Full Blown Possession is the fifth and last full-length album by Memphis indie rock band The Grifters, released in 1997.[7]

Full Blown Possession
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 9, 1997
Recorded1997, Easley McCain Recording and Sun Studios, Memphis, Tennessee
GenreIndie Rock
Length54:08 (CD)
LabelSub Pop Records SPCD 402[1]
ProducerThe Grifters, Doug Easley, Davis McCain, John Neil Martin
Grifters chronology
Ain't My Lookout
(1995)
Full Blown Possession
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[4]
Pitchfork Media8.4/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Production

edit

The band recorded five of the album's songs at Sun Studios, in Memphis, Tennessee.[8] The album was produced by Doug Easley, Davis McCain, John Neil Martin and the band.[9]

Critical reception

edit

The Memphis Flyer wrote that "the record includes most of the hallmarks of the band's sound -- like driving, chuka-chuka bass lines, tantalizing leads lurking just beneath the surface, and their distinctive staggering tempos."[10] The Washington Post wrote: "Although not as broken-down and freaked-out as the band's apparent model, Alex Chilton's Like Flies on Sherbert, the album is ramshackle and atmospheric just as often as it's hot-blooded and direct."[8] The Chicago Reader wrote that "the Grifters place their bets solidly on jagged pop hooks, off-kilter blues structures, and keen dynamics--much like the Rolling Stones of yore."[11]

The Chicago Tribune called the album "excellent" and "a no-nonsense uppercut of venomous Memphis R&B and darkly melodic rock that'll leave you drinking through a straw."[12] The Austin Chronicle wrote that the band sticks "to what they know: a world that's slightly spooky and more than a bit seedy, where rough-edged riffs weave together with a disconcerting delicacy and singer Scott Taylor's eloquent trash talk."[13] CMJ New Music Monthly thought that "other rock bands may play the blues, but the Grifters really mess with it."[14]

Track listing

edit

All tracks are written by Stan Gallimore, Tripp Lamkins, Dave Shouse and Scott Taylor

No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Re-Entry Blues"Dave Shouse3:56
2."Fireflies"Scott Taylor4:18
3."Spaced Out"Dave Shouse4:52
4."Centuries"Scott Taylor4:28
5."Sweetest Thing"Scott Taylor5:06
6."Happy"Dave Shouse5:26
7."Wickedthing"Scott Taylor4:48
8."Bloody Thirsty Lovers"Dave Shouse3:00
9."Hours"Scott Taylor4:19
10."You Be the Stranger"(instrumental)4:47
11."Cigarette"Scott Taylor4:38
12."Contact Me Now"Dave Shouse5:28
Total length:54:08

The song "Spaced Out" was re-recorded by Dave Shouse in 1999 for his solo project Those Bastard Souls.

Album credits

edit

Grifters

edit
  • Stan Gallimore – Drums
  • Tripp Lamkins – Bass, Guitar, Moog, Electric Piano
  • Dave Shouse – Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Clavinet, Harmonica
  • Scott Taylor – Vocals, Guitar, Organ, Mellotron

Additional musicians

edit
  • Doug Easley – Weird Sound on “Centuries”
  • John Stivers (Impala) – Guitar on “You Be the Stranger”
  • Skronkadelic Rhythm Factory – on “Contact Me Now”

Additional credits

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Full Blown Possession". Sub Pop Records.
  2. ^ Full Blown Possession at AllMusic
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 14.
  4. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 511.
  5. ^ Pitchfork Media review[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008.
  7. ^ "Grifters | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (September 12, 1997). "THE GRIFTERS" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  9. ^ "Grifters Give Weight To Indie Rock Scene". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 27, 1997 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "The Memphis Flyer: Music Reviews - October 2, 1997". www.memphisflyer.com.
  11. ^ Margasak, Peter (October 9, 1997). "Grifters". Chicago Reader.
  12. ^ Reger, Rick (October 10, 1997). "SURE TO BE A WYNNING SHOW". chicagotribune.com.
  13. ^ "Record Reviews". www.austinchronicle.com.
  14. ^ "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly (Nov 1997): 45.