Melvins will reinterpret their own catalog and showcase some new covers on the grunge giant’s massive new Five Legged Dog, a 36-track LP that doubles as the group’s first-ever acoustic album.
“I knew I wanted to do something ridiculously big. Thirty-six songs reimagined by us acoustically is certainly ridiculous but it works! The magic of the songs is still there regardless of it being acoustic,” Buzz Osbourne said in a statement of the pandemic-recorded album.
“Since we weren’t touring we had the time to do something of this size. I’m very excited about this record. Dale [Crover] and Steven [McDonald] did a fantastic job on this. I think it’s a very special record. I can’t think of anyone else who’s done something like this.”Five Legged Dog boasts acoustic takes on tracks from throughout the Melvins’ enormous discography — from 1987’s Gluey Porch Treatments to 2017’s A Walk With Love & Death — as well as cuts from Crover’s solo album, non-LP songs, and covers both previously recorded and attempted for the first time, like the Rolling Stones’ “Sway,” Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talking” (sung here by Butthole Surfers’ Jeff Pinkus), and Brainiac’s “Flypaper.”
Ahead of Five Legged Dog’s October 15th release via Ipecac Recordings, Melvins have shared their new rendition of “Night Goat,” a standout from their 1993 LP Houdini; the acoustic version strips off the original song’s fuzz and sludge while still capturing its grungy intensity.
Crover added in a statement: “They said it couldn’t be done! Actually, they didn’t say that, but the facts remain. We’ve taken some 30-plus songs that span our entire career and given them the acoustic treatment. There are also some fun cover songs, of course. We’ve covered songs by the Turtles and Brainiac! I think people will be surprised that we can do an acoustic version of a song like ‘Night Goat’ without losing any of the heaviness. We also really worked hard on vocal arrangements. People are going to freak out!”
Five Legged Dog will be available to preorder Thursday, July 22nd in a variety of formats, including digitally and two-CD (both out October 15th) and four-LP colored vinyl that will arrive on January 28th.
Five Legged Dog Tracklist
1. Edgar the Elephant (A Walk With Love & Death)
2. Up the Dumper (The Bootlicker)
3. Hung Bunny/Roman Dog Bird (Lysol)
4. Hooch (Houdini)
5. Billy Fish (Nude With Boots)
6. Shevil (Stoner Witch)
7. Charlie (Redd Kross cover from “Escape From LA” single)
8. A Growing Disgust (Freak Puke)
9. Eye Flys/Woman (Gluey Porch Treatments – “Woman” is a Free cover)
10. Pitfalls in Serving Warrants (Honky)
11. Outside Chance (The Turtles cover from “Slithering Slaughter” single)
12. Evil New War God (The Bride Screamed Murder)
13. The Bloated Pope (Pigs of the Roman Empire)
14. Bad Move (from Dale Crover’s solo album, The Fickle Finger of Fate)
15. With Teeth (Lysol)
16. Halo of Flies (Alice Cooper cover from Sieg Howdy!)
17. Oven (Ozma)
18. Sway (Rolling Stones cover – previously unrecorded by the Melvins)
19. Anaconda (Bullhead)
20. Lovely Butterfly (Honky)
21. Boris (Bullhead)
22. It’s Shoved (Bullhead)
23. Honey Bucket (Houdini)
24. We Are Doomed (The Bulls & The Bees)
25. Flypaper (Brainiac cover – previously unrecorded by the Melvins)
26. Let God Be Your Gardener (Ozma)
27. At the Stake (Stoner Witch)
28. Night Goat (Houdini)
29. Queen (Stoner Witch)
30. Everybody’s Talking (Fred Neil cover – previously unrecorded by the Melvins)
31. Revolve (Stoner Witch)
32. Suicide in Progress (Nude With Boots)
33. Prig (The Bootlicker)
34. The Bit (Stag)
35. Civilized Worm ((A) Senile Animal)
36. Don’t Forget to Breathe (Pinkus Abortion Technician)
From Rolling Stone US
