Songs About Fucking
Encyclopedia
Songs About Fucking is the second and final album by the noise rock
band Big Black
. It placed 54th on Pitchfork Media
's 'Top 100 Albums of the 1980s'. Included are covers of Kraftwerk
's "The Model
" and Cheap Trick
's "He's a Whore".
has said that Songs About Fucking is the Big Black album that he is most satisfied with. In a 1992 interview with Maximumrocknroll magazine, Albini said:
The band had already decided to split up before the album was recorded, prompted by guitarist Santiago Durango
's decision to enroll in law school, and the band's desire to quit while at their peak.
In 2009, punk bands The Copyrights
and The Dopamines
parodied the cover with their Split E.P. Songs About Fucking Up.
In 2010, Kid606
released an album called Songs About Fucking Steve Albini
. The album cover is a parody of Songs About Fucking.
n killing techniques ("Colombian Necktie
"), bread that gets you high ("Ergot"), and how "slowly, without trying, everyone becomes what he despises most". While the album's title (commonly blanked out when displayed in shops on its release) and the sleeve were controversial, according to one reviewer, "as brutal as that cover is, the music is even more so", and it was considered "as dark and frightening as the band name suggests" by another, Treble' s Hubert Vigilla, who goes on to say "Songs About Fucking is loud, it's abrasive, it's unattractive in the extreme...So really, it's everything that made Big Black so great in the first place". Dave Henderson of Underground magazine gave the album a two and a half out of three rating, calling it "a napalm attack that sticks to your skin like burning party-jell, spiced with hundreds and thousands, a prickly sensation that's as all-consuming as it is repellent".
Side "Happy Otter"
Side "Sad Otter"
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...
band Big Black
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...
. It placed 54th on Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's 'Top 100 Albums of the 1980s'. Included are covers of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
's "The Model
Das Model
"Das Model" is a song recorded by the electro-pop group Kraftwerk in 1978; written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine; English version title: The Man-Machine...
" and Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
's "He's a Whore".
Production
Steve AlbiniSteve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
has said that Songs About Fucking is the Big Black album that he is most satisfied with. In a 1992 interview with Maximumrocknroll magazine, Albini said:
The band had already decided to split up before the album was recorded, prompted by guitarist Santiago Durango
Santiago Durango
Santiago Durango is an American guitarist remembered for his work with the 1980s punk rock groups Naked Raygun and Big Black. Mostly retired from music as of the early 2000s, he works as an attorney.- Biography :...
's decision to enroll in law school, and the band's desire to quit while at their peak.
In 2009, punk bands The Copyrights
The Copyrights
The Copyrights are a pop punk band from Carbondale, Illinois made up of Brett Hunter Jeff Funburg , Adam Fletcher , and Luke McNeill . They are currently signed to Red Scare Industries.-History:...
and The Dopamines
The Dopamines
The Dopamines are a punk rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio formed by Jon Lewis Jon Weiner , and Matt Hemingway . In 2008, Matt parted with The Dopamines and Michael Dickson quickly took over as the permanent drummer...
parodied the cover with their Split E.P. Songs About Fucking Up.
In 2010, Kid606
Kid606
Kid606 is the stage name of Miguel Trost De Pedro, an electronic musician who was born 1979 July in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco...
released an album called Songs About Fucking Steve Albini
Songs About Fucking Steve Albini
Songs About Fucking Steve Albini is an album by Electronic music artist Kid606. It was released on compact disc by Important Records. All of the samples used on the album are from analog sources, according to the Important Records press release...
. The album cover is a parody of Songs About Fucking.
Critical reception
Songs About Fucking has been called "certainly the most honest album title of the rock'n'roll era". Lyrical themes on the album include South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n killing techniques ("Colombian Necktie
Colombian necktie
A Colombian necktie is a method of execution wherein the victim's throat is slashed and his or her tongue is pulled out through the open wound. Its origin coincides with the outbreak of La Violencia, the Colombian civil war which began in 1948 with the murder of leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan...
"), bread that gets you high ("Ergot"), and how "slowly, without trying, everyone becomes what he despises most". While the album's title (commonly blanked out when displayed in shops on its release) and the sleeve were controversial, according to one reviewer, "as brutal as that cover is, the music is even more so", and it was considered "as dark and frightening as the band name suggests" by another, Treble
Track listing
All songs written by Big Black, except where noted.Side "Happy Otter"
- "The Power of Independent Trucking" – 1:27
- "The ModelDas Model"Das Model" is a song recorded by the electro-pop group Kraftwerk in 1978; written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine; English version title: The Man-Machine...
" – 2:34 (Karl BartosKarl BartosKarl Bartos was, between 1975 and 1990, along with Wolfgang Flür, an electronic percussionist in the electronic-music group Kraftwerk. He was originally recruited to play on its US "Autobahn" tour...
, Ralf HütterRalf HütterRalf Hütter is the lead singer, keyboardist, and reportedly leader of the electronic-music band Kraftwerk. Since the departure of Florian Schneider in 2008, he is also the group's sole remaining founding member....
, Emil SchultEmil SchultEmil Schult is a German painter, poet and musician.He is most famous for his collaborations with the electronic music band Kraftwerk. He has created most of their sleeve designs since 1973...
) - "Bad Penny" – 2:33
- "L Dopa" – 1:40
- "Precious Thing" – 2:20
- "Colombian Necktie" – 2:14
- "Kitty Empire" – 4:01
Side "Sad Otter"
- "Ergot" – 2:27
- "Kasimir S. Pulaski Day" – 2:28
- "Fish Fry" – 2:06
- "Pavement Saw" – 2:12
- "Tiny, King of the Jews" – 2:31
- "Bombastic Intro" – 0:35
- "He's a WhoreHe's a Whore"He's a Whore" is a song written by Rick Nielsen that was first released on Cheap Trick's 1977 debut album Cheap Trick. It has also appeared on a number of Cheap Trick compilation albums, including The Essential Cheap Trick...
" – 2:37* (Rick NielsenRick Nielsen-External links:* * *...
)
- *Available only on CD version
Personnel
- Dave RileyDave Riley- Biography :Originally from Detroit, Riley worked as an assistant audio engineer for George Clinton's stable of Parliament-Funkadelic bands. He is credited on albums Trombipulation and The Electric Spanking of War Babies...
– bass guitar - Santiago DurangoSantiago DurangoSantiago Durango is an American guitarist remembered for his work with the 1980s punk rock groups Naked Raygun and Big Black. Mostly retired from music as of the early 2000s, he works as an attorney.- Biography :...
(credited as Melvin BelliMelvin BelliMelvin Mouron Belli was a prominent American lawyer known as "The King of Torts" and by detractors as 'Melvin Bellicose'. He had many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Errol Flynn, Chuck Berry, Muhammad Ali, Sirhan Sirhan, the Rolling Stones, Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker, Martha...
) – guitar - Steve AlbiniSteve AlbiniSteven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
: guitar, vocals - EMU Drumulator (credited as "Roland") – drums