Ruba's 90s Extravaganza v. I don't mind the sun sometimes

[Ruba]

Alright, this is the thing I was talking about in the 80s album topic earlier. The thing is, I love 90s rock/alternative music and want to be sharing some of that love. In this topic I'll be presenting popular songs from the 90s, from different genres. Depending on the song I might talking about the band themselves, origins of the song, music video etc. I'll try to have at least three write-ups per week. Oh, and I do take requests but won't guarantee whenever I'll get to 'em. If it's an artist/song I was planning to cover, I'll bump it up on the shortlist.

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MINISTRY
JESUS BUILT MY HOTROD
1991



Today’s song is really weird and it is really baffling to me it actually was a hit. According to Al Jourgensen (remember, he’s not the most reliable narrator given the amount of drugs he’s done during his lifetime), Ministry was given a hefty budget by their record label Warner Bros for recording a follow-up to their 1990 record The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste. The problem was, most of the money went up the band members’ arms and noses. The band had nothing to show for the money and the record company was getting understandably antsy. Al did have one demo however, but it had a really weird rhythm (6/4 guitars over 4/4 drum beat) and no vocals. One day Al had invited Butthole Surfers vocalist Gibby Haynes to the recording studio and when he showed up, he was drunk off his tits. Anyway, apparently Al wanted Gibby to try singing something over the demo. Gibby was so drunk he kept falling of his chair and the result was incomprehensible gibberish (Gibby was actually singing lyrics to an unrecorded Surfers’ song that went on the setlists under the name Watlo. Watlo was later released on their 1993 album Independent Worm Saloon, retitled as Some Dispute Over T-Shirt Sales. It’s a nice little song with some great guitar work by Paul Leary).

The record label was not to keen on the crazy hillbilly “ding ding dang dong”-song, but decided to release it anyway. Surprisingly, it became a decent-sized hit and their biggest so far, hitting no. 19 on the Billboard Alternative chart. Ministry got their act together and recorded Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs, which is their best-selling album and an industrial music classic.

It might sound like I am playing this song down, but that is not my intention. It is fucking odd yes, but it is AWESOME. The fast driving beat smells of burning rubber and gasoline, Gibby’s weirdo lyrics are whole lotta fun and the song has two of my all-time favourite guitar solos. While the album version is fine and dandy, I tend to think that the essential version of the song is the Red Line/White Line remix, featuring additional samples from movies Blue Velvet and Wise Blood and drag racing. Elements of this remix are used in the music video.

The music video itself is cool but not spectacular, featuring a lot of car and racing-related stock footage and the band with Gibby performing over it. One thing I don’t like about it is how the intro monologue is butchered (Jesus was the architect…).

Why did I feel like starting with this song? Well, I saw Ministry last Wednesday and this song has been a rarity in the live sets. Probably because only Gibby can sing it right. Last time I had checked it was played live in 2006. However, it had resurfaced this tour leg and to my complete surprise they started playing… the Red Line/White Line version. Damn the whole place went nuts when the song kicked in proper! Even though this is probably not one of my favourite Ministry songs and is hardly indicative of their overall sound of that era it’s still great fun. Rev that engine baby, we’re gonna ding dang my dang-a-ling-long!

One more little tidbit I find amusing/cool: promo copy of the single came with a quart of motor oil. A brilliant piece of marketing dare I say. The can itself had the warning: Not to be used as sexual lubricant. Classy…

Music video
Jesus Built My Hotrod Red Line/White Line version on Spotify

[The Walrus]

 

The 90s were... interesting. This will be fun to follow.

[Stadler]

Speaking of the 90's and the Butthole Surfers, I love that song "Pepper".

[ProfessorPeart]

I love this song and I loved that write-up. I never knew Gibby sang on it.

[wolfking]

I'll follow this but Ministry is one band I never got into.  What I heard didn't interest me.

[jingle.boy]

I'll follow too, but if this is the start we've got, I'll likely not be participating much.  The music that originated in the 90s never really much resonated with me.

[Ruba]

Speaking of the 90's and the Butthole Surfers, I love that song "Pepper".

That one might come up sooner or later.  In the meantime, Todd in the Shadows made an episode about Pepper in his One Hit Wonderland show and I think it did the band and the song justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIjE8R_j5h4&t=872s

And thanks for everyone following. I know the 90s might not be the most popular topic around here, but I want to cover songs from many different genres and I'm quite sure there'll be something for everyone.

[Ruba]

GARBAGE
QUEER
1995



Garbage is an American alternative rock band, founded by Butch Vig, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson in 1993. Vig and Marker had been more successful as their careers as record producers and engineers than playing music. The three men had been making remixes together before deciding to form a band. They first had Vig on vocals but decided they wanted a female vocalist. Someone who isn’t too girly or aggressive, but more like low-key and seductive…



Marker saw a music video for Suffocate Me by Scottish alternative rock band Angelfish on MTV and convinced that their vocalist Shirley Manson could be just what they needed. They got in contact with Manson and when she first didn’t know who Vig was, she was urged to take her copy of Nirvana’s Nevermind and check the liner notes…

The band recorded their self-titled debut album in 1994-95, and initially wanted to be only a studio project. However, while they were filming a video for their first single Vow director Samuel Bayer asked them to actually play the song live, something they had never done before. The band liked the experience and decided to tour on the album.

The song I want to present here is the album’s third single, Queer. While the first two singles Vow and Only Happy When It Rains had more of a rock edge, Queer has a trip-hop beat and loungy keyboards. I think it showcases the band’s excellent production skills, especially with the more ominous second verse that leads into more aggressive version of the chorus. Actually, every chorus is more powerful than the last one. The bridge adds some abrasive guitar riffing to the mix and leads to the last chorus, a loud and chaotic climax for the song. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the song is a small journey and the band is doing masterful job in changing the dynamics. And a big part of it is Shirley’s performance, ranging from seductive to spiteful and taunting.

Also, I absolutely love the music video. The video, shot from the first-person perspective of some rather dapper-looking young fellow shows him walking into Shirley on the street. Shirley gestures him to follow her (to be fair, I’d do the same) and leads him to an old mansion, shoves him upstairs and knocks him down and prepares to do something unspeakable while her bandmates perform around her… cutting his glorius mane with an electric razor. In the end she drags his unconscious body outside. I know this synopsis might sound silly, but to me it is one of the most intense videos ever. It really nails the ominous and darkly sexual vibe of the song. The video version also has a short break between the bridge and the last chorus, which I wish was on the studio recording. Oh, and there’s a stinger at the end showing that the guy was alright and apparently pretty happy with his makeover, so no harm done.

While Garbage had their biggest success in the 90s and has been on hiatus a few times, they are still releasing new music and touring. And I actually think they’re very good still, making some good music while not sounding like an 90s nostalgia act.

[King Postwhore]

Ok now this is my jam.  I think Shirley has this sultry voice and sex appeal that goes on forever.

I love the modern sound with classic style writing. Short, but powerful. 

[Kwyjibo]

The 90s were... interesting. This will be fun to follow.

I'll follow this but Ministry is one band I never got into.  What I heard didn't interest me.

Same goes for Garbage but I'm sure there's some records that I appreciate to come.

[hefdaddy42]

Garbage was pretty hit or miss for me.

I loved Jesus Built My Hotrod, though.  Definitely a hype song.  Came out right after I started college, so there were a shitload of Ministry fans around all the time.

[TAC]

I'll follow too, but if this is the start we've got, I'll likely not be participating much.  The music that originated in the 90s never really much resonated with me.

At all.

[Sacul]

I love the 90s, I'll be following for sure and give these songs a listen

[Ruba]

I love the 90s, I'll be following for sure and give these songs a listen

 

And thanks everyone for the comments, I appreciate them. I'll put up another writeup in a couple of hours.

[Ruba]

PRIMUS
WYNONA'S BIG BROWN BEAVER
1995



Primus is an alternative/funk/rock/metal/something I don’t know man band, which most famous line-up consists of Tim Alexander (drums), Larry LaLonde (guitar) and Les Claypool (bass, vocals, bad haircuts). While the first incarnation of Primus came to be already in 1984, they released their first studio album Frizzle Fry six years later. Their virtuoso playing, Claypool’s nasal singing voice and weird lyrics about the cats, race car drivers and fishermen drew the attention of rock fans and by 1993 the band was pretty big, hitting the top ten of Billboard Hot 100 with their third record Pork Soda, getting regular airplay on MTV and headlining the Lollapalooza festival that year. Today’s song however comes from the follow-up album Tales from the Punchbowl (geez, why all the food-and-drink album titles, they’re almost like non-parody Weird Al).

Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver is their biggest hit, charting on both Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock charts and receiving a Grammy nomination for the Best Hard Rock Song. While it is no less weird than general output (just look at that damn title!) it is weird in a delightful sense, with it’s bouncy upbeat drums and interweaving bass and guitar lines, being some sort of weird mix of Southern rock, funk and metal. But most importantly, it’s fun as heck. Lyrically it is one of those Claypool’s almost non-sensical stories, telling the tale of a woman and her… actually, I’ll come back to that later.

Because the biggest reason I picked this song ahead of some of their others is the music video. It is simply glorious. Seriously, if you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend you to take five minutes of your time and watch it. (By the way, if you got any cool/cheesy 90s music videos in mind, hit me up. Great music videos might become bit of a pattern in this topic). It was inspired by old Duracell commercials featuring a family of porcelain-like looking toys. In the video, Primus play the role of three cowboys performing the song and doing some cowboy activities like riding (rocking) horses, shooting empty bottles and playing cards. The song’s verses are done as humorously animated karaoke video. The costumes used by the band were quite cumbersome, so the band played along a slowed down version of the song and the footage was sped up during editing.

I reckon one reason for the song’s popularity (at least initially), aside it being pretty great and having amazing video is simply the title. However, it is not an innuendo and the lyrics are not sexual at all. It is simply a story of a woman and her beloved pet beaver. Why she keeps a beaver, well you probably have to go ask Les Claypool that. It’s not like he hadn’t written quirky lyrics before. Also the titular woman is not based on anyone on particular, although some believed that it was supposed to be actress Winona Ryder (even though the names are spelled differently). One of those people were Winona’s then-boyfriend, Soul Asylum vocalist Dave Pirner who allegedly renamed one of his band’s songs as Les Claypool is a Fucking Asshole during concerts. Man, some people just don’t have a sense of humour…

Primus’s popularity dwindled towards the end of 90s and the band went on hiatus in 2000. After a couple of short comebacks, the band reunited in 2010 and are still making new music and touring, currently scheduled to appear on Slayer’s final tour next fall.

[King Postwhore]

I saw them on this tour.  They were a band you left thinking I saw something unique.  No one sounded like them.  That 3 album Run of STSOC, Pork Soda and this album are a wild ride to one's ears.

[The Walrus]

I imagine Hell is that music video, but with more fire. That is frightening.

[ProfessorPeart]

Punchbowl might be my least favorite Primus record. While I do like Wynona, my choice off this album would be Southbound Pachyderm. I love that song.

Funny about the genre thing too. In my digital library I have their genre as Unclassifiable. I have also seen some media programs that actually have a genre of Primus.

[TAC]

I did buy Pork Soda.

[Podaar]

When I need a fix of ludicrous-hillbilly-funk-progressive-pop-metal I always reach for Primus...a genre unto themselves. While this song is great I prefer a lot of their other music over it. The video, though, is perfection!

[Kwyjibo]

I've heard a lot of (mostly good) things about this band, and I've tried some songs here and there but nothing has convinced me yet that I should go deeper. Let's see if this one works for me.

[Ruba]

I imagine Hell is that music video, but with more fire. That is frightening.

 

Different strokes I guess. I think it's hilarious.

Funny about the genre thing too. In my digital library I have their genre as Unclassifiable. I have also seen some media programs that actually have a genre of Primus.

Yeah, their genre is quite hard to nail down, although I like Podaar's take.

ludicrous-hillbilly-funk-progressive-pop-metal

[hefdaddy42]

I love Primus.  Definitely not for everyone, but as I get older, I like craftsmanship and skill more than other things, and Claypool is nothing if not skilled.

[Stadler]

Garbage:   "Only Happy When It Rains" is an underrated jewel.  There are like four melodies in that song that could have been choruses on their own.    I LOVE that song (and the band).  Plus I have a thing for Shirley Manson.  I think she's sexy as all get out.

Primus:  LOVE them too.  Sailing... and "Animals.." are my favorites (I'm partial to the Tim Alexander material).   i saw them open for Rush and it was stellar.  I also got to meet Les before the "Claypool Lennon Delirium" show in New Haven.  He's a nice enough guy, but he walks to his own drummer, if you pardon the pun.   I think if you hear "Primus" and aren't into it, there's not a lot of other places to go. Even the Les solo/collaboration stuff is still in that vein of weird vocals, weird lyrics, trippy music.  Some of it is more jazz oriented (the stuff with Bernie Worrell and Buckethead) but it's not like Genesis or Floyd where there are distinct eras.

[Ruba]

FILTER
HEY MAN NICE SHOT
1995



Filter is an American industrial rock band, formed by former Nine Inch Nails touring guitarist Richard Patrick and Brian Liesegang in 1993. While Trent Reznor was taking his band into more experimental direction, Patrick wanted to do something more guitar-heavy. The band released their debut Short Bus in 1995 and it spawned a surprising hit single Hey Man Nice Shot, which reached number 76 on Billboard Hot 100 and charted on both Alternative Songs and Mainstream rock charts.

HMNS is actually quite dark for a hit song. Driven by an ominous bass line, it explodes into a furious chorus with a barrage of power chords and Patrick’s trademark hoarse screaming. Lyrically the song is somewhat controversial. When it was released, some people thought it was written about Kurt Cobain’s suicide, but Patrick has always refuted this. In fact, it is inspired the public suicide of Pennsylvania State Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer. In 1987 Dwyer was accused of bribery and was facing a sentence of 55 years in prison. A day before his sentence was due, he held a press conference in which he was expected to resign from his position. During his speech, he produced a .357 pistol, assured the audience that he wasn’t going to hurt them and shot himself in the mouth. The incident was filmed by multiple news cameras and at least one station aired the footage unaltered. It is speculated that he was driven into his decision by the fact that if he was going to die, his family would receive a large death benefit which would grant them financial stability. Was he a crook who couldn’t face the life behind bars or a man of integrity who believed he was right and was not going to do time for a crime he didn’t commit? Answer is probably somewhere in between.

I’ve actually never seen the video and don’t want to, because I am squeamish about real world violence, but apparently the shot in the head did not deform his face. Patrick, who probably had seen the video on some tape being traded around, apparently thought the shot was “nice” for that reason, leading to rather darkly humorous title.

While I do like this song, it’s not really one of my favourites from the band. The next single Dose, which sadly didn’t gain any traction, is much better in my opinion. It’s a big middle finger towards people who try to convert other people into their faith. Next time someone asks me whether I have a minute to talk about Jesus Christ, I’ll probably quote the opening lines: “I believe in something else/Now go bother someone else.”

Liesegang left Filter in 1997 and Patrick assembled a full band around him. The band’s second album Title of Record (one of my all-time favourite album titles) featured the band’s biggest hit Take a Picture, which became a bona fide pop hit. It’s more laid-back than most of their oeuvre, but lyrically it described an incident where Patrick got flat-out drunk on a plane and started stripping naked. Patrick had a serious drinking problem and it escalated so bad that in 2002, he had to cancel the band’s world tour and enter rehab. He’s been clean and sober since.

Patrick reassembled Filter in 2007 and they’ve been going ever since with a revolving door line-up. Couple of years ago he had reconciled with Liesegang and they started working on a stylistic follow-up to Short Bus album, but sadly the project was terminated because of the PledgeMusic debacle.

[Podaar]

I've always enjoyed this song. A lot.

[Stadler]

I have two Filter albums and I don't listen to them much, but I like them when I do.  I love that song "Take A Picture". 

[King Postwhore]

I'll assume everybody knows who Richard Patrick's brother is?

[TAC]

I don't even know who Richard Patrick is..

Never heard of this band.

[Podaar]

I'll assume everybody knows who Richard Patrick's brother is?

T-1000

I don't even know who Richard Patrick is..

Never heard of this band.

Huh, who'd a thunk?

[King Postwhore]

 

Jesus H, Tim!  Lol.

[TAC]

Jesus H, Tim!  Lol.

Totally serious. I have no clue.

[Podaar]

Jesus H, Tim!  Lol.

Totally serious. I have no clue.

Tim,

If you read Ruba's write-up of the song we are discussing, you will know. 

[pg1067]

I just noticed this thread today, but it seems I haven't missed much.  If I've heard any song on any of the four albums mentioned thus far, I wouldn't know it, and I've never even heard of Filter.

[TAC]

Tim,

If you read Ruba's write-up of the song we are discussing, you will know. 

So I clicked on both songs. I have definitely never heard Hey Man Nice Shot, but I definitely recognize Take A Picture. I think that has been played on my work intercom over the years. I have definitely never heard of Filter.




WTF is up with the 90's? I mean you guys are more fogey-er than me. How do you even know this stuff?