Dragline is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Paw.[1] It was released in 1993 through A&M Records. It sold around 80,000 copies.[2]
| Dragline | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Studio | Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:18 (1:08:13 in the re-release) | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer |
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| Paw chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dragline | ||||
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The single "Jessie" released in 1993, reached number 82 in the UK.[3] Other singles from the album included "Sleeping Bag" and "Couldn't Know" in 1993.
In 2015, the album was re-released by Cherry Red Records Ltd. with all the b-sides from the singles as bonus tracks as well as extensive liner notes and slightly different artwork (the band logo and the title are smaller).[4]
Production
editProduced by Mr. Colson and the band, the album was recorded at Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin.[5][6]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Calgary Herald | C[8] |
| Classic Rock |  [9] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[12] |
| Los Angeles Times | [13] |
| MusicHound Rock | [14] |
| Vox | 6/10[15] |
The Morning Call wrote that "the approach is elemental and effective: a rhythm pounces, and a metallic guitar groove drills holes before surrendering to softly ringing accents or gently strummed acoustics as [Mark] Hennessy sings about death and suffering in a throaty roar."[16] The Los Angeles Times deemed the album "country-grunge," writing: "It would take a major revolution to get country radio to play this—there's way too much wattage in the amps. But there is also plenty of Middle American sensibility, giving this debut a character all its own."[13] The Calgary Herald said that the album "mixes melodic guitar with in-yer-face speed metal, kind-of a Pursuit of Happiness meets Metallica."[8]
Trouser Press wrote that "much of the quartet’s sonic heft emanates from the formidable drum-pounding of Peter Fitch, whose brother Grant hammers out echo-drenched guitar riffs that revisit a limited number of arena-rock clichés with alarming frequency."[17] The New York Times wrote that "Hennessy's conviction, and his ability to distill situations into terse, allusive lyrics, make him a rival of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder."[18] The New Yorker called the album "equal parts metallic vigor and Southern-rock grit."[19]
Rolling Stone listed Dragline at No. 35 on its list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums."[20] In 2007, Martin Popoff named the album the 15th greatest heavy metal album of the 1990s.[21]
Track listing
editAll songs were written by Mark Hennessy and Grant Fitch, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gasoline" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch) | 4:47 |
| 2. | "Sleeping Bag" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Jessie" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch) | 3:14 |
| 4. | "The Bridge" | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Couldn't Know" | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Pansy" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch) | 3:26 |
| 7. | "Lolita" | 4:56 |
| 8. | "Dragline" | 5:07 |
| 9. | "Veronica" | 3:58 |
| 10. | "One More Bottle" | 4:04 |
| 11. | "Sugarcane" | 3:46 |
| 12. | "Hard Pig" | 5:07 |
| 13. | "Suicide Shift" (Re-release bonus track) | 3:06 |
| 14. | "Slow Burn" (Re-release bonus track) | 2:18 |
| 15. | "I Know Where You Sleep" (Re-release bonus track) | 4:37 |
| 16. | "Jessie" (Re-release bonus track (Live acoustic in Boston, Nov 29)) | 3:16 |
| 17. | "Imaginary Lover" (Re-release bonus track (Atlanta Rhythm Section cover)) | 4:37 |
| Total length: | 01:08:13 | |
Personnel
edit- Mark Hennessy – vocals
- Charles Bryan – bass
- Grant Fitch – guitar
- Peter Fitch – drums
References
edit- ^ "Paw | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "Paw and the Year Scrunge Broke". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. May 14, 2010.
- ^ "PAW Full Official Chart History". Official Charts.
- ^ "Dragline: Expanded Edition".
- ^ "Dragline by Paw". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 20. May 15, 1993. p. 54.
- ^ Baird, Robert (August 25, 1993). "Clawing Their Way to the Top". Phoenix New Times.
- ^ "Dragline Paw". AllMusic.
- ^ a b King, Frank (May 16, 1993). "Paw: Dragline". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
- ^ Wilding, Philip (March 20, 2015). "Paw: Dragline". Classic Rock (loudersound). Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ Popoff 2007, p. 338.
- ^ Larkin 2006.
- ^ Aaron, Charles (May 7, 1993). "Dragline". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Paw 'Dragline' A&M". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 1993.
- ^ Prickett 1999, p. 861.
- ^ Scanlon 1993.
- ^ Harry, Rich. "For Rock Band Paw, Rural Life, Inspiration Go Hand in Hand". The Morning Call.
- ^ "Paw". Trouser Press. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (December 8, 1993). "From Metal into Melody". The New York Times.
- ^ "Paw". The New Yorker. Vol. 70, no. 1–6. p. 16.
- ^ "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019.
- ^ Popoff 2007, p. 515.
Bibliography
edit- Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 453.
- Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- Prickett, Barry M. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 860–861.
- Scanlon, Ann (September 1993). "Rock & Pop Albums". Vox. No. 36. IPC. p. 76.