| Mezcal Head | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 September 1993 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:58 | |||
| Label | Creation | |||
| Producer |
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| Swervedriver chronology | ||||
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Mezcal Head is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 27 September 1993 by Creation Records in the United Kingdom and on 5 October 1993 by A&M Records in the United States. [3] [4]
In 1993, Swervedriver re-emerged with the core of Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, along with newly recruited drummer Jez Hindmarsh (a.k.a. "Jez"), and released Mezcal Head. The album gave them their most successful UK single at number 60, "Duel", [5] which NME named its "single of the week" and for which a music video was released. Franklin and Hartridge both perform bass on the album, as they were left without a bassist when Adi Vines departed before recording began.
"Never Lose That Feeling", from the 1992 EP of the same name, and the extended instrumental "Never Learn" were added as a single bonus track to the US edition of the CD. Swervedriver toured US arenas with The Smashing Pumpkins and Shudder to Think in October and November 1993.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| The A.V. Club | A [7] |
| Blurt | 8/10 [8] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B [9] |
| Mojo |  [10] |
| NME | 8/10 [11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [12] |
| PopMatters | 9/10 [13] |
| Q | [14] |
| Spectrum Culture | 4.5/5 [15] |
Alternative Press ranked Mezcal Head at numbers 39 and 90 on its "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s" and "Top 99 of '85–'95" lists respectively. [16] [17] It was also ranked at number 265 on Spin 's "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014)" list. [18] Pitchfork ranked the album at number 10 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time" in 2016. [1]
All tracks are written by Swervedriver, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For Seeking Heat" | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Duel" | 6:19 |
| 3. | "Blowin' Cool" | 3:55 |
| 4. | "MM Abduction" | 2:51 |
| 5. | "Last Train to Satansville" | 6:45 |
| 6. | "Harry & Maggie (Dragging It Under)" | 5:27 |
| 7. | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Girl on a Motorbike" | 4:09 |
| 9. | "Duress" (Marc Waterman) | 8:03 |
| 10. | "You Find It Everywhere" | 4:10 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn" | 11:51 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Planes Over the Skyline" | 4:41 |
| 12. | "Year of the Girl" | 5:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn" (mislabeled as "Never Lose That Feeling") | 11:51 |
| 12. | "Planes Over the Skyline" | 5:24 |
| 13. | "Hitcher" | 3:27 |
| 14. | "Cars Converge on Paris" | 6:31 |
The UK CD has "Mickey" and "Dragging It Under" printed on the CD as tracks 4 and 6. The US CD has "Harry and Maggie (Dragging It Under)" printed on the CD as track 6. The US promo is identical to the official release except that it has the word "PROMOTIONAL" printed on the CD. The Japanese edition comes with a biography and lyrics. [19]
The tracks "Duel" and "Last Train to Satansville" were featured in the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation and 3DO versions of the game Road Rash .
"Duel" was featured in the 1994 video game Road Rash and in the 2008 video game Burnout Paradise . "Mezcal" is censored from the song's album listing in the game due to connotations with alcoholic beverages.
Credits for Mezcal Head adapted from liner notes. [20]
Swervedriver
Additional musician
| Production
Design
|
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC) [21] | 55 |
Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume. It emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s among neo-psychedelic groups who usually stood motionless during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state. The name comes from the heavy use of effects pedals, as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during concerts.
Souvlaki is the second studio album by the English rock band Slowdive. It was recorded in 1992, and released on 1 June 1993 by Creation Records.
Slowdive are an English rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Rachel Goswell, Neil Halstead, Christian Savill (guitars), Nick Chaplin (bass), and Simon Scott, all of whom played on the band's debut studio album, Just for a Day (1991). Halstead is the band's primary songwriter.
Isn't Anything is the debut studio album by Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine, released on 21 November 1988 by Creation Records. Its innovative guitar and production techniques consolidated the experimentation of the band's preceding EPs and would make the album a pioneering work of the subgenre known as shoegazing. Upon its release, the album received rave critical reviews and reached #1 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.
Swervedriver are an English alternative rock band formed in Oxford in 1989 around core members Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge. Between 1989 and 1998, the band released four studio albums and numerous EPs and singles despite a considerable flux of members, managers, and record labels. By 1993 the band's lineup had settled with Franklin on vocals/guitar, Hartridge on guitar, Jez Hindmarsh on drums, and Steve George on bass. They had emerged with a heavier rock sound than their shoegaze contemporaries, and over the next five years it evolved to include elements of psychedelia, classic pop, and indie rock.
Nowhere is the debut album by British shoegaze band Ride, released 15 October 1990. Rolling Stone called the album "a masterpiece", and online magazine Pitchfork called it "one of shoegazing's enduring moments".
Giant Steps is the third studio album by the Boo Radleys, released in 1993. The title is inspired by John Coltrane's album of the same name, and the record features an assortment of influences — their previous shoegazing sound backed by pop, reggae, noise pop and orchestral sounds.
Raise is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 30 September 1991 by Creation Records. The album contained six new songs; "Son of Mustang Ford", "Rave Down" and "Sandblasted" had all appeared on earlier EPs and singles released by the band between 1990 and 1991. The album received very positive reviews.
Ejector Seat Reservation is the third studio album by the British alternative rock band Swervedriver, released in 1995. The album includes three untitled hidden tracks which were only available in the United Kingdom.
99th Dream is the fourth studio album by the British alternative rock band Swervedriver, released in 1998. The band was dropped by DGC Records after recording the album; they retained the masters and eventually signed with Zero Hour Records.
Juggernaut Rides '89–'98 is a two-disc anthology of 33 Swervedriver songs, including 16 non-album tracks. Eight of these later appeared as bonus tracks on the 2008/2009 "Remastered and Expanded" editions of the first three Swervedriver albums.
The discography of Swervedriver, an English alternative rock band, consists of six studio albums, one compilation album, one video album, seven extended plays, and eighteen singles. The band's back catalog of non-studio-album material rivals that which has been released in album format.
Son of Mustang Ford is the debut EP by English alternative rock band, Swervedriver. Self-produced by the band, it was released on 16 July 1990 through Creation and A&M Records. The title track of the EP was included in the band's debut album, Raise (1991).
Rave Down is the second EP by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. Produced and recorded by Anjali Dutt and the band, it was released in November 1990, through Creation and A&M Records. The title track of the EP was included in the band's debut album, Raise (1991).
Sandblasted is the third EP release by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. Self-produced and recorded by the band, it was released on 22 July 1991, through Creation and A&M Records. The title track of the EP was included in the band's debut album, Raise (1991) and was released as their debut single, peaking at number 67 on UK Singles Chart.
Reel to Real is the fourth EP release by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. Produced and recorded by the band and Alan Moulder, it was promotionally released in 1991, through A&M Records.
Never Lose That Feeling is the fifth EP release by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. Produced by Swervedriver and Alan Moulder, the EP was released on 18 May 1992. The EP is the band's final release with the original lineup. The title track off the EP, which was included on the US edition of the band's second album Mezcal Head (1993), was released as a single in 1992, peaking at number 62 on UK Singles Chart.
Last Train to Satansville is the sixth EP release by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. Produced by Alan Moulder and Swervedriver, the EP was promotionally released in 1993 through A&M Records with a digipak packaging. The lead track "Last Train to Satansville", which was included in the band's second studio album Mezcal Head, was also released as a single in 1994.
I Wasn't Born to Lose You is the fifth studio album by British alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 3 March 2015 through the Cobraside record label. It is the band's first album in 17 years, since 1998's 99th Dream.
Space Travel, Rock 'n' Roll is the seventh and final EP release by English alternative rock band Swervedriver. It was released on 10 February 1998 through Zero Hour, Shock Records, and Sonic Wave Discs record labels. The EP was released with the single format in Australia.
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