Blues for the Red Sun
Encyclopedia
Blues for the Red Sun is the second studio album by American heavy metal
band Kyuss
, released in 1992. While the album received mainly favorable reviews, it sold only 39,000 units.
Songs from the album received airplay on multiple radio stations and the music videos that were made for "Green Machine
" and "Thong Song" were played on MTV
. To promote the album, Kyuss played as an opening act on tours for several bands. The music on the album features a mix of various genres, has heavily distorted guitar riffs, and mainly slow tempos. The album has been considered influential on other bands.
was replaced with Scott Reeder who had previously played with The Obsessed
. Kyuss eventually went on to open and tour for such groups as Faith No More
, White Zombie
, and Danzig
. In early 1993, the band was chosen by Metallica
to be an opening act for nine shows in Australia
. Aside from their first show with Metallica, the group only used half the P.A. system
for the other eight concerts.
The music videos for the songs, "Green Machine
" and "Thong Song", received heavy rotation on MTV's
Headbangers Ball
. The album also received airplay on such album-oriented radio stations as KNAC
, KISW, WYSP, and KIOZ
. The album was released by the independent record label, Dali, which was later bought out by Elektra Records
. It ended up selling only 39, 000 copies.
, grunge
, psychedelic rock
, space rock
, and doom metal
, and has been compared to such acts as Black Sabbath
, Hawkwind
, Blue Cheer
, and Alice in Chains
. The album is considered a pioneer to the stoner metal genre. Daniel Bukszpan, the author of The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal, has wrote that the album has influenced "countless" bands. Many consider Blues for the Red Sun, "the template for 21st century bands that have followed in the pioneering wake of Kyuss." Exclaim!
credited the album for opening, "the way for bands like Monster Magnet
and a whole host of other desert grunge practitioners." Melissa Auf der Maur
has said that she attempted to "knock-off" Blues for the Red Sun for her single, "Followed the Waves
", to the point that she recruited the band's rhythm section to play on the track and Chris Goss to produce. Other fans of the album include Dave Grohl
and Metallica.
Steve Taylor, the author of A to X of Alternative Music, wrote that in comparison to the music, "lyrics can't really compete," and went on to call the album's lyrics, "stoned immaculate phrases." Rolling Stone described the lyrics of "Thong Song" — a song about flip-flops — as "deathless."
Guitarist Josh Homme plugged down-tuned guitars into bass amplifiers
for the distortion featured on the album. Wah-wah pedal
s were also used by Homme on Blues for the Red Sun. Wayne Robins of Newsday
described Homme's riffs as, "post-Hendrix
guitar flurries." Several of the songs on Blues for the Red Sun have slow tempo
s and groove-laden rhythms. "Green Machine" features a bass guitar solo, and the album features several instrumental tracks.
Chris Goss
, who had also been the singer-guitarist
for Masters of Reality
, for its "unique heavy/light formula." Debaroh Frost of Entertainment Weekly
gave the album a B+
, and Italian music writer Piero Scaruffi gave the album an eight out of possible ten rating. Scaruffi went on to call the album, "one of the masterpieces of noise rock
." Scaruffi also ranks it as the third best metal album of all times, just after Metallica
's Master of Puppets
and before Guns N' Roses
' Appetite for Destruction
. Rolling Stone
considered "Green Machine" and "Thong Song" to be the albums highlights and also thought that the production had greatly improved from the band's prievious album, Wretch
. Kerrang!
also gave the album a favorable review. College Music Journal
claimed that the album was "raw and unorthodox" and, like Rivadavia, complimented Chris Goss for the production. Q
called it "one of the landmark metal albums of the '90s," and rewarded it a perfect five out of five stars.
Spin
ranked Blues for the Red Sun 10th on their list of the "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92." In 2002, Spin put the album in 36th place on their list of the "40 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time." IGN
listed the album as an honorable mention on their list of the "Top 25 Metal Albums." Chad Bowar of About.com
named the album the 8th best heavy metal album of 1992 and went on to write that Blues for the Red Sun, "was a landmark album that influenced a lot of bands." MusicRadar
included the album on "The 50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" and ranked it in 48th place.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Kyuss
Kyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
, released in 1992. While the album received mainly favorable reviews, it sold only 39,000 units.
Songs from the album received airplay on multiple radio stations and the music videos that were made for "Green Machine
Green Machine (song)
"Green Machine" is a song by Kyuss from their 1992 album Blues for the Red Sun. Written by drummer Brant Bjork, it was released as a single that same year.The back of the CD case contains the following review:...
" and "Thong Song" were played on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. To promote the album, Kyuss played as an opening act on tours for several bands. The music on the album features a mix of various genres, has heavily distorted guitar riffs, and mainly slow tempos. The album has been considered influential on other bands.
Touring, promotion, and release
Before the group began touring to support Blues for the Red Sun, bassist Nick OliveriNick Oliveri
Nick Steven Oliveri is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist...
was replaced with Scott Reeder who had previously played with The Obsessed
The Obsessed
The Obsessed is a doom metal band from Maryland led by Scott "Wino" Weinrich, who also fronted Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, Place of Skulls, The Hidden Hand and W.I.N.O.. Formed in 1976, they first split up in 1986 when Wino Saint Vitus, but reformed four years later...
. Kyuss eventually went on to open and tour for such groups as Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
, White Zombie
White Zombie
White Zombie was a Grammy Award-nominated American heavy metal band. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band. White Zombie are better-known for their later heavy metal-oriented sound...
, and Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
. In early 1993, the band was chosen by Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
to be an opening act for nine shows in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Aside from their first show with Metallica, the group only used half the P.A. system
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
for the other eight concerts.
The music videos for the songs, "Green Machine
Green Machine (song)
"Green Machine" is a song by Kyuss from their 1992 album Blues for the Red Sun. Written by drummer Brant Bjork, it was released as a single that same year.The back of the CD case contains the following review:...
" and "Thong Song", received heavy rotation on MTV's
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...
. The album also received airplay on such album-oriented radio stations as KNAC
KNAC
KNAC is an internet based heavy metal music radio station. It was previously a Los Angeles, California area FM radio station.-KNAC at 105.5 FM:...
, KISW, WYSP, and KIOZ
KIOZ
KIOZ, also known as Rock 105.3, is a Rock station in San Diego, California. It is licensed in San Diego, California, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications.- History :...
. The album was released by the independent record label, Dali, which was later bought out by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. It ended up selling only 39, 000 copies.
Musical style and influence
Blues for the Red Sun incorporates acid rockAcid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
, grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
, psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
, and doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
, and has been compared to such acts as Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009...
, and Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
. The album is considered a pioneer to the stoner metal genre. Daniel Bukszpan, the author of The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal, has wrote that the album has influenced "countless" bands. Many consider Blues for the Red Sun, "the template for 21st century bands that have followed in the pioneering wake of Kyuss." Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
credited the album for opening, "the way for bands like Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
and a whole host of other desert grunge practitioners." Melissa Auf der Maur
Melissa Auf der Maur
Melissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist with the band Hole and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour. Her second solo album, Out of Our Minds, was released on March 30, 2010. She is also a...
has said that she attempted to "knock-off" Blues for the Red Sun for her single, "Followed the Waves
Followed the Waves
"Followed the Waves" is the first single from Auf der Maur's self-titled solo debut. The song peaked in the Top 40 on the chart for Modern Rock Tracks in the United States and also reached the Top 40 in the United Kingdom, only charting two positions lower than the follow-up single, "Real a...
", to the point that she recruited the band's rhythm section to play on the track and Chris Goss to produce. Other fans of the album include Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
and Metallica.
Steve Taylor, the author of A to X of Alternative Music, wrote that in comparison to the music, "lyrics can't really compete," and went on to call the album's lyrics, "stoned immaculate phrases." Rolling Stone described the lyrics of "Thong Song" — a song about flip-flops — as "deathless."
Guitarist Josh Homme plugged down-tuned guitars into bass amplifiers
Bass instrument amplification
Bass instrument amplification, used for the bass guitar, double bass and similar instruments, is distinct from other types of amplification systems due to the particular challenges associated with low-frequency sound reproduction. This distinction affects the design of the loudspeakers, the speaker...
for the distortion featured on the album. Wah-wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
s were also used by Homme on Blues for the Red Sun. Wayne Robins of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
described Homme's riffs as, "post-Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
guitar flurries." Several of the songs on Blues for the Red Sun have slow tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
s and groove-laden rhythms. "Green Machine" features a bass guitar solo, and the album features several instrumental tracks.
Reception
The album received generally positive reviews from both fans and critics. Steve Taylor considers it the best album Kyuss ever made. Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia gave the album four and a half out of five stars and called the album, "a major milestone in heavy music." In particular he praised producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Chris Goss
Chris Goss
Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality...
, who had also been the singer-guitarist
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
for Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality is a hard rock group formed in 1981 by guitarist and singer Chris Goss and Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York. The band is sometimes associated with the "Palm Desert Scene", which includes bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and many other stoner rock or "desert rock"...
, for its "unique heavy/light formula." Debaroh Frost of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a B+
Grade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
, and Italian music writer Piero Scaruffi gave the album an eight out of possible ten rating. Scaruffi went on to call the album, "one of the masterpieces of noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
." Scaruffi also ranks it as the third best metal album of all times, just after Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's Master of Puppets
Master of Puppets
-Personnel:Metallica* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on track 1, first solo on tracks 2 and 7* Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals* Lars Ulrich – drums* Kirk Hammett – lead guitarProduction...
and before Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
' Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart...
. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
considered "Green Machine" and "Thong Song" to be the albums highlights and also thought that the production had greatly improved from the band's prievious album, Wretch
Wretch (album)
Wretch is the first full-length album by Kyuss. It was released in September 1991, on Dali Records. Previously calling themselves Sons of Kyuss, they shortened their name prior to releasing this....
. Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
also gave the album a favorable review. College Music Journal
College Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
claimed that the album was "raw and unorthodox" and, like Rivadavia, complimented Chris Goss for the production. Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
called it "one of the landmark metal albums of the '90s," and rewarded it a perfect five out of five stars.
Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
ranked Blues for the Red Sun 10th on their list of the "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92." In 2002, Spin put the album in 36th place on their list of the "40 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed the album as an honorable mention on their list of the "Top 25 Metal Albums." Chad Bowar of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
named the album the 8th best heavy metal album of 1992 and went on to write that Blues for the Red Sun, "was a landmark album that influenced a lot of bands." MusicRadar
MusicRadar
MusicRadar is a website for musicians. It covers information pertaining to artists and music, special features, product news and reviews, music lessons and a social network service in the style of Facebook and Myspace...
included the album on "The 50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" and ranked it in 48th place.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits- John GarciaJohn Garcia (singer)John Garcia is a vocalist who has been a member of Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida and Hermano. His vocals have become synonymous with modern stoner rock and the desert rock sound.-Kyuss:...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, lyricist - Brant BjorkBrant BjorkBrant Bjork is an American musician from Palm Desert, California, who is a drummer, producer, guitarist and one of the more notable figures in the stoner rock and Palm Desert scenes.-Early career and Kyuss:...
- drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, composer, lyricist, album concept - Nick OliveriNick OliveriNick Steven Oliveri is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, composer, lyricist, vocals on Mondo Generator - Josh Homme - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, composer, lyricist - Chris GossChris Goss (U.S.)Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality...
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - KyussKyussKyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
- producer - Joe BarresiJoe BarresiJoe Barresi is an American record engineer and producer who has worked with bands such as Kyuss, The Melvins, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Coheed and Cambria, Tomahawk, L7, The Jesus Lizard, Parkway Drive and Bad Religion.-Biography:...
- engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Mike Bosely - engineer, mixing
- Brian Jenkins - engineer, drum engineering
- Jeff Sheehan - engineer, assistant engineer
- Howie WeinbergHowie WeinbergHowie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
- masteringMastering engineerA mastering engineer is one skilled in the practice of taking audio that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distribution, whether by physical media such as a CD, vinyl record, or as some method of... - Skiles - art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
- Michael Anderson - photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...