The Melvins Trilogy- A Narrative by Dan Halen

[cleveland rewind]

i dont on the trilogy on vinyl but if i did and the crybaby didnt have the man with the laughing head is dead on it i would cry.

[cleveland rewind]

if i did own it i would leave the maggot on my record player all the time. 2 reasons 1 AMAZON and 2 giant swastika

[Dan_Halen]

Haha well the side with AMAZON has the swastika on it, I prefer the Jewish star side. I like Kosher Melvins!!!

[(((O)))]

I prefer the Jewish star side. I like Kosher Melvins!!!

[MrLuck87]

You're missing out on Moon Pie too!  Very cool way to end the album.


Melvins - The Crybaby - 11 - Moon Pie

[Dan_Halen]

 Cool way to end the album for sure. That's one thing that separates true artists from hacks in my opinion. The way you start and end an album, and the Melvins never fall short in those cases. As far as the trilogy, the way the Bootlicker ends with Prig after all the nosie is superb!

[JUDY]

Hehe! Great review!    I chuckled out loud when you told the story about buying Prick. I didn't like that album at first, but now I do. Not by any means even close to being a favorite, but 40 or so listens later ( ) I admit it's kinda grown on me.

The Trilogy is an absolute gem - and I consider Maggot to be one of their best efforts to date. It's so tough.  I've tried to pick a favorite Melvins album, and can't do it. However; Maggot, Bullhead, Ozma, COD and Eggnog might be my all-time top choices.  And dude (and I mean dude in the most sincere of ways) I friggin love COD but I'm glad you didn't buy it as a second run after Prick!! If you did, you might not be here with us today. I'm glad you're here and I love reading your enthusiasm for these records.... 

The Crybaby is another album that took a really long time to grow on me. I don't think it would have the same influence on me if it wasn't a part of The Trilogy. It has a lot of great tracks, still doesn't really hold my attention as a whole. Bootlicker is a total bed-time and or/make-out album. It has lots of cow-bell, which helps soothe my nerves.  (I don't believe I've tried the making out part, but it''s on my list of things to do before I die) Maggot is just a hard and heavy punch in the ovary. I cannot listen to that album and not bang my head in slow-mo for the entire 40 minutes. The repetitive precision is just pure genius.

I'll end this note by saying I am real glad to hear you scored the vinyl. I consider it to be one of their best releases to date.

[Dan_Halen]

The Crybaby is another album that took a really long time to grow on me. I don't think it would have the same influence on me if it wasn't a part of The Trilogy. It has a lot of great tracks, still doesn't really hold my attention as a whole. Bootlicker is a total bed-time and or/make-out album. It has lots of cow-bell, which helps soothe my nerves.  (I don't believe I've tried the making out part, but it''s on my list of things to do before I die)

Like i said before, the Crybaby is the bonus album to the trilogy. It only makes sense at a part 3. We gave you 2 great albums and now the Melvins get to have some fun and some covers and collaborations. They got permission from Patton as long as he could be involved! haha

LMFAO at Bootlicker being a make out album. I can picture me bringing a  fine lady home after an enchanted evening. I am wearing my Hue Heffner style smoking jacket...I pop the cork on the Champagne (ala the "continental from SNL) and I put on the Bootlicker album on the hi-fi. I look into the lady's eyes and say, "I seldom bring a lady home to make out, but when I do i put on The Bootlicker" 

I agree, the Maggot is the winner here, a beautiful masterpiece and def in my top 5 Melvins albums. They hadda make the bootlicker chill because I think even they knew they couldn't put anything else out right away that would top The Maggot. It's almost like they knew the listeners needed to chill after the Maggot's intensity. They even threw in cowbell sxo you wouldn't be so tense Judy! 

[Dumpster D]

Hey smart people,. how long is the LP version of Divorced...the track sleeve for the LP is identical to the CD, except Everything after divorced doesnt make it on the press.

The version of Divorced on the Vinyl comes in after the synth pad at the beggining of the CD...how much shorter is the track.

[meezer]

Hey smart people,. how long is the LP version of Divorced...the track sleeve for the LP is identical to the CD, except Everything after divorced doesnt make it on the press.

The version of Divorced on the Vinyl comes in after the synth pad at the beggining of the CD...how much shorter is the track.

simple, use your tool to figure it out!

[Eponymous]

Hey smart people,. how long is the LP version of Divorced...the track sleeve for the LP is identical to the CD, except Everything after divorced doesnt make it on the press.

The version of Divorced on the Vinyl comes in after the synth pad at the beggining of the CD...how much shorter is the track.

On the CD, "Divorced" is 14:43, on the vinyl it is about 12:48.

[Dumpster D]

Yeh shorter,... But, BUT...I notice the Vinyl master is slightly better somehow in many subtle nuances, The synth comes through better overall at the intro for one, plus at the end too there is a bunch of great synth happening.

wether thats the effect of the digital recording as its being rendered back to analog format and losing some sibilance I cant say, probly the Record Distortion sweetens it up a bit.

[))))((((]

maggot
bootlicker
colossus of destiny

Something i always heard (probably on here) is that COD was originally going to be the 3rd release of the three instead of The Crybaby which we got. Thinking about the trilogy as a whole, i actually think that would have been better and made more sense. The Maggot being the heavy one, Bootlicker being the quiet, laidback release and then a full on noise album with COD. The three different sides of Melvins. As it is, The Crybaby doesn't really make much sense being a collaboration record coupled with the previous two. Even the title 'The Crybaby' seems to fit COD better being that people might really not like it!

[amazonAMAZON]

I can see it and it's more fitting as the third installment. Like the last hour of a Scorsese film.

The Crybaby belongs in the bucket of oddball collaboration releases with Joe/Dale/Buzzo/Steven EPs, Singles1-12, Everybody Loves Raymonges, and maybe Chicken Switch and Hold It In. Notice none of the songs originating here have stayed in rotation unless you count some half ass acapella renditions of "Okie."

I like to think they chose to make the nightmare a standalone film (COD) and instead ended the epic with a freaky party (Crybaby). So now we can enjoy either the feature film or the director's cut (no pun intended.) Films which release bleak alternate endings probably live longer with me because it leaves a mystery to ponder for eternity.

Lame aside: I should get a life. Feels so dumb to live in Los Angeles and not have anyone in the neighborhood with whom I can actually bloviate and play my favorite records.

[meezer]

Hope Dan Halen has notifications turned on for this post.... and gets his ass back here!