Soul Rotation
Studio album by
The Dead Milkmen
ReleasedApril 14, 1992
GenrePunk, comedy rock
Length42:45
LabelHollywood
ProducerTed Niceley
The Dead Milkmen chronology
Metaphysical Graffiti
(1990)		 Soul Rotation
(1992)		 Not Richard, But Dick
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldB[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Indianapolis Star[5]
Spin[6]
Telegram & Gazette[7]

Soul Rotation is the sixth studio album by the Dead Milkmen, released in 1992.[8][9] It was their first album to be released on Hollywood Records.[10][11] The album was digitally re-released in 2013, after being out of print for many years.

The album peaked at No. 16 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart.[12]

Production

Soul Rotation was produced by Ted Niceley.[13] It marked the first time the band cut an entire album using digital recording methods.[14] The band, heeding past criticism of their albums, decided to focus as much on the instrumentation as the lyrics. The Dead Milkmen improvised more in the studio, and are collectively credited with writing the songs.[15] The band employed a horn section, The Uptown Horns, on several tracks.[14]

Critical reception

Trouser Press called Soul Rotation "the first genuinely good album of [the band's] career," writing that "the gentleness of the band’s adult humor is well-served by equally unprepossessing eclectic pop-rock that makes varied use of the Uptown Horns and Rodney’s keyboard sideline."[13] The Tulsa World deemed it "funny ... even when it's dealing with serious subjects."[15] The Indianapolis Star wrote: "Somewhere along the line, the Dead Milkmen lost their playful sense of humor. Despite the strong music, their ironic lyrics seem flat without the punchlines."[5]

The Ottawa Citizen wrote that "the arrangements here are carefully conceived and comparatively hook-laden."[16] The Chicago Tribune judged it "a sprightly little pop album," writing that the "Philadelphia foursome is moving away from constant jokiness and concentrating more on melody and groove, even if it hasn't forsaken its tongue-in-cheek lyrics, amateurish vocals and unvarnished pep."[3] The Gazette decided that the "smartass Philly thrash-soul-punkers make the big time with a major-label album that finds all of the humor intact ... even if the punk part sounds more like a frat affectation now."[17]

Track listing

  1. "At the Moment" - 3:00
  2. "The Secret of Life" - 4:20
  3. "Big Scary Place" - 3:24
  4. "Belafonte's Inferno" - 2:52
  5. "The Conspiracy Song" - 2:21
  6. "How It's Gonna Be" - 4:55
  7. "All Around the World" - 3:56
  8. "Silly Dreams" - 3:34
  9. "Wonderfully Colored Plastic War Toys" - 2:36
  10. "God's Kid Brother" - 2:39
  11. "If I Had a Gun" - 2:28
  12. "Here Comes Mr. X" - 2:18
  13. "Shaft in Greenland" - 4:30

References

  1. ↑ Soul Rotation at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Dunlop, Neil (24 May 1992). "Recent releases". Calgary Herald: C2.
  3. 1 2 Caro, Mark (9 Apr 1992). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune: C7.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. pp. 802–803.
  5. 1 2 Hall, Steve (5 June 1992). "The Dead Milkmen Soul Rotation Hollywood". The Indianapolis Star: B7.
  6. ↑ "Spins". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. May 19, 1992 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Semon, Craig S. (14 June 1992). "The Dead Milkmen keep swinging at pretension". Telegram & Gazette: 12.
  8. ↑ "Dead Milkmen | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  9. ↑ "MUSIC : Milkmen to Deliver : The Philadelphia rock quartet, noted for its off-center lyrics, will perform at the Palomino". Los Angeles Times. October 23, 1992.
  10. ↑ "Butterfly Joe". The A.V. Club.
  11. ↑ Newman, Melinda (Jun 27, 1992). "Strange Brew". Billboard. 104 (26): 34.
  12. ↑ "The Dead Milkmen". Billboard.
  13. 1 2 "TrouserPress.com :: Dead Milkmen". www.trouserpress.com.
  14. 1 2 BLANGGER, TIM. "NEW LABEL, NAMES, DELIVERY FRESHEN UP DEAD MILKMEN". mcall.com.
  15. 1 2 Wooley, John. "THE DEAD MILKMEN". Tulsa World.
  16. ↑ Erskine, Evelyn (13 June 1992). "The Dead Milkmen Soul Rotation". Ottawa Citizen: H3.
  17. ↑ Lepage, Mark (20 June 1992). "THE DEAD MILKMEN Soul Rotation". The Gazette: E2.



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