Introducing the Minutemen

Last updated
Introducing the Minutemen
Introducing The Minutemen.jpg
Compilation album by
ReleasedJuly 28, 1998
Recorded1980–1985
Genre Alternative rock, hardcore punk, post-punk
Length57:07
Label SST (363)
Producer Spot
Minutemen chronology
Post-Mersh Vol. 3
(1989)
Introducing the Minutemen
(1998)
D. Boon and Friends
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg link

Introducing the Minutemen is a retrospective and relatively comprehensive compilation of songs by influential punk/alternative trio the Minutemen, compiled by bassist and notable solo artist Mike Watt twelve years after the untimely demise of the band. The album is made up of tracks spanning the band's entire career, sampling tracks from all of their studio releases with the exception of the Tour-Spiel EP and the Black Flag-Minutemen collaboration Minuteflag . Due to the comprehensive and wide-spanning nature of the collection, it is generally perceived to be an effective introduction to The Minutemen and their music.

The band's landmark breakthrough Double Nickels on the Dime donates the most tracks, with seven. The three-song Joy EP and the rarities collection The Politics of Time both contribute a mere two tracks.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mike Watt, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Original ReleaseLength
1."Definitions" 1980 ~ Paranoid Time 1:12
2."Joe McCarthy's Ghost" 1980 ~ Paranoid Time0:59
3."Paranoid Chant" 1980 ~ Paranoid Time1:17
4."Search"1981 ~ The Punch Line 0:51
5."The Punch Line" 1981 ~ The Punch Line0:40
6."Fanatics" 1981 ~ The Punch Line0:30
7."Straight Jacket"
  • Hurley
  • Watt
1981 ~ The Punch Line0:58
8."Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs" 1983 ~ What Makes A Man Start Fires? 1:28
9."Fake Contest" 1983 ~ What Makes A Man Start Fires?1:43
10."The Anchor"
  • Hurley
  • Watt
1983 ~ What Makes A Man Start Fires?2:32
11."Split Red"
1982 ~ Bean-Spill 0:53
12."Life as a Rehearsal" 1983 ~ What Makes A Man Start Fires?1:35
13."Cut" 1983 ~ Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat 2:02
14."Dream Told by Moto" 1983 ~ Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat1:47
15."I Felt Like a Gringo" 1983 ~ Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat1:57
16."Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing" 1984 ~ Double Nickels on the Dime 1:30
17."Maybe Partying Will Help"
  • Boon
  • Watt
1984 ~ Double Nickels on the Dime1:56
18."Toadies" 1984 ~ Double Nickels on the Dime1:38
19."Corona"Boon1984 ~ Double Nickels on the Dime2:25
20."History Lesson – Part II" 1984 ~ Double Nickels on the Dime2:11
21."This Ain't No Picnic"Boon1984 ~ Double Nickels on the Dime1:57
22."King of the Hill"Boon1985 ~ Project Mersh 3:22
23."Tour-Spiel" 1985 ~ Project Mersh2:47
24."The Price of Paradise"Boon1985 ~ 3-Way Tie (For Last) 3:35
25."The Big Stick"Boon1985 ~ 3-Way Tie (For Last)2:31
26."Courage"Boon1985 ~ 3-Way Tie (For Last)2:32
27."Spoken Word Piece" 1985 ~ 3-Way Tie (For Last)1:07
28."Just Another Soldier"Boon1985 ~ 3-Way Tie (For Last)1:57
29."If Reagan Played Disco"Boon1982 ~ Bean-Spill1:17
30."Case Closed"Boon1982 ~ Bean-Spill1:28
31."Futurism Restated"
  • Boon
  • Watt
1982 ~ Bean-Spill0:56
32."Joy"
  • Hurley
  • Watt
1981 ~ Joy 0:54
33."Black Sheep"
  • Hurley
  • Watt
1981 ~ Joy1:09
34."Badges" 1984 ~ The Politics of Time 0:34
35."Party With Me Punker" 1984 ~ The Politics of Time0:55

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Mike Watt American bassist, vocalist and songwriter

Michael David Watt is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter.

Firehose (band) American alternative rock band

Firehose was an American alternative rock band consisting of Mike Watt, Ed Crawford, and George Hurley (drums). They were initially active from 1986 to 1994, and briefly reunited in 2012.

George Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE.

dos is an American rock group composed of Mike Watt and Kira Roessler, who both sing and play bass guitar. Critic Greg Prato describes their unusual instrumentation as "a haunting yet intriguing and original sound."

<i>Double Nickels on the Dime</i> 1984 album by the Minutemen

Double Nickels on the Dime is the third album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the California independent record label SST Records in 1984. A double album containing 45 songs, Double Nickels on the Dime combines elements of punk rock, funk, country, spoken word and jazz, and references a variety of themes, from the Vietnam War and racism in America, to working-class experience and linguistics.

<i>D. Boon and Friends</i> 2003 compilation album by D. Boon

D. Boon and Friends is a compilation album of various recordings featuring Minutemen guitarist and frontman D. Boon. The album is the inaugural release of the Hermosa Beach, California-based label Box-O-Plenty Records, started by Boon's one-time roommate Richard Derrick. Most of the tracks are living-room jam sessions done by Boon, Derrick, and Crane, who had previously contributed backing vocals and trumpet parts to Minutemen's Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat and Project: Mersh EP's.

<i>Joy</i> (EP) 1981 EP by The Minutemen

Joy is a three-song seven-inch EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. Recorded not long after the release of their first EP Paranoid Time, it was the first release that Minutemen had issued on their own New Alliance Records label in 1981. Their first full-length album The Punch Line hit record store shelves three months after the release of Joy although Joy was recorded after The Punch Line.

<i>Paranoid Time</i> 1980 EP (7") by Minutemen

Paranoid Time is the first EP by American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It is also the second ever release by the SST record label, founded by Black Flag's Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski. The album cover is a drawing by the American artist Raymond Pettibon.

<i>The Punch Line</i> 1981 studio album by Minutemen

The Punch Line is the first 12-inch studio album and third overall release by American punk rock band Minutemen, and the fourth-ever release from SST Records. After their previous release, Paranoid Time, sold out its 300-copy pressing, Greg Ginn invited the band to record another album. Less than half the length of most LPs, the total playing time for all 18 songs is a mere 15 minutes. The album was an early milestone release for the band and SST. The Punch Line hit record store shelves three months after the release of Joy although Joy was recorded after The Punch Line.

<i>What Makes a Man Start Fires?</i> 1983 studio album by Minutemen

What Makes a Man Start Fires? is the second full-length album and fifth release overall by influential American punk rock band Minutemen.

<i>Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat</i> 1983 EP by Minutemen

Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat is the sixth overall release from American hardcore punk band Minutemen. It was released by SST Records in 1983. It is noted for featuring tracks with greater depth and more conventional song structure than on the band's previous releases.

<i>The Politics of Time</i> 1984 compilation album by The Minutemen

The Politics of Time is the seventh overall release, third album-length release, and first compilation by American hardcore punk band the Minutemen.

<i>Contemplating the Engine Room</i> 1997 studio album by Mike Watt

Contemplating the Engine Room is a punk rock opera by Minutemen veteran Mike Watt. Released in 1997, the album is a punk rock song cycle that uses navy life as an extended metaphor for both Watt's family history and his first band, the Minutemen. The album was critically well-received, though not universally. The cover art features a picture of Watt's father in his Navy uniform.

<i>The Record</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Fear

The Record is the debut studio album by the American hardcore punk band Fear, released May 16, 1982, by Slash Records. It was produced by Gary Lubow. The album was reissued on CD in 2007 with the single "Fuck Christmas" as a bonus track. The band re-recorded the album in its entirety and released it under the title The Fear Record in 2012.

<i>Project Mersh</i> 1985 EP by The Minutemen

Project: Mersh is the final extended play, or EP release from the American punk rock trio Minutemen. It is their penultimate release, before D. Boon's death later that year in an auto accident.

Joe Baiza is a punk rock and jazz guitarist whom Eugene Chadbourne cites as one of the most noteworthy guitarists to emerge from the Southern California punk rock milieu.

<i>Two Things at Once</i> 1988 compilation album by the Descendents

Two Things at Once is a compilation album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released in 1988 through SST Records. It combines the band's 1982 debut album Milo Goes to College with the 1985 release Bonus Fat, itself a compilation of 1981's Fat EP, 1979's "Ride the Wild" / "It's a Hectic World" single, and the track "Global Probing" from a 1981 compilation titled Chunks. Two Things at Once has been described by critics as an essential collection of the band's early years.

<i>Live Totem Pole</i> 1992 EP by Firehose

Live Totem Pole is a live EP released in 1992 by Firehose. It consists of seven tracks, five of which are cover versions. The cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "The Red and the Black" had been recorded by Minutemen and released on 3-Way Tie .

Minutemen (band) Punk rock band from San Pedro, California

Minutemen were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California, in 1980. Composed of guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's tragic death in an automobile accident in 1985; the band broke up shortly thereafter. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of "jamming econo"—a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and presentation—while their eclectic and experimental attitude was instrumental in pioneering alternative rock and post-hardcore.

<i>Hyphenated-man</i> 2010 studio album by Mike Watt

Hyphenated-man is the fourth solo album by Mike Watt, and the first full-length recording he made under his own name since parting with Columbia Records in 2005. Initially released in Japan by Parabolica Records in October 2010, the album was released in the rest of the world on clenchedwrench, an independent record label newly founded by Watt. He is accompanied on the album by his Mike Watt + The Missingmen bandmates, guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales.