Houdini (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Houdini
Type = studio
Artist = Melvins


Released = September 21, 1993
Recorded = 1993
Genre = Sludge metal
Length = 54:50
Label = Atlantic
Producer = Melvins, Kurt Cobain
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:un0xlfaegcqq link]
*Piero Scaruffi rating-10|6 [http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/melvins.html link]
Last album = "Lysol"
(1992)
This album = "Houdini"
(1993)
Next album = "Prick"
(1994)

"Houdini" is an album by Melvins released in 1993 on Atlantic Records. It is regarded as one of the band's more accessible records. Melvins were one of Kurt Cobain's favorite bands; he is given co-production credit alongside Melvins on tracks 1, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13. Cobain played guitar on "Sky Pup" and added percussion to the percussion-only sprawling noise of "Spread Eagle Beagle". Though he is listed as a producer, King Buzzo has been quoted saying that Cobain didn't do very much work, saying that all he did was "turn knobs and sleep" [cite web|url=http://www.themelvins.net/discography/albums/houdini/index.shtml|title=the M E L V I N S .net :: MELVINS - HOUDINI|accessdate = 2007-06-27] .

The back cover is an illustration of the band with drummer Dale Crover on the left, bassist Lori "Lorax" Black (daughter of Shirley Temple-Black) in the middle, and guitarist/vocalist Buzz "King Buzzo" Osborne on the right. In the illustration each member has 6 fingers on each hand.

In 2005 the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series. Another live performance of the album was released as "A Live History of Gluttony and Lust" in 2006.

Track listing

# "Hooch" (Melvins) – 2:51
# "Night Goat" (Melvins) – 4:41
# "Lizzy" (Melvins) – 4:43
# "Going Blind" (Simmons/Coronel) – 4:32
# "Honey Bucket" (Melvins) – 3:01
# "Hag Me" (Melvins) – 7:06
# "Set Me Straight" (Melvins) – 2:25
# "Sky Pup" (Melvins) – 3:50
# "Joan of Arc" (Melvins) – 3:36
# "Teet" (Melvins) – 2:51
# "Copache" (Melvins) – 2:07
# "Pearl Bomb" (Melvins) – 2:45
# "Spread Eagle Beagle" (Melvins) – 10:13"Some vinyl copies include a cover of "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)", originally by the MC5, instead of "Spread Eagle Beagle". A Japanese CD release (catalog# AMCY-625) also contains "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)" as the 14th track at the end of the disc, coming after "Spread Eagle Beagle"."

Personnel

*The Melvins - Producer, Mixing
**King Buzzo - Guitar, vocals
**Lorax - Bass
**Dale - drums, vocals
*Billy Anderson - Engineer, Bass, Mixing
*Wolf Kesseler - Second Engineer
*GGGarth Richardson - Mixing
*Joe Marquez - Second Engineer
*Kurt Cobain - Producer tracks 1, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13, Guitar on track 8, additional percussion on track 1 and 13
*Jonathan Burnside - Engineer
*Lou Oribin - Engineer
*Tom Doty - Second Engineer
*Barrett Jones - Engineer
*Bill Bartell - Bass and Lead Guitar on track 4
*Al Smith - additional percussion on track 13, A&R
*Mike Supple - additional percussion on track 13
*Stephanie Wells - David Lefkowitz Management
*Elliot Cahn - Legal Beagles
*Jeff Saltzman - Legal Beagles
*Peter Davis - Booking
*Don Lewis - Band Photo
*Frank Kozik - Art Direction, Illustration
*Valerie Wagner - Art Direction, Design
*Stephen Marcussen - Mastering

Charts

Album

Billboard (North America)

References