Scum (Napalm Death album)
| Scum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Napalm Death | ||||
| Released | 1 July 1987 | |||
| Recorded | August 1986–May 1987 | |||
| Studio | Rich Bitch Studios, Birmingham | |||
| Genre | Grindcore, hardcore punk, crust punk | |||
| Length | 33:04 | |||
| Label | Earache | |||
| Producer | Napalm Death, Unseen Terror, Head of David, Dig | |||
| Napalm Death chronology | ||||
| ||||
Scum is the debut album by English grindcore band Napalm Death. It was released on 1 July 1987 through Earache Records.
Side A of Scum was originally recorded for £50.00 at Rich Bitch studio (Birmingham, England) in August 1986. It was intended to form part of a split release with English crossover thrash band Atavistic on Manic Ears (Bristol, England). After an extensive line-up change, the second half of Scum was recorded in May 1987 at Rich Bitch studio. The two sides were combined and released as a single album. Only drummer Mick Harris played on both sides of the album.[1]
The first pressing of the CD (1988) came as a 54-track CD, which included the From Enslavement to Obliteration album and four bonus tracks. In 1994, the first two albums were re-released separately. A remastered version was released on 27 January 2012. The album cover was designed by Bill Steer's Carcass bandmate Jeffrey Walker. The album covers came in varied colours: orange, gold, green, blue, and yellow. The song "You Suffer" was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's shortest song; the track is precisely 1.316 seconds long.[2]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| The Metal Forge | 10/10[4] |
| Metal Forces | 9.1/10[5] |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.4/10[6] |
In 2005, Scum was voted the 50th best British album of all time by Kerrang! readers, and in 2009 was ranked number 5 in Terrorizer's list of essential European grindcore albums.[7] Scum is listed in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[8]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Nik Bullen and Justin Broadrick; all music composed by Napalm Death.
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Multinational Corporations" | Nicholas Bullen | 1:06 |
| 2. | "Instinct of Survival" | Justin Broadrick, Bullen | 2:26 |
| 3. | "The Kill" | Broadrick, Bullen | 0:23 |
| 4. | "Scum" | Broadrick, Bullen | 2:38 |
| 5. | "Caught... in a Dream" | Broadrick, Bullen, Ratledge | 1:47 |
| 6. | "Polluted Minds" | Broadrick | 0:58 |
| 7. | "Sacrificed" | Bullen | 1:06 |
| 8. | "Siege of Power" | Bullen | 3:59 |
| 9. | "Control" | Broadrick, Bullen | 1:23 |
| 10. | "Born on Your Knees" | Broadrick, Bullen | 1:48 |
| 11. | "Human Garbage" | Broadrick, Bullen | 1:32 |
| 12. | "You Suffer" | Broadrick, Bullen | 0:01 |
| Total length: | 19:30 | ||
All lyrics written by Jim Whitely; all music composed by Napalm Death.
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Life?" | 0:43 |
| 2. | "Prison Without Walls" | 0:38 |
| 3. | "Point of No Return" | 0:35 |
| 4. | "Negative Approach" | 0:32 |
| 5. | "Success?" | 1:09 |
| 6. | "Deceiver" | 0:29 |
| 7. | "C.S." | 1:14 |
| 8. | "Parasites" | 0:23 |
| 9. | "Pseudo Youth" | 0:42 |
| 10. | "Divine Death" | 1:21 |
| 11. | "As the Machine Rolls On" | 0:42 |
| 12. | "Common Enemy" | 0:16 |
| 13. | "Moral Crusade" | 1:32 |
| 14. | "Stigmatized" | 1:03 |
| 15. | "M.A.D." | 1:34 |
| 16. | "Dragnet" | 1:01 |
| Total length: | 13:34 | |
Personnel
Side one
- Nik Napalm – vocals, bass
- Justin Broadrick – guitar, vocals ("Polluted Minds")[9]
- Mick Harris – drums
Side two
- Lee Dorrian – vocals
- Jim Whitely – bass
- Bill Steer – guitar
- Mick Harris – drums, vocals
Additional personnel
- Napalm Death – production
- Unseen Terror – production
- Head of David – production (side one)
- Dig – production (side two), layout
- Mick Ivory – engineering
- Jeff Walker – cover artwork
- Nick Royles – photography
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[10] | 7 |
References
- ↑ "Napalm Death - Scum: 20th Anniversary Edition". pitchfork.com. 2007-09-06. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ↑ "Extreme Extremeness". ocweekly.com. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ↑ Raggett, Ned. Napalm Death: Scum > Overview at AllMusic. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ↑ Milburn, Simon (19 March 2007). "Napalm Death - Scum". The Metal Forge. Sumner, Queensland. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ Exley, Mike (1987). "Napalm Death: Scum". Metal Forces. Stevenage: Rockzone Publications (24). Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ↑ Stosuy, Brandon (6 September 2007). "Napalm Death: Scum: 20th Anniversary Edition". Pitchfork Media. Chicago. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ↑ Badin, Olivier (2009). "Essential Albums|Europe". Terrorizer Magazine (180): 54.
- ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- ↑ Dicker, Holly (11 April 2012). "Playing favourites: Justin Broadrick". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- "The Story Behind Scum". Metal Hammer (120). December 2003.
External links
- Scum (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)