Dragline (album)

Dragline
Studio album by
Paw
Released1993
StudioSmart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin
Genre
Length50:18 (1:08:13 in the re-release)
LabelA&M
Producer
Paw chronology
Dragline
(1993) 		Death to Traitors
(1995)
Singles from Dragline
  1. "Jessie"
    Released: 1993
  2. "Couldn't Know"
    Released: 1993
  3. "Sleeping Bag"
    Released: 1993

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]

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

[edit]

Produced by Mr. Colson and the band, the album was recorded at Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin.[5][6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Calgary HeraldC[8]
Classic Rock[9]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
Entertainment WeeklyB[12]
Los Angeles Times[13]
MusicHound Rock[14]
Vox6/10[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

[edit]

All songs were written by Mark Hennessy and Grant Fitch, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
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]
  1. ^ "Paw | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Paw and the Year Scrunge Broke". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. May 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "PAW Full Official Chart History". Official Charts.
  4. ^ "Dragline: Expanded Edition".
  5. ^ "Dragline by Paw". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 20. May 15, 1993. p. 54.
  6. ^ Baird, Robert (August 25, 1993). "Clawing Their Way to the Top". Phoenix New Times.
  7. ^ "Dragline Paw". AllMusic.
  8. ^ a b King, Frank (May 16, 1993). "Paw: Dragline". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  9. ^ Wilding, Philip (March 20, 2015). "Paw: Dragline". Classic Rock (loudersound). Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Popoff 2007, p. 338.
  11. ^ Larkin 2006.
  12. ^ Aaron, Charles (May 7, 1993). "Dragline". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Paw 'Dragline' A&M". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 1993.
  14. ^ Prickett 1999, p. 861.
  15. ^ Scanlon 1993.
  16. ^ Harry, Rich. "For Rock Band Paw, Rural Life, Inspiration Go Hand in Hand". The Morning Call.
  17. ^ "Paw". Trouser Press. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  18. ^ Pareles, Jon (December 8, 1993). "From Metal into Melody". The New York Times.
  19. ^ "Paw". The New Yorker. Vol. 70, no. 1–6. p. 16.
  20. ^ "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019.
  21. ^ Popoff 2007, p. 515.

Bibliography

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