Houdini

[vince furnier]

they're excited! 

[the bloat]

I think that while Houdini has some great songs on it, they have better albums that make for a more satisfying front to back listen. I think Stoner Witch is slightly superior during this era. I've always liked the way Houdini was recorded. The drums sound full and the guitars are dense. Interesting how Pitchfork labels Houdini as a "transitional" record. I don't really see it that way. I think you could call Stag or Honky more transitional, since those were more rooted in sonic experimentation. I see Houdini as a logical extension to Bullhead.

[Oscar]

Good point, it's totally in Bullhead's lineage.

The thing I feel dampens Houdini is that it's not as well performed as other albums of its time.
Stoner Witch especially kicked things into a tighter gear in terms of performance and production.

Billy and GGGarth did great work to make Houdini sound enormous though.

[amazonAMAZON]

I think the big set list songs in Houdini generally sound good. But the Kurt parts are kinda wack. Night Goat may have been superior on the single. Lizzy, Going Blind, and Set Me Straight stick out as weaker sonically. I get it being transitional.

I'm splitting hairs anyway, the album is a solid 9 or better.

[Oscar]

Agreed, it's all still high-level critique. What's interesting about that set of songs is how the subsequent heavy touring shaped the tunes into how they're supposed to be played, which is why I think they felt Gluttony and Lust to be necessary.

Hag Me is a good example - that drum pattern took on a completely different shape over the years with Dale finding a much more fitting pocket for it later on. Having heard the matured versions way more often by now, the Houdini recording feels unwieldy.

[vince furnier]

happy 31st, old boy 

[Pringles]

In this video, they talk a lot about Kurt Cobain being the producer of Houdini. He say he mostly spend his time stoned and sleeping on the couch behind the consol. Kurt only contribution was Sky Pup and Spread Eagle Beagle and lending his name to the album, which helped make it one of the best-selling Melvins album.

Buzz said that the reason Kurt Cobain play on Sky Pup, is that it was a really old song that they used to play in their practices sessions back in the Aberdeen days (the other one is Set Me Straight, a staple in their setlift in 1984-1985 and now remade for Houdini). Its possible Kurt played on Sky Pup as some sort of throwback moment.

In the same video about Spread Eagle Beagle, Buzz said everyone in the studios lined up side by side with percussion and they just improvised together. It was just some fooling around and they decided to include it on the album. He mention that this was the most fun he had with Cobain during the Houdini session and everyone had a good fun.

In the book An Oral History Of Grunge, Buzz mention that Kurt slept on the couch most of the time he was in the studios for Houdini