Clutch (Clutch album)

Last updated

Clutch
Clutch - Clutch.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 9, 1995 (1995-05-09)
RecordedDecember 1994 – January 1995
StudioUncle Punchy Studios (Silver Spring, Maryland)
Genre
Length55:05
Label East West Records
Producer Clutch and Larry Packer
Clutch chronology
Transnational Speedway League
(1993)
Clutch
(1995)
Impetus
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 9/10 [2]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Clutch is the second full-length album by American rock band Clutch. It was released on May 9, 1995 through East West Records. [1] The album is considered a staple of the 1990s stoner rock genre. [4] [5]

Contents

Recording and release

Clutch saw the return of "Uncle Punchy" Lawrence Packer to the production of the album and a return to Uncle Punchy Studios in Silver Spring, Maryland. [6]

Music and lyrics

This album captures the band's modus operandi of exploring new styles and genres, with an apparent injection of funk metal into the songs, drawing comparisons to Primus. The album is considered to be the point where the band had begun to evolve and expand on their stoner and blues rock roots. The record also retains their punk metal style, containing some heavier tracks. As with the band's previous releases, the influence of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin is apparent in the tracks. Additionally, the guitars are more prominent in the album's mix than on previous releases by the band. [7] [8] The album features some of their more "spacey" pieces such as "Big News", "Escape from the Prison Planet", "I Have the Body of John Wilkes Booth", and "Spacegrass". [5]

The album's lyrics explore themes relating to outer space. [5]

Legacy

It is the band's best-selling album in the US, at over 138,730 copies to date. [6] The album still receives regular live coverage with at least half the album's track list making their live performances on a regular basis, over 20 years after its first release. [9] The album now enjoys cult status among fans of the genre. [10]

Track listing

All music and lyrics written by Clutch.

No.TitleLength
1."Big News I"5:13
2."Big News II"2:23
3."Rock n' Roll Outlaw"2:59
4."Texan Book of the Dead"2:57
5."Escape from the Prison Planet"4:53
6."Spacegrass"6:33
7."I Have the Body of John Wilkes Booth"4:27
8."Tight Like That"4:49
9."Animal Farm"2:01
10."Droid"4:43
11."The House That Peterbilt"3:32
12."7 Jam"6:18
13."Tim Sult vs. The Greys"4:11
Total length:55:05

The Japanese release of the album contains the bonus track "Apache", which was initially released on the radio only promotional EP 'Big News', along with a demo version of "Spacegrass", which has never been reissued to date. [11] It would appear on the bootleg 'Clutch: Rarities and B-Side' some years later.

No.TitleLength
14."Apache"7:23

Personnel

Production

Charting positions

Album

YearChartPosition
1995 Top Heatseekers 33[ citation needed ]

References

  1. 1 2 Clutch at AllMusic
  2. Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 83. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  3. Fuoco, Christina (1999). "Clutch". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p.  247. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.
  4. "20 Years Ago: Clutch's Second Album Highlights a New Rock Revival". Ultimate Classic Rock. May 8, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo (May 25, 2018). "11 Great Space Rock + Metal Albums You Need To Know". Loudwire. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Sludge Scan For November 1999 | Metal Sludge". January 2, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. "Clutch". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. April 2001. p. 68. ISSN   1074-6978 . Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  8. "Clutch - Clutch | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  9. "Clutch - Clutch (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  10. Clutch - Clutch | Album | AllMusic , retrieved June 7, 2025
  11. "Big News Promo CD". pro-rock.com. Retrieved February 19, 2016.