Mr. Bungle (album)

Mr. Bungle is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on August 13, 1991, through Warner Bros. Records. The album contains many genre shifts which are typical of the band, and helped increase the band's popularity, gaining them a cult following.

Mr. Bungle
Studio album by
Mr. Bungle
ReleasedAugust 13, 1991
Recorded1991 at Different Fur, San Francisco, California, United States
Genre
Length73:19
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerJohn Zorn
Mr. Bungle chronology
OU818 (demo)
(1989)		 Mr. Bungle
(1991)		 Disco Volante
(1995)
Singles from Mr. Bungle
  1. "Quote Unquote"
    Released: 1991

Content

The album cover features artwork by Dan Sweetman, originally published in the story, "A Cotton Candy Autopsy" in the DC Comics/Piranha Press imprint title Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children.

The album mixes a variety of musical styles, including ska, circus music, heavy metal, free jazz, and funk.[2] AllMusic called it a "dizzying, disconcerting, schizophrenic tour through just about any rock style the group can think of, hopping from genre to genre without any apparent rhyme or reason, and sometimes doing so several times in the same song." The website described Mike Patton's lyrics as "even more bizarrely humorous than those he used in Faith No More", and "also less self-censored".[6] At the time, the band's label Warner promoted the record as being Mike Patton's "seriously weird new project".[7]

The lyrics in the album are broad in themes, ranging from more comedic tones to dark and sexual references. "Slowly Growing Deaf" was "inspired by the ironic need to wear earplugs while listening to music and also people’s inability to listen", according to bassist Trevor Dunn,[8] and also marked as the first song to the "Sleep" trilogy, with parts two and three being featured on the band’s second album. "Squeeze Me Macaroni" is a song featuring strong sexual themes being illustrated through food metaphors. "Egg" is about asociality. "Stubb (A Dub)" is about Trey Spruance's dog, Stubb.[9] "The Girls of Porn" is about pornography addiction and sexual desensitization. "Love is a Fist" is about domestic violence. "Dead Goon" is about an asphixiophile, who’s actions leads to the narrator’s death due to asphixiation.

Quotes from David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet are strewn throughout the album.

Critical reception and legacy
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Entertainment WeeklyD–[10]
Trouser Pressfavorable[11]

The album received mixed reviews upon release. Entertainment Weekly gave the album a negative review, writing "Adjectives like 'puerile' and 'unlistenable' take on entirely new dimensions when applied to Mr. Bungle".[10] Trouser Press called it "one of the most ambitiously random, fractious records in recent memory" and "one of the finest records of its kind".[11]

In 2015, Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer praised the album, stating "I loved their last album, California, but their self-titled debut had the biggest impact on me. There’s a song on there called "Love Is a Fist" that's fucking crushing. That set the tone for us and what we went on to do creatively. They were completely outside the box and just didn't care – they satisfied only themselves. It wasn't about record sales, it was just about creating a band."[12]

Mike Portnoy, former drummer of progressive metal band Dream Theater named Mr. Bungle as one of his 10 favorite progressive rock albums of all time, as he wrote "This is one of my top 10 albums of all time, in any genre. It actually scared the shit out of me the first time I heard it. I literally had never heard anything that twisted and evil and joyful. It was just the most bizarre hour I had ever spent listening to music." He also added that "It's a roller coaster sonic experience, and it's full of eclectic, diverse styles. I know every nuance of it inside and out. It's truly one of my desert island discs."[13]

Synyster Gates, from the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold, named the album as "one of the most incredible pieces of music [he] has ever heard in [his] life".[14]

Track listing

All songs credited to Mr. Bungle. Actual writers below, according to ASCAP.[15]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Travolta” On later pressings, the track is renamed as “Quote Unquote"Trevor Dunn, Danny Heifetz, Mike Patton, Trey Spruance6:56
2."Slowly Growing Deaf (Sleep Part I)"Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, Clinton McKinnon, Theo Lengyel6:58
3."Squeeze Me Macaroni"Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance5:38
4."Carousel"Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance5:13
5."Egg"Dunn10:39
6."Stubb (A Dub)"Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, McKinnon, Lengyel7:19
7."My Ass Is on Fire"Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance7:47
8."The Girls of Porn"Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, McKinnon, Lengyel6:42
9."Love Is a Fist"Dunn, Spruance6:00
10."Dead Goon"Dunn, Heifetz, Patton, Spruance, McKinnon, Lengyel10:02

Personnel
Mr. Bungle
Additional personnel
  • David Bryson – engineering, mixing
  • Matt Murman – engineering assistance, digital editing
  • John Zorn – production, alto saxophone on "Love Is a Fist"[16]
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Troy Blakely – Management
  • Stan Diamond – legal representation
  • Kristin Yee – band management
  • Anthony Lee – album sleeve design
  • Lisa Wells – band logo typeset
  • David Louapre – album cover and interior art
  • Dan Sweetman – cover and interior art
  • Jay Marshall – cover and interior art
  • P. Earwig – inside double panel art
  • David Shea – turntables
  • Yeesus Krist – backing vocals
  • Maximum Bob – backing vocals
  • Kahli – backing vocals
  • Jennifer – backing vocals

References
  1. August, Michael Christopher. "25 Years Ago: Mr. Bungle's Debut Polarizes Faith No More Fans". Diffuser. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  2. McGaughey, Scott (September 1999). "The Unclassifiable and Ever-Evolving Music of Mr. Bungle". Perfect Sound Forever. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  3. "Experimental Rock Legends Mr. Bungle Revisit First Demo At Warfield". February 3, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  4. "The Quietus - Features - Anniversary - Flying Saucer, Attack! Mr Bungle's Disco Volante Two Decades On". Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  5. "Heavy Metal Be-Bop #3: Interview with Trevor Dunn". Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  6. Huey, Steve. "Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  7. "1991 Mr. Bungle ad poster". Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  8. http://www.faithnomorefollowers.com/2016/10/trevor-dunn-disco-volante-interview.html
  9. http://faithnoman.com/stubb
  10. Browne, David (September 6, 1991). "Mr. Bungle". Entertainment Weekly (82). Retrieved August 31, 2012.
  11. Robbins, Ira; Frampton, Scott. "TrouserPress.com :: Faith No More". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  12. "Korn's James 'Munky' Shaffer - Under the Influence - The Skinny". Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  13. "Music Aficionado". Music Aficionado. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv3-bs7GWfc&t=261s
  15. https://www.ascap.com/repertory#ace/performer/MR%20BUNGLE
  16. "MR BUNGLE". www.trevordunn.net. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
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