
Personnel[]
The Melvins[]
- King B - Guitar, Vocals; All Instumentation (2); Backing Vocals (7); Moog (9); Bass (11); Drums (12); Interlude Guitar (13); Producer & Mixer (1 -3, 5 - 15)
- Dale C - Drums, Percussion; Additional Guitar, Sitar (1); Bongos, Backing Vocals (7); Moog (9); Guitar (11); All Instrumentation & Vocals (16); Engineer, Producer & Mixer (1, 3, 5 - 16)
- Mark D - Bass; Additional Guitar (1, 3, 6, 7); All Instrumentation (4); Slide Guitar (5); Backing Vocals (7); Moog, Drum Beat (9); Guitar (11, 12); Vocals (12), Interlude Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Piano (13); Engineer, Producer & Mixer (1, 3 - 15)
Guests and Additional Personnel[]
- Dirty Walt - Valve Trombone (3)
- Mac Mann - Organ, Grand Piano (3)
- Dr. Beat - Moog (9)
- Bill Bartell - Guitar (11)
- GGGarth - Engineer, Producer & Mixer (1, 3, 5 - 7, 9, 10, 13 - 15); Backing Vocals (7)
- Joe Barresi - Engineer, Producer & Mixer (1, 3, 5 - 7, 9, 10, 13 - 15)
- Alex Newport - Engineer, Producer, Mixer (8)
- Chris Kozlowski - Engineer, Producer, Mixer (11)
- Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
- Ron Boustead - Mastering
- Mackie Osborne - Illustration, Design; Drums (12)
- David Lefkowitz - Management, Fan Club