The Melvins

Poorly recorded in a converted chicken coop called Mud Bay ("not the rectum of the world, but you can see it from there," Buzz Osbourne writes in the liner notes of this uneven effort), Mangled Demos From 1983 is the only document of the Melvins' original lineup: guitarist/vocalist King Buzzo,...

By John La Briola

June 2, 2005

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Poorly recorded in a converted chicken coop called Mud Bay ("not the rectum of the world, but you can see it from there," Buzz Osbourne writes in the liner notes of this uneven effort), Mangled Demos From 1983 is the only document of the Melvins' original lineup: guitarist/vocalist King Buzzo, drummer Mike Dillard and bassist Matt Lukin (Mudhoney). Fueled by ditchweed, beer and youthful abandon, it might capture the spirit of three disaffected school chums making the best of it in a miserable redneck logging town. But like fond memories of pointless vandalism, the music is probably more fun for the parties involved to reconnect with than it is for the average listener to hear -- Melvins completists excluded. Expect an amusing live radio broadcast from an Elks Lodge that stops and starts; doom-filled working versions of "I'm Dry," "Snake Appeal" and "Set Me Straight"; and at least five head-scratching minutes of drunken, adolescent whining during a hamburger break. Yawnarooney.

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