Description
Ball-Hog or Tugboat? is the debut solo album by former Minutemen and fIREHOSE bassist, songwriter and vocalist Mike Watt. It was recorded in 1994, and came at a personal and professional career crossroads for Watt. fIREHOSE had broken up after eight years and six releases earlier in 1994, and his marriage to former Black Flag bassist Kira Roessler had ended in divorce (although both their friendship and their dual-bass project Dos continued; Kira also contributed some computer graphics to the albums artwork).
Without a full-time band, Watt recruited a wide variety of friends and fellow travelers to participate in the recording of the album. These included fellow SST Records alumni like former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins, members of Sonic Youth, Curt and Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets, former Saccharine Trust guitarist Joe Baiza, Dinosaur Jrs J Mascis, and former SST house producer Spot, as well as members of bands who had either toured with and/or been influenced by the Minutemen and fIREHOSE, including Pearl Jams Eddie Vedder, Nirvanas Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl (making their first recorded appearance on a record since Kurt Cobains death), Janes Addiction and Porno for Pyros drummer Stephen Perkins, Red Hot Chili Pepperss Flea, Soul Asylums Dave Pirner, former Germs and Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear, former Pixies singer Frank Black, former Screamers and Twisted Roots keyboardist Paul Roessler (who was also Watts brother-in-law), The Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando, The Circle Jerkss Zander Schloss, former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan, jazz/punk guitarist Nels Cline and his drummer Michael Preussner, that dogs Petra and Rachel Haden and Anna Waronker and Mike D and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys. Also participating on the album were Parliament/Funkadelic organist Bernie Worrell, Carla Bozulich of the Geraldine Fibbers and Bruce Hornsby drummer John Molo.
In interviews and on his online tour journals, Watt has nicknamed Ball-Hog… “The Wrestling Album”, as he considered the various lineups we worked with on the album as “people getting into the ring” with him. Watt has also mentioned in interviews that professional wrestling is one of the few things he regularly watches on television (He once named The Magnificent Muraco as a favorite wrestler of his.) Watts longtime best friend, artist Raymond Pettibon (another wrestling fan), added to the wrestling theme by contributing to the artwork a panel cartoon with the caption “Sex with you is like watching scientific wrestling”.
“Big Train” was the first single from the album and one of only two songs Watt sang lead vocal on (the other being the closing track, “Coincidence Is Either Hit Or Miss”.) The albums other singles, “Against The 70s” and “Piss-Bottle Man”, featured Eddie Vedder and Evan Dando on lead vocals respectively. All three of the singles were airplay hits on both modern rock and college radio, with “Against The 70s” peaking at #21 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Videos were also shot for “Big Train” and “Piss-Bottle Man”; the former video originally featured models of Union Pacific trains in the footage, which was blurred out in a subsequent version of the clip after the company raised a copyright objection.
Watt toured behind the album with two different ensembles, the first being an all-star trio with Eddie Vedder on guitar and vocals and Dave Grohl on drums, and the second being a four-piece nicknamed The Crew Of The Flying Saucer with guitarist Nels Cline and two drummers, Michael Preussner and Vince Meghrouni.
To date, Ball-Hog… is the biggest selling album of Mike Watts career other than the Minutemens Double Nickels On The Dime.
Label: Columbia 478375-2
Released: February 28, 1995
Recorded: May 29, 1994 to September 11, 1994
Genre: Alternative rock
Length: 68:35
Label: Columbia
Producer: Mike Watt
Track listing:
All tracks composed by Mike Watt; except where indicated
“Big Train” (Tony Kinman, Chip Kinman) 3:21
“Against The 70s” 3:28
“Drove Up From Pedro” 4:32
“Piss-Bottle Man” 3:16
“Chinese Firedrill” (Watt, Joe Carducci) 3:25
“Intense Song For Madonna To Sing” 3:05
“Tuff Gnarl” (Sonic Youth) 3:10
“Sexual Military Dynamics” (Watt, Henry Rollins) 2:39
“Max And Wells” 3:11
“E-Ticket Ride” 4:27
“Forever… One Reporters Opinion” 3:41
“Song For Igor” 2:46
“Tell ‘Em Boy!” 3:29
“Sidemouse Advice” 3:31
“Heartbeat” 5:34
“Maggot Brain” (George Clinton, Eddie Hazel) 12:05
“Coincidence Is Either Hit Or Miss” 2:20
Personnel:
Mike Watt – Bass, Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Spoken Word
Dave Grohl – Drums, Lap Steel,
Nels Cline – Guitar, Slide Guitar, Lead Guitar, Nylon Guitar
Eddie Vedder – Guitar, Lead Vocals, Background Vocals
J Mascis – Guitar, Drums
Cris Kirkwood – Banjo
Curt Kirkwood – Lead Guitar
Gary Lee Connor – Lead Guitar
Krist Novoselic – Farfisa Organ
Carla Bozulich – Vocals, Background Vocals
Michael Preussner – Drums
Joe Baiza – Guitar
Paul Roessler – Piano
Danny Frankel – Percussion
Spot – Mandolin, Viola
Evan Dando – Vocals
Bob Lee – Drums
Zander Schloss – Guitar
John Strohm – Guitar
Anna Waronker – Background Vocals
Petra Haden – Background Vocals, Violin
Rachel Haden – Background Vocals
Frank Black – Vocals
Keith McCaw – Acoustic Guitar
Stephen Perkins – Percussion, Drums
Thurston Moore – Guitar
Lee Ranaldo – Guitar
Steve Shelley – Drums
Epic Soundtracks – Tambourine
Henry Rollins – Vocals
Wayne Griffin – Drums
Butler – Guitar
Mark Lanegan – Vocals
Brock Avery – Drums
Todd Rigione – Guitar
Michael Diamond – Vocals
Tony Atherton – Alto Saxophone
Coco Hayley Gordon Moore – Background Vocals
Flea – Lead Bass, Pocket Trumpet
John Molo – Drums
Vince Meghrouni – Percussion, Background Vocals, Vocals, Drums, Tenor Saxophone
Pat Smear – Vocals
Dave Pirner – Vocals
Tiffany Anders – Vocals
Richie West – Drums
Kathleen Hanna – Spoken Word
Bernie Worrell – B3 Organ
Adam Horovitz – Drums, Guitar, Background Vocals
Ronda Rindone – Bass Clarinet
Mario Caldato Jr. – Background Vocals
Tony Maxwell – Cello
For his first solo album, Mike Watt assembled a different band for each track, creating a veritable who’s who of post-punk and alternative rock — Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, Thurston Moore, J Mascis, Frank Black, Evan Dando, Dave Pirner, Henry Rollins, Flea, Lee Ranaldo, Mike D, and Pat Smear all appear, among others. Predictably, the sound is somewhat schizophrenic, but no more so than the average Minutemen album. Ball-Hog or Tugboat? is more polished than anything the Minutemen released, yet looser than fIREHOSE, filled with jazz-inflected breaks and sheer sonic freakouts, but dominated by a surprisingly large number of pop songs. On the power pop rush of “Piss-Bottle Man,” Dando sings with more emotion than on most Lemonheads records, and “Chinese Fire Drill” shows an effective folky side to Watts music. And Watts own vocals on “Big Train” are as big-hearted, sly, and funny as the album itself.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excelsior!,
Well, I bought this Cd mainly because Eddie Vedder participates in two tracks, I saw a presentation in TV, an ad in a magazine and got interested enough to buy it. Well, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made Well, Bass player Mike Watt, joins with a few friends from different bands, what seems reflected in the tracks, imagine a musical blender where you can just put the musical influences from different musicians (Watt & Friends), the result? a CD full of musical tracks so entertaining to listen to. You won’t be disappointed by this one.
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5.0 out of 5 stars so great,
This is a mid-90s classic. Those who are making it nowadays in rock and pop cannot match that eras experimentalism, creativity, quirkiness, humor, freshness. Cynicism, rage, and sensuality have now poisoned the hearts of youth. This is when rock was still fun. The video for “piss-bottle man” featuring the Evan Dando, the lead singer for the Lemonheads, is what sold me on this album many years ago.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Product Information:,
This rare and out of print version of ‘Ball-Hog or Tugboat’ has the same track listing as the non-limited edition, but contains some rather cool extras including: Extended cover art listing all of the artists that appear on the release, an 8-page “Pedro Speak” booklet, which is a glossary of Watts lingo as well as being housed in the long out of print and obsolete long box packaging.
Here are some of the liner notes not included above:
Produced by Mike Watt
all songs written by watt except sexual military dynamics
(c)1995 tHUNDERsPIELS/dead man – imago music, inc. (bmi)
recorded may 29th – September 11th, 1994 at various locations
mixed at the Sony Studios in nyc
recorded by John Hanlon
mixed by David Kahne
mastered by the truly righteous John Golden of John Golden Mastering
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5.0 out of 5 stars punk rock super star posse!!!!!!! for mike watt,
how can ya go wrong with all the biggest names in punk rock on one album . well ya cant, hosted buy mike watt (bass master man)this is the ultimate punk rock super star album bringing some of the greatest punks out of the wood work that any tribute album could hope for in one jamm .including members of pearl jam/nirvana/frank black/soul asylum/saccharine trust/circle jerks/ germs/bikini kill/sonic youth/Beastie boys./dinosaur jr./lemon heads/spot/henry rollins/flea/jane’s addiction/meat puppets/ and more.. this album just has so much in it that if you listened to it for a week you still might not get it all….wonderful!!!!!! buy buy buy…
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