Yerself Is Steam
Encyclopedia
Yerself is Steam is the 1991 debut album by Mercury Rev
. The title is a malapropism
of the phrase "Your self-esteem," and is taken from a recurring lyric in the opening "Chasing a Bee." "Car Wash Hair" was released as a single before the album. "Very Sleepy Rivers" is supposedly about a serial killer, with the river acting a metaphor for the killer's relative calm and sudden tendency to snap.
Other editions of Yerself is Steam have been released in the UK, including CDs with the "Car Wash Hair" CD single or the Mint Films label compilation CD Mint Humbucker, and LPs pressed on white vinyl with blue splatters, pink swirl vinyl or transparent blue vinyl.
Dean Wareham
made a guest appearance on "Car Wash Hair" and helped with recording, supposedly after Fridmann spent the band's advance on a holiday package http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercury-rev-p13667/biography.
"Car Wash Hair" appears as track 99 on the 1992 Sony/Columbia version of the album. Also, on this same version, "Very Sleepy Rivers" is divided into fragments between tracks 8 (7:15) and 9 to 98, which are each 4 seconds long. The audio slowly fades out around track 83 and, around track 88, someone starts saying 'pick' repeatedly with some barely audible laughter. During this quieter section, a low-level sub-bass signal (under 20 Hz) was mixed underneath, which reportedly caused damage to some equipment at Sony's mastering studio.
All songs written by Mercury Rev.
waffles ad slogan, and is taken from a piece of voice tape at the start of "Frittering," where one musician tells another to "let go of my fucking ego" after they tell him how to play a song. It consists of rare tracks and a Peel Session
. Mint Films released another edition in 2007 consisting of both CDs plus an all-region DVD of the videos for "Chasing a Bee" and "Car Wash Hair."
CD version:
1 is a cover of the Sly and the Family Stone song, originally released on the A-side of a 7" single in March 1992 by the Rough Trade Singles Club.
2 is recorded live by the BBC Mobile Recording Studio at Finsbury Park, London, June 1992. "Shhh/Peaceful" is a cover of the Miles Davis
song (from In a Silent Way
), which is only quoted briefly in the introduction.
3, 4, 6 and 8 are from a Peel Session recorded on August 27, 1991 and first broadcast on October 5, 1991. 8 is "Chasing a Bee" with some changed lyrics. Some releases title it "Chasing a Girl (Inside a Car)," which is what is sung in the title line of this version. The liner notes add about this song, "Guitars should be much louder, but what can you do?"
5 is the same recording as the single version, but with some extra material crossfaded in at the end. 1, 3, 4 and 8 also have unusual tapes (mostly voice) added and to the beginning and/or end of the songs.
7 is credited as being the "original theme from the 1991 motion picture 'Moonbuggy,' a film by Howard Nelson," and performed by Grasshopper.
LP version:
All songs written by Mercury Rev, except "If You Want Me to Say" by Sylvester Stewart
and "Shhh/Peaceful" by Miles Davis
. "Blood on the Moon" has no writer's credit, but is presumably also written by Grasshopper.
A. Chasing A Bee (7:09)
B. If You Want Me To Stay (3:37)
S. Coney Island Cyclone (2:40)
U. Frittering (4:26)
R. Syringe Mouth (3:09)
D. Chasing A Girl (Inside A Car) (6:56)
S, U, R, and D are the Peel Session recordings, and are actually one continuous track for 17:53. The run times for B, S, U and D are shorter than on Lego My Ego because they don't contain the unusual tape material that was added to these songs on it.
Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker , Jonathan Donahue , Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a...
. The title is a malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
of the phrase "Your self-esteem," and is taken from a recurring lyric in the opening "Chasing a Bee." "Car Wash Hair" was released as a single before the album. "Very Sleepy Rivers" is supposedly about a serial killer, with the river acting a metaphor for the killer's relative calm and sudden tendency to snap.
Other editions of Yerself is Steam have been released in the UK, including CDs with the "Car Wash Hair" CD single or the Mint Films label compilation CD Mint Humbucker, and LPs pressed on white vinyl with blue splatters, pink swirl vinyl or transparent blue vinyl.
Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham
Dean Wareham is an American musician, who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Wareham moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, before settling in New York City in 1977. Wareham attended high school at Dalton School in New York, and then attended Harvard...
made a guest appearance on "Car Wash Hair" and helped with recording, supposedly after Fridmann spent the band's advance on a holiday package http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercury-rev-p13667/biography.
Track listing
The back cover lists deliberately erroneous run times. They are listed here in (parentheses and italics).- "Chasing a Bee" – 7:11 (4:27)
- "Syringe Mouth" – 4:04 (3:27)
- "Coney Island Cyclone" – 2:37 (3:27)
- "Blue and Black" – 6:00 (4:27)
- "Sweet Oddysee of a Cancer Cell t' th' Center of Yer Heart" – 7:41 (5:27)
- "Frittering" – 8:48 (4:27)
- "Continuous Trucks and Thunder Under a Mother's Smile" – 0:43 (2:27)
- "Very Sleepy Rivers" – 12:15 (13:15 on Sony/Columbia CD edition) (12:27)
- "Car Wash Hair (The Bee's Chasing Me)" – 6:44 (hidden bonus track on Sony/Columbia CD edition)
"Car Wash Hair" appears as track 99 on the 1992 Sony/Columbia version of the album. Also, on this same version, "Very Sleepy Rivers" is divided into fragments between tracks 8 (7:15) and 9 to 98, which are each 4 seconds long. The audio slowly fades out around track 83 and, around track 88, someone starts saying 'pick' repeatedly with some barely audible laughter. During this quieter section, a low-level sub-bass signal (under 20 Hz) was mixed underneath, which reportedly caused damage to some equipment at Sony's mastering studio.
All songs written by Mercury Rev.
Lego My Ego
In 1992, Mint Films/Jungle re-released Yerself is Steam with a bonus LP/CD entitled Lego My Ego. The title is a parody of the EggoEggo
Eggo is a brand of frozen waffles in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which is owned by the Kellogg Company. Several varieties are available, including Homestyle, blueberry, and chocolate chip....
waffles ad slogan, and is taken from a piece of voice tape at the start of "Frittering," where one musician tells another to "let go of my fucking ego" after they tell him how to play a song. It consists of rare tracks and a Peel Session
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. Mint Films released another edition in 2007 consisting of both CDs plus an all-region DVD of the videos for "Chasing a Bee" and "Car Wash Hair."
CD version:
1 is a cover of the Sly and the Family Stone song, originally released on the A-side of a 7" single in March 1992 by the Rough Trade Singles Club.
2 is recorded live by the BBC Mobile Recording Studio at Finsbury Park, London, June 1992. "Shhh/Peaceful" is a cover of the Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
song (from In a Silent Way
In a Silent Way
In a Silent Way is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released July 30, 1969 on Columbia Records. Produced by Teo Macero, the album was recorded in one session date on February 18, 1969 at CBS 30th Street Studio B in New York City. Incorporating elements of classical sonata form,...
), which is only quoted briefly in the introduction.
3, 4, 6 and 8 are from a Peel Session recorded on August 27, 1991 and first broadcast on October 5, 1991. 8 is "Chasing a Bee" with some changed lyrics. Some releases title it "Chasing a Girl (Inside a Car)," which is what is sung in the title line of this version. The liner notes add about this song, "Guitars should be much louder, but what can you do?"
5 is the same recording as the single version, but with some extra material crossfaded in at the end. 1, 3, 4 and 8 also have unusual tapes (mostly voice) added and to the beginning and/or end of the songs.
7 is credited as being the "original theme from the 1991 motion picture 'Moonbuggy,' a film by Howard Nelson," and performed by Grasshopper.
- If You Want Me to Stay – 4:08
- Shhh/Peaceful / Very Sleepy Rivers – 14:52
- Frittering – 5:18
- Coney Island Cyclone – 3:20
- Car Wash Hair – 7:25
- Syringe Mouth – 3:11
- Blood on the Moon – 8:21
- Chasing a Bee (Inside a Car) – 10:09
LP version:
- Shhh/Peaceful / Very Sleepy Rivers – 14:52
- Blood on the Moon – 8:21
- Frittering – 5:18
- Coney Island Cyclone – 3:20
- Syringe Mouth – 3:11
- Chasing a Bee (Inside a Car) – 10:09
All songs written by Mercury Rev, except "If You Want Me to Say" by Sylvester Stewart
Sly Stone
Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
and "Shhh/Peaceful" by Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
. "Blood on the Moon" has no writer's credit, but is presumably also written by Grasshopper.
Radio Whipped promo edition
Sony/Columbia released a promo double-CD version of the album in 1992. The first disc is the U.S. version of the album. The second disc is the U.S. "Chasing a Bee" CD single. A "Radio Whipped Sticker" on the back of the CD jewelbox numbers the nine tracks on the album as A, B, C, D, E, F, U, C, K, and the six tracks of the single as:A. Chasing A Bee (7:09)
B. If You Want Me To Stay (3:37)
S. Coney Island Cyclone (2:40)
U. Frittering (4:26)
R. Syringe Mouth (3:09)
D. Chasing A Girl (Inside A Car) (6:56)
S, U, R, and D are the Peel Session recordings, and are actually one continuous track for 17:53. The run times for B, S, U and D are shorter than on Lego My Ego because they don't contain the unusual tape material that was added to these songs on it.
Personnel
- Jonathan DonahueJonathan DonahueJonathan Daniel Donahue is an American rock musician. He has been an integral member of two of North America's more influential indie/experimental bands of the 1990s; The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev....
– Silver Pickup Guitar, Vocals when left to himself - GrasshopperGrasshopper (musician)Grasshopper is an American musician with the band Mercury Rev. He has also appeared with Rev side-project Harmony Rockets, his own band Grasshopper and the Golden Crickets, and as a guest musician on numerous other recordings.-Early years:Mackowiak's early years have been colored by a 1991...
– Unafon Guitar Reels - Suzanne Thorpe – Point Red Flute
- Dave FridmannDave FridmannDave Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. From 1990 onwards he co-produced all releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips...
– Bass Explore, Majestic Bellowphone, additional engineering - David BakerDavid Baker (singer)David Baker was the lead singer and founding member of the band Mercury Rev. He is prevalent on the albums Yerself is Steam and Boces and all of the singles and Peel Sessions the band did concurrently...
– Vocals when it sounds like something he would do - Jimy Chambers – Drumming, Blue-Line
- C. Gavazzi - Trumpet on "Car Wash Hair"
- Dean Wareham - Additional vocals, production on "Car Wash Hair"
- Keith Cleversley - Engineer
- Kristin Peterson - Photography http://www.discogs.com/Mercury-Rev-Yerself-Is-Steam/release/927373
- Mooneyham - Artwork