Contemplating the Engine Room

Last updated
Contemplating the Engine Room
Contemplating the Engine Room.jpeg
Studio album by
Mike Watt
ReleasedOctober 6, 1997
Genre Punk
Length50:08
Label Columbia
Producer Mike Watt
Mike Watt chronology
Ball-Hog or Tugboat?
(1995)		Contemplating the Engine Room
(1997)		 The Secondman's Middle Stand
(2004)

Contemplating the Engine Room is a punk rock opera by Minutemen veteran Mike Watt. Released in 1997, the album is a punk rock song cycle that uses navy life as an extended metaphor for both Watt's family history and his first band, the Minutemen. [1] [2] The album was greeted with a positive response. [1] [3] [4] The cover art features a picture of Watt's father in his Navy uniform. [5]

Contents

Background

In July 1997, Watt posted on his personal website, "I'm gonna call the band mike watt and the black gang crew in honor of engine room folk - the black gang is boat talk for engine room crew." [6] The album features Watt as the singer, Nels Cline on guitar and drummer Stephen Hodges. It was produced by Watt and engineered by Bobby Seifert. [7]

Watt's father joined the navy when he was 17 and retired when he was 37. [2] He served aboard nuclear vessels, and died from cancer when he was 51. [2] Watt was originally from Virginia, but his parents divorced during the Viet Nam War, and Watt and his mother remained in California. [8]

Watt formed the Minutemen with his best friend, guitarist D. Boon, and drummer George Hurley, and they toured until Boon's death in a car wreck in Arizona in 1985. [9]

Album

Considered a "punk rock opera", [6] Contemplating the Engine Room is structured in several musical groups of threes to reflect the story's trio of protagonists. [7] Each of the 15 tracks represents part of a day in the lives of the three men in the engine room of a large naval vessel. According to Watt, the boilerman is D. Boon. The fireman is George Hurley and Watt is the machinist. [8]

Watt was a bit intimidated to make such an overtly personal album but he felt that he had to. [10]

I just had to get it out. I owed it to D. Boon, the Minutemen, Georgie, all the SST cats. Because it's sad what happened to the Minutemen. Fucking fucked up. But the work we did is why I get to make these records. I wanted to make a big valentine to that, to say, 'Thank you.' [10]

The opening track, "In the Engine Room," starts just before dawn and it ends 24 hours later with "Shore Duty". [3] [7] [11] It is essentially the story of a guy who has run away from a farm town, joined the Navy, and found a crew that has built a routine together. When their ship pulls into a port for shore leave, they get drunk, and the boilerman sleepwalks, falls in the water, and drowns. [8]

The collection is a bass-driven opera which begins and ends with the same bass figure. The lyrics and music contain countless nautical references, and elements of Richard McKenna's naval novel, The Sand Pebbles as well as stories that Watt's dad would tell when he came back from being at sea. [7] [11] “The Bluejacket’s Manual” compares punk rock to boot camp. Watt has compared his father's experience of leaving a farm town to the Minutemen bursting open and getting away from arena rock. [8]

Watt experimented with sounds that could not normally be achieved with a live three-piece band, at one point "rollin' marbles around on a bass drumhead and beatin' on it with our hands to get the sound of thunder." The songs are separated with nautical noises such as crashing waves, foghorns, and ship's bells. Watt also played the whole album with the top bass string detuned from E to D to push himself out of his comfort zone. [7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Entertainment Weekly B+ [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Village Voice C+ [14]

John Krewson of The A.V. Club said of Watt's punk rock opera "Against all logic, it succeeds, more or less brilliantly" [3] Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone called it Watt's "most personal, affecting work yet." [13] People praised it as "a meditation on the meaning of work, friendship and the quest for adventure" while admitting that it can be a challenging work, "tough sailing" at times. [15] Mark Athitakis of Salon called it "jaw-dropping" and a "post-punk Ulysses ." [10]

Robert Christgau was less complimentary saying that what Watt isn't "is a compelling artist. He can't sing at all, can't write much, and still pretends the bass solo is a viable musical form." [14]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Mike Watt

  1. "In the Engine Room"
  2. "Red Bluff"
  3. "The Bluejackets' Manual"
  4. "Pedro Bound!"
  5. "The Boilerman"
  6. "Black Gang Coffee"
  7. "Topsiders"
  8. "No One Says Old Man"
  9. "Fireman Hurley"
  10. "Liberty Calls!"
  11. "In the Bunk Room/Navy Wife"
  12. "Crossing the Equator"
  13. "Breaking the Choke Hold"
  14. "Wrapped Around the Screw"
  15. "Shore Duty"

Personnel

Live album

For the November 2017 Record Store Day, Contemplating the Engine Room was re-released on vinyl with a companion album Contemplating the Engine Room: Live in Long Beach ‘98 – Five Man Opera. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Watt</span> American musician

Michael David Watt is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo career with the 1995 album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?, he has since released three additional solo albums, most recently in 2010 with Hyphenated-man. He is also the frontman for the supergroup Big Walnuts Yonder (2008–present), a member of the art rock group Banyan (1997–present) and is involved with several other musical projects. From 2003 until 2013, he was the bass guitarist for The Stooges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firehose (band)</span> American alternative rock band

Firehose was an American alternative rock band consisting of Mike Watt, Ed Crawford, and George Hurley (drums). They were initially active from 1986 to 1994, and briefly reunited in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D. Boon</span> American guitarist and singer (1958–1985)

Dennes Dale Boon, also known as D. Boon, was an American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and songwriter of the punk rock trio Minutemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Hurley</span> Drummer from America

George Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE.

The Black Gang was a rock music trio formed in 1997 by American musician Mike Watt to record and tour behind his second solo album, Contemplating The Engine Room. Of all of the "project" Watt has formed since the disbanding of Firehose in 1994, The Black Gang has gone through the most permutations of any of Watt's backing groups.

<i>Double Nickels on the Dime</i> 1984 album by the Minutemen

Double Nickels on the Dime is the third album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the SST Records in July 1984. A double album containing 45 songs, Double Nickels on the Dime combines elements of punk rock, funk, country, spoken word and jazz, and references a variety of themes, from the Vietnam War and racism in America, to working-class experience and linguistics.

<i>D. Boon and Friends</i> 2003 compilation album by D. Boon

D. Boon and Friends is a compilation album of home recordings featuring American musician D Boon, of the band Minutemen. The album is the inaugural release of the Hermosa Beach, California-based label Box-O-Plenty Records, started by Boon's one-time roommate Richard Derrick. Most of the tracks are living-room jam sessions done by Boon, Derrick, and Crane, who had previously contributed backing vocals and trumpet parts to Minutemen's Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat and Project: Mersh EP's.

<i>Paranoid Time</i> 1980 EP by Minutemen

Paranoid Time is the debut EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It is also the second ever release by the SST record label, founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski. The album cover is a drawing by the American artist Raymond Pettibon.

The Reactionaries were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, in 1978. The band's continual members were lead vocalist Martin Tamburovich, guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley. The Reactionaries existed for most of 1978 and 1979, practicing regularly but rarely if ever performing live. After their breakup in late 1979, Watt and Boon formed Minutemen with drummer Frank Tonche and Hurley joined Hey Taxi!; Hurley joined Minutemen soon afterwards, replacing Tonche.

<i>What Makes a Man Start Fires?</i> 1983 studio album by Minutemen

What Makes a Man Start Fires? is the second studio album by American punk rock band Minutemen, released in January 1983 by SST.

<i>Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat</i> 1983 EP by Minutemen

Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat is the fourth EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen, released by SST Records in November 1983.

<i>The Politics of Time</i> 1984 compilation album by The Minutemen

The Politics of Time is the first compilation album by American hardcore punk band Minutemen, released in 1984 through New Alliance Records.

<i>Ballot Result</i> 1987 live album by Minutemen

"Ballot Result" is a posthumous live album by Minutemen, released in 1987 by SST Records.

<i>3-Way Tie (For Last)</i> 1985 studio album by Minutemen

3-Way Tie is the fourth and final full-length album by American punk band Minutemen, released in 1985 by SST Records. It features covers of songs by the Urinals, Meat Puppets, Blue Öyster Cult, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Roky Erickson. The last song, a cover of Erickson's "Bermuda", was sung over the phone by Mike Watt.

<i>Project Mersh</i> 1985 EP by The Minutemen

Project: Mersh is the final extended play by American punk rock trio Minutemen, released on April 8, 1985 through SST Records. It is the band's penultimate release before the death of frontman and composer D. Boon later that year due to injuries sustained in an auto accident.

<i>Ragin, Full-On</i> 1986 studio album by fIREHOSE

Ragin', Full-On is the first album by American alternative rock band fIREHOSE. It was released after the breakup of the influential punk rock band Minutemen due to the death of the guitarist D. Boon. Like all fIREHOSE albums, Ragin', Full-On is dedicated to Boon.

Joe Baiza is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Most of Baiza's music touches on a fusion of punk rock and jazz. Eugene Chadbourne cites Baiza as one of the most noteworthy guitarists to emerge from the Southern California punk rock milieu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minutemen (band)</span> American punk rock band

Minutemen were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California, in 1980. Composed of guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in 1985; the band broke up shortly thereafter. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of "jamming econo"—a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and short, tight songs, and for their eclectic style, drawing on hardcore punk, funk, jazz, and other sources.

<i>Funland</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Unknown Instructors

Funland is the third album by American improvisational band Unknown Instructors, featuring Mike Watt, George Hurley, Joe Baiza, poet/saxophonist Dan McGuire. The album features guest vocals by David Thomas and artist Raymond Pettibon.

<i>Hyphenated-man</i> 2010 studio album by Mike Watt

Hyphenated-man is the fourth solo album by Mike Watt, and the first full-length recording he made under his own name since parting with Columbia Records in 2005. Initially released in Japan by Parabolica Records in October 2010, the album was released in the rest of the world on clenchedwrench, an independent record label newly founded by Watt. He is accompanied on the album by his Mike Watt + The Missingmen bandmates, guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales.

References

  1. 1 2 McLeod, Kembrew. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Chonin, Neva (27 November 1997). "Q&A: Mike Watt; Former Minutemen bassist discusses new solo album, 'Contemplating the Engine Room'". Rolling Stone.
  3. 1 2 3 Krewson, John (29 March 2002). "Mike Watt: Contemplating The Engine Room". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. ↑ Kot, Greg (17 October 1997). "Mike Watt Contemplating the Engine Room..." Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Q&A: Mike Watt". Rolling Stone .
  6. 1 2 Watt, Mike (22 July 1997). "the making of "contemplating the engine room"". Mike Watt's Hoot Page. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Drvo, Izniknami Badem. ""Mike Watt & Masina"". Omnium Records. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Fortunato, John (3 June 2009). "MIKE WATT PONDERS MINUTEMEN WHILE 'CONTEMPLATING THE ENGINE ROOM'" . Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  9. ↑ Athitakis, Mark (31 October 1997). ""Mike Watt"". Salon Magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 Athitakis, Mark (October 31, 1997). "Mike Watt". Salon . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  11. 1 2 McMahan, Tim (29 Oct 1998). "Contemplating Mike Watt". The Reader. www.lazy-i.com "lazyeye". Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Woodard, Josef. "Contemplating the Engine Room". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Diehl, Matt (October 21, 1997). "Contemplating The Engine Room". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  14. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1 December 1998). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice . Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Contemplating the Engine Room". People. November 24, 1997. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  16. ↑ "BLACK FRIDAY 2017 > Mike Watt - Contemplating The Engine Room". Record Store Day . Retrieved October 4, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.