Melvins
Melvins (sometimes the Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983[1] in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal.[2] Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with either two drummers or two bassists. Since 1984, vocalist and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been constant members.
This article is about the band. For the band's album, see Melvins! (album). For other uses, see Melvin (disambiguation).
Melvins
History[edit]
Early years (1983–1987)[edit]
The Melvins were formed in early 1983 by Buzz Osborne (guitar, vocals), Matt Lukin (bass), and Mike Dillard (drums) who all went to Montesano Jr./Sr. High School in Montesano, Washington.[3] The band was named after a supervisor at a Thriftway in Montesano, where Osborne also worked as a clerk; "Melvin" was disliked by other employees, and the band's members felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name.[4]
In the beginning, they played Jimi Hendrix and Who covers,[5] and also began playing fast hardcore punk.[6] Dillard left the band in 1984 and was replaced by local drummer Dale Crover. The band's rehearsals moved to a back room of Crover's parents' house in Aberdeen, Washington. Soon afterward, they started to play songs slower and "heavier" than nearly anyone else at the time. In 1985, C/Z Records was created to document the Washington music scene. The label released Deep Six, featuring four songs by the Melvins. In 1986, the band released their debut, the Six Songs EP, on C/Z Records (later releases expanded and retitled this as 8 Songs, 10 Songs, and eventually 26 Songs in 2003 on Ipecac Recordings). The album was recorded live to a two track at the now closed Ironwood Studio in Seattle on February 8, 1986.[7]
In October 1986, they recorded their first full-length album, Gluey Porch Treatments, at Studio D in Sausalito, California. The album was released in 1987 on Alchemy Records. Gluey Porch Treatments was later coupled with their second album Ozma for the Boner Records CD release. It was expanded again for the 1999 re-release on Ipecac with some garage demos.
Boner Records era (1988–1992)[edit]
Crover played drums with Nirvana (billed as "Ted Ed Fred") when they recorded a ten-song demo on January 23, 1988, in Seattle, which later formed part of their debut LP Bleach, and played a live show in Tacoma later that day. Osborne would later introduce Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic to Dave Grohl.[8] Later that year Osborne and Crover relocated to San Francisco, California. Lukin stayed and formed the band Mudhoney. Lori "Lorax" Black (daughter of Shirley Temple) replaced Lukin on bass. The band recorded Ozma in May 1989, and released it later that year. The album was produced by Mark Deutrom, who later joined the band on bass.
In 1990, the band recorded Bullhead, which marked a slower, more drone music style for the band. The band then toured Europe; their show of January 23, 1991 in Alzey, Germany was released by Your Choice Records as Your Choice Live Series Vol.12. When they returned to the U.S., they recorded the Eggnog EP, which was released the same year on Boner Records.
Lorax left the band, and was replaced by Joe Preston. Preston appears on the Salad of a Thousand Delights (1992, Box Dog Video). Melvins then released three "solo" EPs,[9] following the concept and imitating the cover artwork inspired by the four Kiss members' solo albums released in 1978. King Buzzo, Dale Crover, and Joe Preston were all released in 1992 on Boner Records. Later in 1992, they released the full-length album, Lysol, which had to be renamed Melvins because Lysol was a trademarked name. Preston departed from the band, and Lorax briefly rejoined.
Atlantic Records era (1993–1997)[edit]
When Nirvana's Nevermind became a massive and unexpected success, Melvins were one of many groups to benefit from Nirvana's support. Melvins were signed by Atlantic Records, and its first major label release, 1993's Houdini, entered the Billboard Heatseekers chart at 29. Mark Deutrom replaced Lorax on bass shortly after the album's release.
Melvins released its second album for Atlantic in 1994, Stoner Witch. Due to its experimental nature, Melvins took its next album, Prick, to Amphetamine Reptile Records. Record label conflicts prevented the band from releasing any records under the name "Melvins", so the album was released with the band name written in mirror. The band returned to Atlantic one last time for 1996's Stag, which entered the Heatseekers chart at number 33. Melvins were dropped by Atlantic Records in 1997 after three albums.
Switching labels and continued experimentation (1997–2004)[edit]
The band signed with Amphetamine Reptile Records and released their next full-length album, Honky, in 1997. They recorded an August 1997 concert in Richmond, Melbourne, Australia as Alive at the Fucker Club in 1998. The same year, Melvins opened for Tool. (A picture on the Tool website depicts the Melvins along with the words "Melvins say...Tool Sux!" spelled out in lunch meat.[10] The photo was taken while on tour with Tool in 2002 in Australia.) In 1998, Melvins played the second stage at Ozzfest.
1999 saw the beginning of a partnership with Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings, which began remastering and reissuing much of the band's back catalog. The band also released three full-length albums dubbed (and later packaged together as) The Trilogy: The Maggot, The Bootlicker, and The Crybaby. The latter featured a number of guest vocalists and musicians. Kevin Rutmanis, formerly of The Cows, was bassist during this era.
In 2001, the band returned to their experimental tendencies for Colossus of Destiny, a live set of synthesizer and sampler experiments presented as two tracks (one clocking in at 59:23 and the other at five seconds). The album was described approvingly by one critic as "more like avant-garde electro-acoustic than anything else."[11]
In 2002, Ipecac Recordings released Hostile Ambient Takeover, a record that was not in fact ambient music at all. Metal Archives said: "Overall, this album is charged with brilliance and it deserves a place in every collection. ".[12] This album is also notable as it is the first instance of Melvins working with long time producer and engineer Toshi Kasai.
In 2003, Atlantic Records (UK) released Melvinmania: The Best of the Atlantic Years 1993–1996, a compilation of recycled tracks from the band's three major label releases. This release was unsanctioned by the band who had no input into the track selection or (occasionally inaccurate) liner notes.
In 2004, Osborne and Crover toured to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, and also released an art book Neither Here Nor There. The book is a collection of art by creators of their cover art as well as friends of the band, and also contained retrospectives on the past twenty years of the Melvins. The book included a CD with selected tracks from their albums.
Musical style and influences[edit]
Variously described as a sludge metal,[41][42][43][44] grunge,[45][46][47][48] experimental rock,[49][50][51] alternative metal,[52][53][54][45][55] and alternative rock[56][57][58] band, the Melvins explored a variety of different styles throughout their career, including noise rock,[59] stoner rock,[60] doom metal,[61] dark ambient, noise, jazz-rock, avant-garde music, electroacoustic music, and punk country.[62] Initially starting out as a hardcore punk act,[63] their sound eventually started to absorb influences by Black Flag's mix of punk and metal on their My War and Slip It In albums, the Butthole Surfers,[64] slow punk acts like Flipper and the Wipers, industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle,[65] and also by hard rock and metal bands such as Judas Priest,[66] Kiss, and Alice Cooper. Since the 1990s, the band has occasionally touched on electronic music, as on Prick (1994), Colossus of Destiny (1998), Pigs of the Roman Empire (2004) – the latter a collaboration with dark ambient pioneer Lustmord, and Throbbing Jazz Gristle Funk Hits (TBA). Buzz also listed Swans and Venom as early influences on the band.[67]
Though the band are often compared to Black Sabbath, Buzzo has stated that his guitar playing is more influenced by Black Flag.[1]
Legacy[edit]
Melvins' sludgy sound was an influence on grunge music,[68] including bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Green River, and many other bands from Seattle. They have also influenced artists outside the grunge scene, including Tool,[69] Mike Patton of Mr. Bungle and Faith No More,[70] Boris (who took their name from the title of a Melvins song),[71] Pig Destroyer,[72] Helmet,[73] Full of Hell,[74] Corey Taylor of Slipknot,[75] Sleep,[76][77] Earth,[78] Sunn O))),[79] Lamb of God,[80] Mastodon,[81][82] Neurosis,[83] High on Fire,[84][85] Baroness,[86] Eyehategod[87] and Isis.[88] AllMusic wrote "their ability to combine punk with a strong Black Sabbath influence had a major impact on everything from grunge to alternative metal to doom metal and stoner rock."[68] In 2017, Metal Injection ranked Melvins at number 2 on their list of "10 Heaviest Grunge Bands".[89]
