Mezcal Head
Mezcal Head | ||||
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Studio album by Swervedriver | ||||
Released | 27 September 1993 (1993-09-27) | |||
Studio |
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Genre |
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Length | 48:58 | |||
Label | Creation | |||
Producer |
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Swervedriver chronology | ||||
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Mezcal Head is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 27 September 1993 by Creation Records in the United Kingdom and on 5 October 1993 by A&M Records in the United States.[3][4]
Background and release
In 1993, Swervedriver re-emerged with the core of Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, along with newly recruited drummer Jez Hindmarsh (a.k.a. "Jez"), and released Mezcal Head. The album gave them their most successful UK single at number 60, "Duel",[5] which NME named its "single of the week" and for which a music video was released. Franklin and Hartridge both perform bass on the album, as they were left without a bassist when Adi Vines departed before recording began.
"Never Lose That Feeling", from the 1992 EP of the same name, and the extended instrumental "Never Learn" were added as a single bonus track to the US edition of the CD. Swervedriver toured US arenas with The Smashing Pumpkins and Shudder to Think in October and November 1993.
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | A[7] |
Blurt | 8/10[8] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[9] |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10[11] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10[12] |
PopMatters | 9/10[13] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spectrum Culture | 4.5/5[15] |
Alternative Press ranked Mezcal Head at numbers 39 and 90 on its "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s" and "Top 99 of '85–'95" lists respectively.[16][17] It was also ranked at number 265 on Spin's "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014)" list.[18] Pitchfork ranked the album at number 10 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time" in 2016.[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Swervedriver, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "For Seeking Heat" | 3:48 |
2. | "Duel" | 6:19 |
3. | "Blowin' Cool" | 3:55 |
4. | "MM Abduction" | 2:51 |
5. | "Last Train to Satansville" | 6:45 |
6. | "Harry & Maggie (Dragging It Under)" | 5:27 |
7. | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | 4:01 |
8. | "Girl on a Motorbike" | 4:09 |
9. | "Duress" (Marc Waterman) | 8:03 |
10. | "You Find It Everywhere" | 4:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn" | 11:51 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "Planes Over the Skyline" | 4:41 |
12. | "Year of the Girl" | 5:24 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn" (mislabeled as "Never Lose That Feeling") | 11:51 |
12. | "Planes Over the Skyline" | 5:24 |
13. | "Hitcher" | 3:27 |
14. | "Cars Converge on Paris" | 6:31 |
More information
The UK CD has "Mickey" and "Dragging It Under" printed on the CD as tracks 4 and 6. The US CD has "Harry and Maggie (Dragging It Under)" printed on the CD as track 6. The US promo is identical to the official release except that it has the word "PROMOTIONAL" printed on the CD. The Japanese edition comes with a biography and lyrics.[19]
The tracks "Duel" and "Last Train to Satansville" were featured in the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation and 3DO versions of the game Road Rash.
"Duel" was featured in the 1994 video game Road Rash and in the 2008 video game Burnout Paradise. "Mezcal" is censored from the song's album listing in the game due to connotations with alcoholic beverages.
Personnel
Credits for Mezcal Head adapted from liner notes.[20]
Swervedriver
Additional musician
| Production
Design
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Charts
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 55 |
References
- ^ a b "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 5. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Swervedriver: How we made Mezcal Head". 4 April 2018.
- ^ Mezcal Head (press advertisement). Creation Records. 1993. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
{{cite AV media}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Heim, Chris (1 October 1993). "Pipeline". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "SCREWDRIVER [sic] - SINGLES". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ Rabid, Jack. "Mezcal Head – Swervedriver". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Modell, Josh (10 February 2009). "Swervedriver: Raise / Mezcal Head". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Judge, Stephen (30 March 2009). "Swervedriver – Raise + Mezcal Head [reissues]". Blurt. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Swervedriver: Mezcal Head". Entertainment Weekly. 29 October 1993. p. 74.
- ^ "Swervedriver: Mezcal Head". Mojo. p. 119.
[T]his Oxford quartet mixed post-Sonic Youth tuff gnarl with metal-Morricone menace, pachydermal Crazy Horse grooves and acres of billowing low-end.
- ^ "Swervedriver: Mezcal Head". NME. 25 September 1993. p. 36.
- ^ Tangari, Joe (2 April 2009). "Swervedriver: Raise / Mezcal Head". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Bergstrom, John (5 February 2009). "Swervedriver: Raise / Mezcal Head". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Swervedriver: Mezcal Head". Q. No. 86. November 1993. p. 137.
- ^ Spadea, Jory (26 January 2009). "Swervedriver: Raise / Mezcal Head". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Top 99 of '85–'95". Alternative Press. No. 84. July 1995. p. 104.
- ^ "The 90 Greatest Albums of the 90's". Alternative Press. No. 125. December 1998.
- ^ Unterberger, Andrew (11 May 2015). "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014) — 265. Swervedriver, Mezcal Head (A&M, 1993)". Spin. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ Swervedriver Discography Archived 2007-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mezcal Head (liner notes). Swervedriver. Creation Records. 1993. CRECD 143.
{{cite AV media}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
External links
- Mezcal Head at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
- v
- t
- e
- Adam Franklin
- Jimmy Hartridge
- Mikey Jones
- Mick Quinn
- Adi Vines
- Graham Bonnar
- Danny Ingram
- Jez Hindmarsh
- Steve George
- Raise
- Mezcal Head
- Ejector Seat Reservation
- 99th Dream
- I Wasn't Born to Lose You
- Future Ruins
- Son of Mustang Ford
- Rave Down
- Sandblasted
- Reel to Real
- Never Lose That Feeling
- Last Train to Satansville
- Space Travel, Rock 'n' Roll