Son of Mustang Ford

Last updated
Son of Mustang Ford
Swervedriver - Son of Mustang Ford.jpg
EP by
Released16 July 1990
RecordedGreenhouse Studio, London
Genre
Length17:13
Label Creation/A&M
Producer Swervedriver
Swervedriver chronology
Son of Mustang Ford
(1990)
Rave Down
(1990)

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).

Contents

Background and music

Two of the songs, "Son of Mustang Ford" and "Volcano Trash", were composed by Adam Franklin, after his band Shake Appeal disbanded. [1] [2] The band signed to Creation Records, after their demo tape was handed to Alan McGee by Mark Gardener of Ride. The band decided to release a series of four-track EPs over the span of a year, Son of Mustang Ford being the first one. [1] The band recorded and produced the EP at Greenhouse Studios in London. [3]

Franklin stated in NME that the EP "was based on the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas idea – driving around, out of your box, over America's landscapes." [4] The song "Kill the Superheroes" was composed in an alternate tuning. [1] A music video for "Son of Mustang Ford" was also released. [5] [6] According to music journalist Simon Williams, the band's sound on the EP is "dirtier" than those of the other Creation Records acts, "taking contemporary American guitar rock and instilling it with a liberal dose of languid British dream pop." [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Andy Kellman of Allmusic wrote: "This EP announced Swervedriver's presence on the shoegaze scene with authority, but with a heavier side that appealed to fans of Loop and the Stooges. Though just as textured and flanged out as any other shoegaze band, with this EP, Swervedriver came across as a band as likely to listen to Black Sabbath as to My Bloody Valentine." He also described the EP as "merely the launching pad" for the band's career. [7] Simon Price of Melody Maker described the release as "a chromium-plated piece of automobile romanticism." [8]

Track listing

  1. "Son of Mustang Ford" – 4:19
  2. "Volcano Trash" – 3:34
  3. "Kill the Superheroes" – 6:05
  4. "Juggernaut Rides" – 3:15

Personnel

Swervedriver

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slowdive</span> British shoegaze band

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 early records. Halstead is the band's primary songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swervedriver</span> English alternative rock band

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.

<i>Nowhere</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Ride

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".

<i>Going Blank Again</i> 1992 studio album by Ride

Going Blank Again is the second studio album by English rock band Ride, released on 9 March 1992 on Creation Records. It was produced by Alan Moulder, and peaked at No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart. In October 2009 the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of over 100,000 units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Franklin</span> English guitarist, singer, and songwriter

Adam Franklin is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is the front-man of the alternative rock band Swervedriver as well as the main creative force behind Toshack Highway (1999–2006) and currently releases records under his own name with his touring band Bolts of Melody. Franklin has released five independent studio albums in addition to three albums and two EPs under the moniker "Toshack Highway". He also sings and plays guitar in Magnetic Morning, a collaboration with Sam Fogarino from Interpol who have released an EP and a full-length album. Franklin is also a longtime member of the Sophia collective.

<i>Just for a Day</i> 1991 studio album by Slowdive

Just for a Day is the debut studio album by English rock band Slowdive. It was released on 2 September 1991 by Creation Records.

<i>Mezcal Head</i> 1993 studio album by Swervedriver

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.

Shake Appeal were an English rock group from Oxford, England, existing between 1984 and 1989. The last line-up of the band evolved into Swervedriver.

<i>Raise</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Swervedriver

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Belltower</span> American alternative rock band

The Belltower was an American alternative rock band from New York City often associated with the shoegazing scene, with members who later joined Luna and Fountains of Wayne.

<i>99th Dream</i> 1998 studio album by Swervedriver

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swervedriver discography</span>

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.

<i>Rave Down</i> 1990 EP by Swervedriver

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).

<i>Sandblasted</i> (EP) 1991 EP by Swervedriver

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.

<i>Reel to Real</i> (EP) 1991 EP by Swervedriver

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.

<i>Never Lose That Feeling</i> 1992 EP by Swervedriver

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.

<i>Last Train to Satansville</i> 1993 EP by Swervedriver

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>I Wasnt Born to Lose You</i> 2015 studio album by Swervedriver

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.

<i>Space Travel, Rock n Roll</i> 1998 EP by Swervedriver

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Franklin, Adam; Hartridge, Jimmy (13 October 2008), "liner notes", Raise (Reissue), pp. 1–2{{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Johnson, Daniel (August 2006). "Adam Franklin interview". Tape Op . Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 Williams, Simon (7 July 1990). "Hüsker Düing it for the Kids [Son of Mustang Ford review]". NME . Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  4. Hobbs, Mary Anne (1990). "Swerve Gas". NME . Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  5. "Shoegaze Week: Swervedriver's Adam Franklin dissects the notion of Shoegaze". Drowned in Sound. 27 April 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  6. "On the Road With Swervedriver: A Rockumentary [review]". Rate Your Music . Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  7. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Swervedriver - Son of Mustang Ford". Allmusic . Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  8. Price, Simon (11 August 1990). "Swervedriver [mini biography]". Melody Maker . Retrieved 15 July 2013.