Heavy Petting Zoo | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 31, 1996 | |||
Recorded | October 1995 | |||
Studio | Razors Edge, and Fat Planet | |||
Genre | Punk rock, skate punk, ska punk | |||
Length | 34:54 | |||
Label | Epitaph | |||
Producer | Ryan Greene, NOFX | |||
NOFX chronology | ||||
| ||||
Eating Lamb | ||||
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [2] |
Spin | 7/10 [3] |
Heavy Petting Zoo (known as Eating Lamb on the LP version) is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on January 31, 1996, through Epitaph Records. The record reached a position of No. 63 on the American Billboard 200 Albums chart, the first NOFX album to do so. [4] In Austria Heavy Petting Zoo peaked at No. 20, while the album achieved the No. 13 position in both Sweden and Finland.
NOFX recorded the album in October 1995 with Ryan Greene at the Razor's Edge studio, San Francisco, a garage described by the band as "a total dive". [5]
The music on Heavy Petting Zoo has been complimented as "melodic", and the album has been favorably compared to the band's 1991 Ribbed LP, [6] but although tracks like "Hobophobic (Scared of Bums)" and "Freedom Lika Shopping Cart" have been lauded for their witty titles, they have also been criticized for being overly cynical. [7]
The track "August 8th" makes reference to the death of Jerry Garcia. Songwriter Fat Mike commented that he wrote the song, "cuz I fucking hate the Grateful Dead, but it turns out I had the date wrong. He really dies on August 9th. Whoops. I guess I'm lame." [8] According to Fat Mike, the first half of "The Black And White" is concerned with a repressed homosexual male living in "Small Town, USA". [9]
"Liza" revisits the lesbians Liza and Louise introduced on the 1992 album White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean . The third song in the series, "Louise" is found on their eighth album Pump up the Valuum . [10]
There are two different cover images for the album, both illustrated by Mark deSalvo, a noted designer of punk album art. [11] The artwork for the CD edition features a man fingering a sheep. The band's name and album title are featured at the top of the cover. The vinyl edition's artwork features the same man and sheep in a 69 position. The title Eating Lamb is given on the cover of the LP, [12] with Heavy Petting Zoo written on the spine and record itself.
CMJ New Music Monthly, in their review of the album, described it as the band's "nastiest cover yet..", [13] and in their analysis of NOFX's attitude, the authors of Screaming for Change: Articulating a Unifying Philosophy of Punk Rock state: "..the fact that none of the songs on the record deal with animals, zoos, or even bestiality, supports the assertion that the artwork contains little, if any, significant meaning other than portraying images the band is confident will upset and shock the establishment." [14]
To promote the album's release, record label Epitaph sent out inflatable sheep with the message "Fuck ewe" attached. [15] The LP version was banned in Germany, due to its Zoophilia content. [16] A court order in October 1996 prohibited distribution of the record in Germany, and confiscated copies with the offending artwork that were already on public display. [17]
All tracks written by Fat Mike.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hobophobic (Scared of Bums)" | 0:48 |
2. | "Philthy Phil Philanthropist" | 3:10 |
3. | "Freedom Lika Shopping Cart" | 3:43 |
4. | "Bleeding Heart Disease" | 3:36 |
5. | "Hot Dog in a Hallway" | 2:50 |
6. | "Release the Hostages" | 2:29 |
7. | "Liza" | 2:55 |
8. | "What's the Matter with Kids Today?" | 1:13 |
9. | "Love Story" | 2:37 |
10. | "The Black and White" | 3:36 |
11. | "Whatever Didi Wants" | 3:00 |
12. | "August 8th" | 1:35 |
13. | "Drop the World" | 3:22 |
Total length: | 34:58 |
Chart (1996) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [18] | 57 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [19] | 20 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [20] | 62 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [21] | 13 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22] | 40 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [23] | 13 |
UK Albums (OCC) [24] | 60 |
US Billboard 200 [25] | 63 |
NOFX is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every release by the band, although Sandin departed briefly in 1985, only to rejoin the following year. El Hefe joined the band in 1991 to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up.
Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands signed to the label as well. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several sister labels also exist, such as ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Hellcat Records, and Heart & Skull Records that have signed other types of bands.
Smash is the third studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on April 8, 1994, by Epitaph Records. After touring in support of their previous album Ignition (1992), the band recorded their next album over two months at Track Record in North Hollywood, California. Smash was the band's final studio album to be produced by Thom Wilson, who had worked with them since their 1989 eponymous debut. This also marks the first album where Dexter Holland is credited with playing the guitar as opposed to vocals only.
Pump Up the Valuum is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on June 13, 2000, on Epitaph Records, their last through the company.
Punk in Drublic is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on July 19, 1994, through Epitaph Records. The title is a spoonerism of "Drunk in Public".
Aaron Abeyta, better known as El Hefe or simply Hefe, from el Jefe, is an American musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist and trumpet player for the American punk rock band NOFX. He started playing guitar at the age of 13, but he states that he started taking it seriously at the age of 15, joining his first band. He joined NOFX in 1991 and his first recording with the band was his contribution to their EP The Longest Line.
Eric Scott Melvin is an American musician and founding member of the punk rock band NOFX.
Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) was a Californian hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California, a suburb of Santa Barbara. They were associated with the "Nardcore" scene that evolved out of nearby Oxnard. Their music expanded over the years from West Coast hardcore to a mix of hardcore with rock and metal elements. This style, along with touring, made them very popular on the European scene, especially among skaters in the 1980s and 1990s. Guitarist Chris Rest was the band's only consistent member.
Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett, and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990.
Erik Sandin, is an American musician and the drummer of the punk rock band NOFX, and former member of punk rock band Caustic Cause. He was a founding member of NOFX when they formed in Hollywood, California, in 1983.
So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on November 11, 1997, through Epitaph Records.
S&M Airlines is the second studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on September 5, 1989, through Epitaph Records. It was also the group's first release on Epitaph. A music video was made for the title track. The album was recorded and mixed in only six days at Westbeach Recorders. Bad Religion's Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz appear on the final track, a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song "Go Your Own Way". They also did harmonies on a few other songs. Bassist/singer, Fat Mike considers it to be the first real NOFX album. It was heavily inspired by Bad Religion and Rich Kids on LSD, and showed the band moving more towards a melodic and metallic sound. The album sold 3,500 copies upon its release.
The War on Errorism is the ninth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on May 6, 2003, through Fat Wreck Chords.
Ribbed is the third studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX, released in 1991 through Epitaph Records. It was their last album to feature Steve Kidwiler on guitar; he was replaced by El Hefe. Ribbed is also the last NOFX album produced by Brett Gurewitz, who also produced their first two Epitaph albums. The album sold 8,000 copies upon its release.
Liberal Animation is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was originally released in 1988 through Wassail Records, which was Fat Mike's label before Fat Wreck Chords. Brett Gurewitz produced the record, and even offered to release it on his label, Epitaph Records. The band decided to self-release it instead. It was re-released through Epitaph Records in 1991 with all new artwork. The title is a spoonerism of "animal liberation" and the cover artwork is a reflection of that. Bassist/Singer, Fat Mike has stated many times that he thinks it's the worst NOFX album. He wrote the majority of the album on a guitar he bought from Lynn Strait of Snot. The track "Shut Up Already" features a short cover of the Led Zeppelin song "Black Dog". It is the only full length album by NOFX to feature Dave Casillas on guitar. Amateur style music videos were made for the tracks "Shut Up Already" and "Mr. Jones."
The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us) is a greatest hits compilation album released on November 9, 2004 by NOFX consisting of previously released songs that have been cleaned up and restored using a more recent technology. Some songs were even re-mixed for the compilation.
Wolves in Wolves' Clothing is the tenth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. At 46 minutes, this is NOFX's longest studio album.
This is a discography of NOFX, a California-based punk rock band. The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike, and guitarist Eric Melvin, drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterwards. Their current second guitarist is El Hefe, who has been with the band since 1991.
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Ryan Greene is an American record producer, sound engineer, former owner of Crush Recording Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and founder of Area 52 Entertainment in Los Angeles, California. He has worked with many artists including Jay-Z, Lita Ford, Tonic, Mr. Big, Wilson Phillips, Megadeth, NOFX, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Usher, Patti LaBelle, Dishwalla and Gladys Knight. He has worked on over 250 musical projects and has been described as an "A-list producer".
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