Mr. Bungle | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 13, 1991 | |||
Recorded | 1991 at Different Fur, San Francisco, California, United States | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 73:19 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | John Zorn | |||
Mr. Bungle chronology | ||||
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Singles from Mr. Bungle | ||||
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Mr. Bungle is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on August 13, 1991, through Warner Bros. Records. The album contains many genre shifts which are typical of the band, and helped increase the band's popularity, gaining them a cult following.
The album cover features artwork by Dan Sweetman, originally published in the story "A Cotton Candy Autopsy" in the comic book series Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children .
The album mixes a variety of musical styles, including ska, circus music, heavy metal, free jazz, and funk. [2] Steve Huey AllMusic called the album's musical style a "dizzying, disconcerting, schizophrenic tour through just about any rock style the group can think of, hopping from genre to genre without any apparent rhyme or reason, and sometimes doing so several times in the same song", and Mike Patton's lyrics as "even more bizarrely humorous" and "less self-censored" than those of Faith No More. [8] Warner Bros. promoted the record as Patton's "seriously weird new project". [9]
The lyrics in the album are broad in themes, ranging from more comedic to dark or sexual. "Slowly Growing Deaf" was "inspired by the ironic need to wear earplugs while listening to music and also people’s inability to listen", according to bassist Trevor Dunn, and was later designated as part one of his "Sleep" trilogy, with the other two being featured on the band’s second album in 1995. [10] "Squeeze Me Macaroni" is a song featuring strong sexual themes being illustrated through food metaphors. "Egg" is about asociality. "Stubb (A Dub)" is about Trey Spruance's dog, Stubb. [11] "The Girls of Porn" is about pornography and masturbation. "Love is a Fist" is about domestic violence. "Dead Goon" is about an asphyxiophile whose actions lead to his accidental death.
Samples from David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet are strewn throughout the album.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 [12] |
Entertainment Weekly | D− [13] |
Kerrang! | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 1/10 [15] |
The album received mixed reviews upon release. Entertainment Weekly gave the album a highly negative review, writing: "Adjectives like 'puerile' and 'unlistenable' take on entirely new dimensions when applied to Mr. Bungle". [13] In contrast, Trouser Press called it "one of the most ambitiously random, fractious records in recent memory" and "one of the finest records of its kind". [16]
In 2015, Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer praised the album, stating: "I loved their last album, California, but their self-titled debut had the biggest impact on me. There’s a song on there called "Love Is a Fist" that's fucking crushing. That set the tone for us and what we went on to do creatively. They were completely outside the box and just didn't care – they satisfied only themselves. It wasn't about record sales, it was just about creating a band." [17]
Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold has named the album as "one of the most incredible pieces of music [he has] ever heard in [his] life". [18] In 2021, Incubus vocalist Brandon Boyd stated that he loved how "irreverent and disgusting and scary the music was" at the time. [19] Boyd and Incubus later toured with Mr. Bungle at the 2000 edition of the SnoCore Tour. When asked about the album's influence on bands such as Korn and Incubus, Spruance said in 2021, "often I feel that the public that took to this album had pre-existing mental problems that the wide distribution of the CD only exacerbated." [20]
All songs are credited to Mr. Bungle. Actual writers below, according to ASCAP. [21]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Travolta" (retitled "Quote Unquote" on later pressings) | Trevor Dunn, Danny Heifetz, Mike Patton, Trey Spruance | 6:56 |
2. | "Slowly Growing Deaf" | Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, Clinton McKinnon, Theo Lengyel | 6:58 |
3. | "Squeeze Me Macaroni" | Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance | 5:38 |
4. | "Carousel" | Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance | 5:13 |
5. | "Egg" | Dunn | 10:39 |
6. | "Stubb (A Dub)" | Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, McKinnon, Lengyel | 7:19 |
7. | "My Ass Is on Fire" | Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance | 7:47 |
8. | "The Girls of Porn" | Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, McKinnon, Lengyel | 6:42 |
9. | "Love Is a Fist" | Dunn, Spruance | 6:00 |
10. | "Dead Goon" | Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, McKinnon, Lengyel | 10:02 |
Three more songs ("Mr Nice Guy", "Thunderball", and "Platypus") were also recorded for the album, but were cut at the last minute; a revised version of "Platypus" would appear on the band's second album, Disco Volante.
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [22]
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band L.A.P.D. Their current lineup features Shaffer (guitar); Arvizu (bass); Brian "Head" Welch (guitar); Jonathan Davis (vocals), and Ray Luzier (drums), who replaced Silveria in 2007. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppel; the latter two were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively. Nicole Row replaced Kenney in 2024.
Make Yourself is the third studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on October 26, 1999, through Epic Records and Immortal Records. The album received double platinum certification by the RIAA and produced three charting singles—"Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive"—all of which reached the top three of the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, with the latter topping the chart and also becoming the band's sole top ten hit to date on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number nine.
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Roddy Bottum and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest-remaining members of the band, having been involved since its inception. The band underwent several early lineup changes, and some major changes later. The lineup of Faith No More consists of Gould, Bordin, Bottum, lead guitarist Jon Hudson, and vocalist/lyricist Mike Patton.
Funk metal is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, and has been described as a "brief but extremely media-hyped stylistic fad".
Michael Allan Patton is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the American rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techniques, wide range of projects, style-transcending influences, eccentric public image and contempt for the music industry, Patton has earned critical praise and influenced many contemporary singers. In addition to his most popular endeavor, Faith No More, Patton is also co-founder and lead vocalist of Mr. Bungle, and he has fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fantômas, Moonchild Trio, Kaada/Patton, Dead Cross, Lovage, Mondo Cane, the X-ecutioners, and Peeping Tom. Consistent collaborators through his varied career include avant-garde jazz saxophonist John Zorn, hip hop producer Dan the Automator and classical violinist Eyvind Kang.
Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout its career, the band is best known for its experimental rock period. During this time, it developed a highly eclectic style, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde jazz, ska, disco, and funk, further enhanced by lead vocalist Mike Patton's versatile singing style. This period also saw the band utilizing unconventional song structures and samples; playing a wide array of instruments; dressing up in masks, jumpsuits, and other costumes; and performing a diverse selection of cover songs during live performances.
Fantômas is an American heavy metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California. It features vocalist Mike Patton, drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer), guitarist Buzz Osborne (Melvins) and bassist Trevor Dunn. The band is named after Fantômas, a supervillain featured in a series of crime novels popular in France before World War I and in film, most notably in the '60s French movie series.
Preston Lea "Trey" Spruance III is an American composer, producer, and musician who co-founded the experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. He is also leader of the multi-genre outfit Secret Chiefs 3. Originally a guitarist and trumpeter, in the early 90s Spruance began playing vintage electronic organs, analog synthesizers, saz, santur, electric sitar, tar, and various other string and percussion instruments. In the mid 90s he founded Forking Paths Studio where his production techniques were applied to Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3 records among many others. Since 2007 Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3 has been a very active live entity, performing well over 500 shows in more than 50 countries.
Trevor Roy Dunn is an American composer, bass guitarist, and double bassist. He came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. While performing with Mr. Bungle, Dunn would dress similar to the St. Pauli Girl. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, including with saxophonist/composer John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3 and with his own avant-garde jazz/rock ensemble Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant. He is also a member of the band Tomahawk.
Disco Volante is the second studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on October 10, 1995, through Warner Bros., and is often considered their most experimental album, mixing elements from such varied styles as death metal, jazz, Arabic music, musique concrète, easy listening, klezmer, and tango.
James Christian Shaffer, also known by his stage name "Munky", is an American musician best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the nu metal band Korn. He was ranked at No. 26 of Guitar World's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.
California is the third studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on July 13, 1999, through Warner Bros.
We Care a Lot is the debut studio album by American rock band Faith No More, originally released in 1985 and distributed through Mordam Records. On the original vinyl release, the band is credited as Faith. No More. on the album's liner notes, back cover, and on the record itself.
Secret Chiefs 3 is an American avant-garde group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance. Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles, mostly instrumental, including surf rock, Persian, neo-Pythagorean, Indian, death metal, film music, and electronic music.
Clinton "Bär" McKinnon is an American musician, perhaps best known for being a saxophonist in the San Francisco-based band Mr. Bungle.
Brian Elwin Haner Jr., better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. He ranks No. 9 on Guitar World's best metal guitarists of all time. Gates was voted as Best Metal Guitarist in the World by Total Guitar in 2016 and once again in 2017.
First Grand Constitution and Bylaws is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Secret Chiefs 3, released on September 30, 1996 by Amarillo Records.
"Faget" is a song by the American nu metal band Korn. It is the sixth track from the band's self-titled debut studio album. The song is about how Korn's lead vocalist, Jonathan Davis, was bullied in high school for being into arts, wearing eyeliner, being into new wave music, and wearing frilly shirts. According to Jonathan Davis, he was constantly called names such as "faggot".
The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo is the fourth full length studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle, released on October 30, 2020, through Ipecac Recordings. It serves as their first album after a 20-year hiatus and subsequent reunion in February that year, while also marking their first release through Ipecac, which was co-founded by lead vocalist Mike Patton.
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