Disco Volante
Encyclopedia
Disco Volante is a 1995 album by the band Mr. Bungle
. It is by far the most experimental of all their productions, as it picks up inspirations from a wide variety of musical styles, including death metal
, techno
, '50s space age pop
, musique concrète
and Italian avant-garde. Mike Patton
also uses a great number of vocal effects boxes and samples throughout the album.
film, Thunderball
. Mr. Bungle had previously done a cover version of the film's theme song. The album also contains a hidden track (hidden in a double-groove on the US vinyl release; after "Carry Stress in the Jaw" on the UK vinyl release) after "Carry Stress in the Jaw". This track was originally recorded without bassist Trevor Dunn
's input or knowledge; although, shortly before its release, Dunn managed to find it and added a vocal track. Though never explicitly stated, it is believed (by Dunn) that the drums were played by McKinnon, and the bass by Patton.
The songwriting credits in the album's booklet include the section "Nothing - Words: Lengyel
; Music: Heifetz
". This is not, as some people believe, the name and credits for the end section of "Merry Go Bye Bye" (the song preceding it in the list), but is a joke at the expense of Lengyel and Heifetz, who had no songwriting credits for material appearing on the album. "Carry Stress in the Jaw" is subtitled "Sleep: Part II" and "Phlegmatics" is "Sleep: Part III". Part I is "Slowly Growing Deaf" from the self-titled album. All three songs were written by Trevor Dunn, who didn't decide to make "Slowly Growing Deaf" part I until after the other two were written for Disco Volante. The three songs share themes dealing with body parts.
Trey Spruance has stated that the 10 part song/instrumental "The Bends" is inspired by Joe Meek
's music, specifically "I Hear a New World
". The band played excerpts from "The Bends", all of which have an underwater/aquatic theme in the title or sound, on the following tour to support the album.
This would be Lengyel's final album with the band, leaving shortly after the tour due to "artistic differences". Heifetz would later comment, "I miss him. He added a huge chemical imbalance that helped us on the road. He hates us and rightfully so. The music changed, plain and simple. Very little call for saxes, trombone or flute. He was an original member. I'm not. Makes me feel a bit like a union-buster."
The album was re-released on Vinyl in January 2009 on Plain Recordings. Two versions are available, a Limited Edition (1000) green vinyl with a bonus 7" featuring "Platypus" and two songs by then unknown Secret Chiefs 3
(then called Secret Chiefs Trio), as well as a standard black vinyl without the 7". Disco Volante spawned a number of officially unreleased demos (circulated on peer-to-peer sharing networks), "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz", "Coldsore" and "Spy". "Coldsore" featured portions later used in "Love on the Event Horizon". "Spy" didn't feature on the release at all. The vocal effect in this song (at 4.48) is very similar to the voice of Alpha 60 in Juc-Luc Godard's science fiction film-noir Alphaville, using a mechanical voice box to create the effect.
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle was an experimental band from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and...
. It is by far the most experimental of all their productions, as it picks up inspirations from a wide variety of musical styles, including death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, '50s space age pop
Space age pop
Space age pop is a general and loosely based term for a music genre associated with certain Mexican and American composers and songwriters in the Space Age of the 1950s and 1960s. It is also called bachelor pad music or lounge music...
, musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
and Italian avant-garde. Mike Patton
Mike Patton
Michael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
also uses a great number of vocal effects boxes and samples throughout the album.
Background
The album's title refers to the name of a yacht featured in the James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film, Thunderball
Thunderball
Thunderball may refer to:*Thunderball , a 1961 James Bond novel by Ian Fleming**Thunderball , a 1965 film adaptation of the novel starring Sean Connery**Thunderball , the soundtrack from the film, or the title song...
. Mr. Bungle had previously done a cover version of the film's theme song. The album also contains a hidden track (hidden in a double-groove on the US vinyl release; after "Carry Stress in the Jaw" on the UK vinyl release) after "Carry Stress in the Jaw". This track was originally recorded without bassist Trevor Dunn
Trevor Dunn
Trevor Roy Dunn is an American composer, bass guitarist and double bassist.Dunn came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, notably with singer and Mr...
's input or knowledge; although, shortly before its release, Dunn managed to find it and added a vocal track. Though never explicitly stated, it is believed (by Dunn) that the drums were played by McKinnon, and the bass by Patton.
The songwriting credits in the album's booklet include the section "Nothing - Words: Lengyel
Theo Lengyel
Theobald Brooks "Theo" Lengyel was the alto-saxophonist of the influential experimental-rock band Mr. Bungle.Lengyel first worked with the band on the demo "The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny," and later joined as a full-time member. He appears on the band's first two major label albums, Mr...
; Music: Heifetz
Danny Heifetz
Danny Heifetz is an American musician of Jewish descent usually living in Sydney, Australia. He is primarily a drummer and percussionist, but also plays trumpet...
". This is not, as some people believe, the name and credits for the end section of "Merry Go Bye Bye" (the song preceding it in the list), but is a joke at the expense of Lengyel and Heifetz, who had no songwriting credits for material appearing on the album. "Carry Stress in the Jaw" is subtitled "Sleep: Part II" and "Phlegmatics" is "Sleep: Part III". Part I is "Slowly Growing Deaf" from the self-titled album. All three songs were written by Trevor Dunn, who didn't decide to make "Slowly Growing Deaf" part I until after the other two were written for Disco Volante. The three songs share themes dealing with body parts.
Trey Spruance has stated that the 10 part song/instrumental "The Bends" is inspired by Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
's music, specifically "I Hear a New World
I Hear a New World
I Hear a New World - an Outer Space Music Fantasy is a concept album devised and composed by Joe Meek and performed by The Blue Men in 1959. It was partially released in 1960 and completely released in 1991 by RPM Records...
". The band played excerpts from "The Bends", all of which have an underwater/aquatic theme in the title or sound, on the following tour to support the album.
This would be Lengyel's final album with the band, leaving shortly after the tour due to "artistic differences". Heifetz would later comment, "I miss him. He added a huge chemical imbalance that helped us on the road. He hates us and rightfully so. The music changed, plain and simple. Very little call for saxes, trombone or flute. He was an original member. I'm not. Makes me feel a bit like a union-buster."
The album was re-released on Vinyl in January 2009 on Plain Recordings. Two versions are available, a Limited Edition (1000) green vinyl with a bonus 7" featuring "Platypus" and two songs by then unknown Secret Chiefs 3
Secret Chiefs 3
Secret Chiefs 3 is an instrumental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance . Their studio recordings and tours have featured different line-ups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles including surf rock, Persian, Arab, Indian, death metal, film music, electronic music,...
(then called Secret Chiefs Trio), as well as a standard black vinyl without the 7". Disco Volante spawned a number of officially unreleased demos (circulated on peer-to-peer sharing networks), "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz", "Coldsore" and "Spy". "Coldsore" featured portions later used in "Love on the Event Horizon". "Spy" didn't feature on the release at all. The vocal effect in this song (at 4.48) is very similar to the voice of Alpha 60 in Juc-Luc Godard's science fiction film-noir Alphaville, using a mechanical voice box to create the effect.
Track listing
- "Everyone I Went to High School With Is Dead" (words/music: Dunn) – 2:45
- "Chemical Marriage" (music: Spruance) – 3:09
- "Sleep (Part II): Carry Stress in the Jaw" – 8:59
- "Sleep (Part II): Carry Stress in the Jaw" (words/music: Dunn)- 4:42
- Untitled - 4:17
- "Desert Search for Techno Allah" (words: Spruance, music:Spruance/Patton) – 5:24
- "Violenza Domestica" (words: Patton/Tirabassi, music: Patton/Spruance) – 5:14
- "After School Special" (words: McKinnon/Dunn/Patton, music: McKinnon) – 2:47
- "Sleep (Part III): Phlegmatics" (words/music: Dunn) – 3:16
- "Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz" (words/music: Spruance) – 6:06
- "The Bends" (music: Patton/Spruance/McKinnon) - 10:28
- "Man Overboard"- :41
- "The Drowning Flute"- :52
- "Aqua Swing"- 1:56
- "Follow the Bubbles"- :14
- "Duet for Guitar and Oxygen Tank"- :51
- "Nerve Damage"- :38
- "Screaming Bends"- :40
- "Panic in Blue"- :57
- "Love on the Event Horizon"- 1:29
- "Re-Entry"- 1:46
- "Backstrokin'" (music: Patton) – 2:27
- "Platypus" (words: Dunn, music: Dunn/Spruance) – 5:07
- "Merry Go Bye Bye"/Untitled – 12:58
- "Merry Go Bye Bye" (words/music: Spruance)- 6:22
- Untitled - 5:48
Accolades
| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Rock Sound Rock Sound Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
"Les 150 Albums De La Génération" | 69 | |
| "*" denotes an unordered list. | |||||
Mr. Bungle
- Danny HeifetzDanny HeifetzDanny Heifetz is an American musician of Jewish descent usually living in Sydney, Australia. He is primarily a drummer and percussionist, but also plays trumpet...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Trevor DunnTrevor DunnTrevor Roy Dunn is an American composer, bass guitarist and double bassist.Dunn came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, notably with singer and Mr...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Trey SpruanceTrey SpruancePreston Lea Spruance III or "Trey Spruance" is an American composer, producer, and musician, perhaps best known as the leader of the multi-genre outfit Secret Chiefs 3 and for his work as guitarist and keyboardist with Mr. Bungle...
– pipaPipaThe pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
s, 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...
, electronics, artworkVisual artsThe visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture... - Clinton McKinnonClinton McKinnonClinton "Bär" McKinnon is an American musician, perhaps best known playing saxophone in seminal San Francisco based band Mr. Bungle....
– tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, keyboard on track 6, drums on track 5 - Mike PattonMike PattonMichael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
– vocals, microcassetteMicrocassetteA Microcassette is an audio storage medium introduced by Olympus in 1969. It uses the same width of magnetic tape as the Compact Cassette but in a much smaller container. By using thinner tape and half or a quarter the tape speed, microcassettes can offer comparable recording time to the compact...
, organs on tracks 9 and 10, ocarinaOcarinaThe ocarina is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. Variations do exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body...
on track 3 - Theo LengyelTheo LengyelTheobald Brooks "Theo" Lengyel was the alto-saxophonist of the influential experimental-rock band Mr. Bungle.Lengyel first worked with the band on the demo "The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny," and later joined as a full-time member. He appears on the band's first two major label albums, Mr...
– clarinet, flute, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, zills
Additional personnel
- Mr. BungleMr. BungleMr. Bungle was an experimental band from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and...
– 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...
, art layout and design - Billy AndersonBilly Anderson (music)Billy Anderson is a record producer, engineer and musician. He has worked with hundreds of bands over the past 20 years, including Cormorant, Eyehategod, Mr. Bungle, Red House Painters, Fantômas and Sleep...
– 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...
, mixing, pre-mastering - Mike Johnson – assistant engineer, pre-mastering
- Kevin Donlon – additional assistant engineer
- Chris Roberts – additional assistant engineer
- Mike Bogus – additional assistant engineer
- David Ogilvy – additional assistant engineer
- Adam Munoz – additional assistant engineer
- Trevor Ward – additional assistant engineer
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Athur Hertz – 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...
(front cover) - Joseph A. Thompson – photography (outer tray)
- Davis Meltzer – photography (booklet backpage)
- Patton's friend – artwork ("Violenza Domestica")
- Bettman – artwork ("Techno Allah")
- Margaret Murray – art layout and design
- Gregg TurkingtonGregg TurkingtonGregg Turkington is an Australian-born U.S. comedian, best known for his stand-up comedy character, Neil Hamburger. He has also participated in a number of avant-garde and post punk bands...
– art layout and design - William WinantWilliam WinantWilliam Winant is an American percussionist.In addition to his work in contemporary classical music -- notably performing Lou Harrison's compositions—Winant has worked in a variety of genres, including noise rock, free improvisation and jazz. Notable collaborators include Glenn Spearman, Thurston...
– cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s on track 2, bongosBongo drumBongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
on track 3, tablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, kanjiraKanjiraThe kanjira, khanjira or ganjira, a South Indian frame drum, is an instrument of the tambourine family. It is used primarily in concerts of Carnatic music as a supporting instrument for the mridangam...
, sistrumSistrumA sistrum is a musical instrument of the percussion family, chiefly associated with ancient Iraq and Egypt. It consists of a handle and a U-shaped metal frame, made of brass or bronze and between 76 and 30 cm in width...
s on track 4, Jews harp, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on track 5, bongosBongo drumBongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
, xylophoneXylophoneThe xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
on track 8 - Graham Connah – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on tracks 5, 9, 11 - Lisandro Adrover – bandoneónBandoneónThe bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
on track 5
External links
- Disco Volante at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....