Mezcal Head was the second album to be released by British alternative rock band Swervedriver

Swervedriver

Swervedriver are an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band went on hiatus in 1998 before reforming in 2008 for a world tour, which included a performance at the high-profile Coachella Festival...

 in 1993. This was the second album by the band, and was released two years after their first album, Raise

Raise (album)

Raise is the first studio album by the British alternative rock band, Swervedriver. The album only contained six new songs; "Son of Mustang Ford", "Rave Down" and "Sandblasted" had all appeared on earlier EPs and singles released by the band between 1990 to 1991.-Track listing:# "Sci-Flyer" #...

.

Overview

In 1993, Swervedriver re-emerged with the core of Adam Franklin

Adam Franklin

Adam Franklin is a guitarist, singer and songwriter who has played in Swervedriver , Shake Appeal , Toshack Highway and currently releases records as Adam Franklin and tours with live band Bolts of Melody...

 and Jimmy Hartridge, along with newly-recruited drummer Jez Hindmarsh (a.k.a. "Jez"), and released the album Mezcal Head. The album gave them their most successful single, "Duel" (NME's

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

 Single of the Week), for which a music video was released. Adam and Jimmy both perform bass on the album as they were left without a bassist when Adi Vines departed before recording began. "Never Lose That Feeling," from the 1992 EP of the same name, and the extended krautrock/drone/saxophone instrumental "Never Learn" were added as a bonus track to the U.S. version of the CD. Swervedriver toured U.S. arenas with Smashing Pumpkins and Shudder to Think

Shudder to Think

Shudder to Think is an American indie rock group. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records and were a post-hardcore band, although they drew upon a wide range of stylistic influences, including pop....

 in October and November 1993.

Track listing

The album features 10 tracks, including the single "Duel". The album had one bonus track for the U.S release and two bonus tracks for the Japanese release.

1. "For Seeking Heat"
2. "Duel"
3. "Blowin' Cool"
4. "MM Abduction"
5. "Last Train to Satansville"
6. "Harry & Maggie"
7. "A Change Is Gonna Come"
8. "Girl on a Motorbike"
9. "Duress"
10. "You Find It Everywhere"

U.S Bonus Track:

11. "Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn"
    

Japan Bonus Tracks

11. "Planes over the Skyline"
    
12. "Year of the Girl"
    

Sony BMG reissued the album in 2008 in the UK as a "Remastered and Expanded" edition (Hi-Speed Soul/Second Motion released it in the US in 2009) with four bonus tracks

11. "Never Lose That Feeling"
    
12. "Planes Over the Skyline"
    
13. "Hitcher"
    
14. "Cars Converge on Paris"
    

More information

The U.K. CD has "Mickey" and "Dragging It Under" printed on the CD as tracks 4 and 6. The U.S. CD has "Harry and Maggie (Dragging It Under)" printed on the CD as track 6. The U.S. promo is identical to the official release except that it has the word "PROMOTIONAL" printed on the CD. The Japanese edition comes with a biography and lyrics.

The tracks Duel and Last Train to Satansville were featured in the Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation and 3DO

3DO Interactive Multiplayer

The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...

 versions of the game Road Rash

Road Rash

Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts, in which the player participates in violent illegal street races. The game was originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, but was ported to several other systems. Six different games were released from...

.