Dragline (album)

Last updated

Dragline
Paw-Dragline.jpg
Studio album by
Paw
Released1993
StudioSmart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin
Genre
Length50:18 (1:08:13 in the re-release)
Label A&M
Producer
  • Mr. Colson
  • Paw
Paw chronology
Dragline
(1993)		 Death to Traitors
(1995)

Dragline is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Paw. [1] It was released in 1993 through A&M Records. It sold around 80,000 copies. [2]

Contents

The single "Jessie" released in 1993, reached number 82 in the UK. [3] Other singles from the album included "Lolita" in 1992 and "Sleeping Bag" and "Couldn't Know" in 1993.

In 2015, the album was re-released by Cherry Red Records Ltd. with all the b-sides from the singles as bonus tracks as well as extensive liner notes and slightly different artwork (the band logo and the title are smaller). [4]

Production

Produced by Mr. Colson and the band, the album was recorded at Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin. [5] [6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Calgary Herald C [8]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 10/10 [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Entertainment Weekly B [12]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Vox 6/10 [15]

The Morning Call wrote that "the approach is elemental and effective: a rhythm pounces, and a metallic guitar groove drills holes before surrendering to softly ringing accents or gently strummed acoustics as [Mark] Hennessy sings about death and suffering in a throaty roar." [16] The Los Angeles Times deemed the album "country-grunge," writing: "It would take a major revolution to get country radio to play this—there's way too much wattage in the amps. But there is also plenty of Middle American sensibility, giving this debut a character all its own." [13] The Calgary Herald said that the album "mixes melodic guitar with in-yer-face speed metal, kind-of a Pursuit of Happiness meets Metallica." [8]

Trouser Press wrote that "much of the quartet’s sonic heft emanates from the formidable drum-pounding of Peter Fitch, whose brother Grant hammers out echo-drenched guitar riffs that revisit a limited number of arena-rock clichés with alarming frequency." [17] The New York Times wrote that "Hennessy's conviction, and his ability to distill situations into terse, allusive lyrics, make him a rival of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder." [18] The New Yorker called the album "equal parts metallic vigor and Southern-rock grit." [19]

Rolling Stone listed Dragline at No. 35 on its list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums." [20] In 2007, Martin Popoff named the album the 15th greatest heavy metal album of the 1990s. [21]

Track listing

All songs were written by Mark Hennessy and Grant Fitch, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Gasoline" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)4:47
2."Sleeping Bag"4:07
3."Jessie" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)3:14
4."The Bridge"3:34
5."Couldn't Know"4:12
6."Pansy" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)3:26
7."Lolita"4:56
8."Dragline"5:07
9."Veronica"3:58
10."One More Bottle"4:04
11."Sugarcane"3:46
12."Hard Pig"5:07
13."Suicide Shift" (Re-release bonus track)3:06
14."Slow Burn" (Re-release bonus track)2:18
15."I Know Where You Sleep" (Re-release bonus track)4:37
16."Jessie" (Re-release bonus track (Live acoustic in Boston, Nov 29))3:16
17."Imaginary Lover" (Re-release bonus track (Atlanta Rhythm Section cover))4:37
Total length:01:08:13

Personnel

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References

  1. ↑ "Paw | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "Paw and the Year Scrunge Broke". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. May 14, 2010.
  3. ↑ "PAW Full Official Chart History". Official Charts .
  4. ↑ "Dragline: Expanded Edition".
  5. ↑ "Dragline by Paw". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 20. May 15, 1993. p. 54.
  6. ↑ Baird, Robert (August 25, 1993). "Clawing Their Way to the Top". Phoenix New Times.
  7. ↑ "Dragline Paw". AllMusic.
  8. 1 2 King, Frank (May 16, 1993). "Paw: Dragline". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  9. ↑ Wilding, Philip (March 20, 2015). "Paw: Dragline". Classic Rock (loudersound). Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ Popoff 2007, p. 338.
  11. ↑ Larkin 2006.
  12. ↑ Aaron, Charles (May 7, 1993). "Dragline". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Paw 'Dragline' A&M". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 1993.
  14. ↑ Prickett 1999, p. 861.
  15. ↑ Scanlon 1993.
  16. ↑ Harry, Rich. "For Rock Band Paw, Rural Life, Inspiration Go Hand in Hand". The Morning Call.
  17. ↑ "Paw". Trouser Press. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  18. ↑ Pareles, Jon (December 8, 1993). "From Metal into Melody". The New York Times.
  19. ↑ "Paw". The New Yorker. Vol. 70, no. 1–6. p. 16.
  20. ↑ "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019.
  21. ↑ Popoff 2007, p. 515.

Bibliography

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