Basically, this release is their first 7” + the first LP (which was not released until about 1993) & some demos of songs that were either never released or are/were sketches at later tunes. In case you don’t know the Melvins (but should by now!) are an Aberdeen, WA to Bay Area to L.A. based sludge punk/metal (& occassionally noise/experimental) madness. Influential upon a variety on bands like Sleep, Eyehategod, Boris, and...even some kid named Kurt Cobain.
All tracks sound pretty raw, but not with that crappy, muddy sound that most early era stuff by most bands sounds like.
1) This later wound up on their 3rd release “Ozma” & really is one of their best tunes in their career. Nice slooow & groovy.
2) More up-tempo with some almost hardcore/mid-tempo metal leanings.
3) Super sludgey & awesome guitar vibarato action. Mostly at a crawl (pun intended!)
4) A good song for Mid-terms & Finals. I think this is written from the perspective of a #2 pencil? I dunno. The song punishes though! Suuuper sludge action!
5) Killer drumming & basic riff action. Also one of their best ever songs.
6.) Mid-temp & sludgey, as well as catchy.
7.) Sounds like a pretty standard hc/punk song in the intro but I think it’s Buzz’s bizarre vocals that make it rather “inaccessible” to most (which is probably a good 80% of the station). 8.) Sloowww & oozing. Another tune that later ended up on a later release under a different title.
9.) Some really cool stop-starts in this one. The riffs sounds sort of droney via repetition of the low E & B strings. Instrumental.
10.) More instrumental sludge-very nice!
11) through 16) Rawer versions of tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 & 7 - not too different aside from the production value (or lack there of).
17) Raw but catchy & groovy. Damn, this one didn’t get released again until “Houdini” (1993).
18) Rawer version of #8 - a really awesome one, though.
19.) Rawer version of #4. Nice & fuzzy.
20) Was that Buzz or Dale’s mom yelling at them? Either way this is a demo of #3 & sounds really cool the vox are in the left channel & the rest it in right channel.
21) Same production value as the previous song & a really good version of #7.
22) Same deal here. Raw but cultishly brilliant! 23) Fast & h.c. styled. Pretty damn cool. Almost sounds like a Hellhammer demo in some parts! Hell yeah!
24) Jeez, this sounds like a riff Sleep might’ve borrowed at some later date. Groovy, heavy as hell tune that crushes “stoner rock” like the fraud that it is.
25) Super-fast speed-metal/hardcore version of a tune that they slowed down a lot more when it later came out on “Ozma”. Shortly after...Some weird heshers talking about: “Purple Moon" (a type of acid in the Pacific NW?), nerve damage, “having my own earthquake”, “my lyrics”, god & the prince of darkness, Fleetwood Mac (!?!?) & vampires & reincarnation whilst most wasted. Plus a little living room jam session. I think the main speaker is what is known as thee “Elder Hesher” whom the young hesh-kids seek advice, new records or good dope from. Not quite “Heavy Metal Parking Lot” but sort of getting there. A little FCC’s = “fuckin” & “shit” mentioned here & there. Not too bad though. #26 is actually the end of #25.