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Blues for the Red Sun
Studio album by
Kyuss
ReleasedJune 30, 1992 (1992-06-30)
Recorded1992
StudioSound City Studios, Van Nuys, California
Genre
Length50:39
LabelDali
ProducerChris Goss, Kyuss
Kyuss chronology
Wretch
(1991) 		Blues for the Red Sun
(1992) 		Welcome to Sky Valley
(1994)
Singles from Blues for the Red Sun
  1. "Green Machine"
    Released: 1993

Blues for the Red Sun is the second studio album by American rock band Kyuss, released in 1992.[1] While the album received mainly favorable reviews, it fared poorly commercially, selling only 39,000 units. It has since become a very influential album within the stoner rock genre. It was the last Kyuss album to feature bassist Nick Oliveri, who was replaced by Scott Reeder shortly after recording had been completed. The album is dedicated to Oliveri's father who died in a car accident in 1991.[2]

Touring, promotion, and release

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In support of the album, Kyuss went on tour with such established groups as Faith No More, White Zombie, and Danzig. In early 1993, the band was chosen by Metallica to be an opening act for nine shows in Australia.[3] After their first show with Metallica, the group was only allowed to use half the P.A. system for the other eight concerts.[4]

The music videos for the songs "Green Machine" and "Thong Song" received moderate rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball and on MuchMusic in Canada. The album also received airplay on album-oriented radio stations such as KNAC, KISW, WYSP, and KIOZ.[3] The album was released by the independent record label Dali, which was later bought out by Elektra Records.[5] It ended up selling only 39,000 copies.[3]

Musical style and influence

[edit]

Blues for the Red Sun incorporates stoner rock[6] and desert rock,[7] and has been compared to such acts as Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Blue Cheer,[8] and Alice in Chains.[9] Daniel Bukszpan, the author of The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal, has written that the album has influenced "countless" bands.[10] Many consider Blues for the Red Sun "the template for 21st-century bands that have followed in the pioneering wake of Kyuss".[11] Martin Popoff similarly credits the band with the creation of a "certain core sample" of stoner rock, in part due to an "uncompromising bassquake" that was composed of more than "tar-pitted Sabbath riffs".[12] Exclaim! credited the album for opening "the way for bands like Monster Magnet and a whole host of other desert grunge practitioners".[13] Melissa Auf der Maur has said that she attempted to "knock-off" Blues for the Red Sun for her single "Followed the Waves", to the point that she recruited the band's rhythm section to play on the track and Chris Goss to produce.[14] Other fans of the album include Dave Grohl and Metallica.[3][15]

Steve Taylor, the author of A to X of Alternative Music, wrote that, in comparison to the music, "lyrics can't really compete", and went on to call the album's lyrics "stoned immaculate phrases".[16] Rolling Stone described the lyrics of "Thong Song" — a song about flip-flops[17] — as "deathless".[18]

Guitarist Josh Homme plugged down-tuned guitars into Marshall amplifiers with Ampeg cabinets for the distortion featured on the album.[1] Wah-wah pedals were also used by Homme on Blues for the Red Sun.[10] Wayne Robins of Newsday described Homme's riffs as "post-Hendrix guitar flurries".[19] Several of the songs on Blues for the Red Sun have slow tempos and groove-laden rhythms.[20] "Green Machine" features a bass guitar solo, and the album features several instrumental tracks.[1] A number of songs on the album also credit lyrics to John Garcia, but have no discernible lyrics or even vocals. It is possible that the only word written by Garcia is the uttered "yeah" at the very end of the album.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Billboard(favorable)[9]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[21]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[22]
Kerrang![23]
Q[24]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]

The album received acclaim from both fans and critics.[3][8] Steve Taylor considers it the best album Kyuss ever made.[16] AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia gave the album four and a half out of five stars and called the album "a major milestone in heavy music". In particular, he praised producer Chris Goss for its "unique heavy/light formula".[1] Debaroh Frost of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+.[22] Rolling Stone considered "Green Machine" and "Thong Song" to be the album's highlights and also thought that the production had greatly improved from the band's previous album, Wretch.[18] Kerrang! also gave the album a favorable review.[3] College Music Journal claimed that the album was "raw and unorthodox" and, like Rivadavia, complimented Chris Goss for the production.[20] Q called it "one of the landmark metal albums of the '90s", and rewarded it a perfect five out of five stars. Guitar Player magazine added the song "Green Machine" in their 1995 article titled "50 Heaviest Riffs of All Time".[24]

Spin ranked Blues for the Red Sun 10th on their list of the "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92".[17] In 2002, Spin put the album in 36th place on their list of the "40 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".[25] IGN listed the album as an honorable mention on their list of the "Top 25 Metal Albums".[26] Chad Bowar of About.com named the album the 8th best heavy metal album of 1992 and went on to write that Blues for the Red Sun "was a landmark album that influenced a lot of bands".[27] MusicRadar included the album on "The 50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" and ranked it in 48th place.[28] In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Blues for the Red Sun 41st on their list of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".[29]

Track listing

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Writing credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[30]

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Thumb"Josh HommeHomme, Brant Bjork4:41
2."Green Machine"BjorkBjork3:38
3."Molten Universe" (instrumental)John GarciaHomme2:49
4."50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up)"BjorkBjork5:52
5."Thong Song"HommeHomme3:47
6."Apothecaries' Weight" (instrumental)GarciaHomme5:21
7."Caterpillar March" (instrumental) Bjork1:56
8."Freedom Run"Homme, BjorkHomme7:37
9."800" (instrumental)GarciaHomme1:34
10."Writhe"HommeHomme3:42
11."Capsized" (instrumental)GarciaHomme0:55
12."Allen's Wrench"BjorkBjork, Homme2:44
13."Mondo Generator"Nick OliveriOliveri6:15
14."Yeah"Garcianone (spoken word)0:04
Total length:50:39

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[30]

Kyuss

  • John Garcia – lead vocals on all tracks except "Mondo Generator", producer
  • Josh Homme – guitar, producer
  • Nick Oliveri – bass, lead vocals on "Mondo Generator", producer
  • Brant Bjork – drums, album concept, producer

Production

Artwork

  • Skiles – art director
  • Art Industria – design
  • Marc Rude – cover illustration
  • Big Bear Solar Observatory – cover photography
  • Michael Anderson – additional photography

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for Blues for the Red Sun
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[31] 26

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Rivadavia, Eduardo. "allmusic (((Blues for the Red Sun > Overview)))". AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  2. ^ Comaratta, Len (October 29, 2014). "Nick Oliveri: Feeling Like a Millionaire". Consequence. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Morris, Chris (January 15, 1994). "Kyuss Lands on Its Feet and Keeps Climbing". Billboard.
  4. ^ Schneider, Jason. "Josh Homme – King of Queens". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  5. ^ Bukszpan, Daniel; James Dio, Ronnie (2003). The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal. Barnes & Noble Publishing Inc. p. 121. ISBN 0-7607-4218-9.
  6. ^ Dome, Malcolm (October 16, 2016). "10 essential stoner rock albums". Classic Rock Magazine. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Orzeck, Kurt (December 21, 2005). "QOTSA End Year On A High Note: Josh Homme Reunites With Kyuss Singer In L.A." MTV. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "allmusic (((Kyuss > Biography)))". Allmusic. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  9. ^ a b Verna, Paul; Morris, Chris; Morris, Edward (August 15, 1992). "Album Reviews". Billboard.
  10. ^ a b Bukszpan, Daniel; James Dio, Ronnie (2003). The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal. Barnes & Noble Publishing Inc. p. 120. ISBN 0-7607-4218-9.
  11. ^ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides Ltd. p. 572. ISBN 1-85828-457-0. Blues for the Red Sun kyuss.
  12. ^ Popoff, Martin (2004). The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. ECW Press. p. 318. ISBN 1550226002.
  13. ^ "Exclaim! Canada's Music Authority". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  14. ^ Begrand, Adrien. "Auf der Maur". PopMatters. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  15. ^ "QOTSA – THE GROHL STORY". NME. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  16. ^ a b Taylor, Steve (2006). A to X of Alternative Music. Continuum. p. 199. ISBN 0-8264-8217-1.
  17. ^ a b "10 Best Albums You Didn't Hear in '92". Spin. December 1992.
  18. ^ a b c Brackett, Nathan. "Kyuss". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. November 2004. pg. 473, cited March 17, 2010
  19. ^ Robins, Wayne (December 18, 1992). "POP MUSIC A BAND FROM THE SANDS Kyuss Knows How To Generate Excitement". Newsday. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  20. ^ a b John, Robert. "KYUSS: Blues For The Red Sun". CMJ. Retrieved July 17, 2010.[dead link]
  21. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 235–236. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  22. ^ a b Frost, Deborah. "Blues for the Red Sun" Archived April 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly. January 1993. pg. 53, cited March 17, 2010
  23. ^ Mörat (July 11, 1992). "Kyuss 'Blues for the Red Sun'". Kerrang!. Vol. 400. London, UK: EMAP.
  24. ^ a b "Great Contenders – Kyuss". Q. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  25. ^ "40 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Spin. September 2002.
  26. ^ D., Spence; T., Ed. "Top 25 Metal Albums – Music Feature at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  27. ^ Bowar, Chad. "Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1992 – Top Metal CDs of 1992 – Best Metal CDs Of 1992". About.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  28. ^ "The 50 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time". MusicRadar. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  29. ^ "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 21, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  30. ^ a b Kyuss (1992). Blues for the Red Sun (CD liner notes). Burbank, California: Dali Records. DALi 61340-2.
  31. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 41. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

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