Dragline (album)

Dragline is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Paw.[5] It was released in 1993 through A&M Records.[3] It sold around 80,000 copies.[6]

Dragline
Studio album by Paw
Released	May 4, 1993
Recorded	Madison, Wisconsin
Genre	Grunge, alternative rock
Length	50:18 (1:08:13 in the re-release)
Label	A&M
Producer	Mr. Colson, Paw[1]
Paw chronology
Dragline (1993) Death to Traitors (1995)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[1]

The single "Jessie," released in 1993, became a minor hit. Other singles from the album included "Lolita" in 1992 and "Sleeping Bag" and "Couldn't Know" in 1993.

In 2015, the album was re-released by Cherry Red Records Ltd. with all the b-sides from the singles as bonus tracks as well as extensive liner notes and slightly different artwork (the band logo and the title are smaller).[7]

Production

The album was recorded at Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin.[8]

Critical reception

The Morning Call wrote that "the approach is elemental and effective: a rhythm pounces, and a metallic guitar groove drills holes before surrendering to softly ringing accents or gently strummed acoustics as [Mark] Hennessy sings about death and suffering in a throaty roar."[9] The Los Angeles Times deemed the album "country-grunge," writing: "It would take a major revolution to get country radio to play this--there’s way too much wattage in the amps. But there is also plenty of Middle American sensibility, giving this debut a character all its own."[4] Trouser Press wrote that "much of the quartet’s sonic heft emanates from the formidable drum-pounding of Peter Fitch, whose brother Grant hammers out echo-drenched guitar riffs that revisit a limited number of arena-rock clichés with alarming frequency."[10] The New York Times wrote that "Hennessy's conviction, and his ability to distill situations into terse, allusive lyrics, make him a rival of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder."[11] The New Yorker called the album "equal parts metallic vigor and Southern-rock grit."[12]

Rolling Stone listed Dragline at #35 on its list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums."[13]

Track listing

All songs were written by Mark Hennessy and Grant Fitch, except where noted.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gasoline" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)	4:47
2.	"Sleeping Bag"	4:07
3.	"Jessie" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)	3:14
4.	"The Bridge"	3:34
5.	"Couldn't Know"	4:12
6.	"Pansy" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)	3:26
7.	"Lolita"	4:56
8.	"Dragline"	5:07
9.	"Veronica"	3:58
10.	"One More Bottle"	4:04
11.	"Sugarcane"	3:46
12.	"Hard Pig"	5:07
13.	"Suicide Shift" (Re-release bonus track)	3:06
14.	"Slow Burn" (Re-release bonus track)	2:18
15.	"I Know Where You Sleep" (Re-release bonus track)	4:37
16.	"Jessie" (Re-release bonus track (Live Acoustic In Boston, Nov 29))	3:16
17.	"Imaginary Lover" (Re-release bonus track (Atlanta Rhythm Section cover))	4:37
Total length:		01:08:13

Personnel

• Mark Hennessy - Vocals
• Charles Bryan - Bass
• Grant Fitch - Guitar
• Peter Fitch - Drums

References

1. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 861.
2. "Dragline - Paw | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
3. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 6: MUZE. p. 453.CS1 maint: location (link)
4. "PAW"Dragline" A&M;* * *A lot of people..." Los Angeles Times. July 11, 1993.
5. "Paw | Biography & History". AllMusic.
6. "Paw and the Year Scrunge Broke". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. May 14, 2010 – via Google Books.
7. "Dragline: Expanded Edition".
8. Baird, Robert (August 25, 1993). "CLAWING THEIR WAY TO THE TOPWHEN IT COMES TO PUNK-METAL, YOU'VE GOT TO HAND IT TO PAW". Phoenix New Times.
9. HARRY, RICH. "FOR ROCK BAND PAW, RURAL LIFE, INSPIRATION GO HAND IN HAND". mcall.com.
10. "Paw". Trouser Press. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
11. Pareles, Jon (December 8, 1993). "Review/Pop; From Metal Into Melody (Published 1993)" – via NYTimes.com.
12. "Paw". The New Yorker. 70 (1–6): 16.
13. "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019.