Atomizer (album)

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Atomizer
Studio album by
Big Black
ReleasedJanuary 1, 1986
RecordedAugust–October, 1985
StudioChicago Recording Company
Genre
Length37:24
Label
Producer
  • Iain Burgess
  • Big Black
Big Black chronology
Racer-X
(1985) 		Atomizer
(1986) 		The Hammer Party
(1986)

Atomizer is the debut full-length album by American punk rock group Big Black released in 1986.

Background and release

One song from the album, "Big Money", was released as a

Il Duce" single prior to the release of Atomizer. Homestead Records also issued "Big Money" and "Il Duce" the A-side of a 12" record with three live songs on the B-side (including the live version of "Cables" that would appear on Atomizer) with the agreement that the 12" be used for promotional purposes only. The label sent the promo 12" to radio stations, then sold extra copies outside of Big Black's native Chicago, hoping the band would never find out. When they did, Big Black left Homestead and signed to Touch and Go Records.[2]

In the year after Atomizer's release, Big Black recorded their 4-song

Master=Dik. That same year Atomizer was compiled onto compact disc along with the Headache EP and the band's "Heartbeat" single under the name, The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape. The CD omitted track 9 "Strange Things" (although included in a subsequent reissue), as well as the artwork and liner notes from the original records. Instead, Steve Albini expressed his general dislike for the compact disc format in the CD's liner notes, saying, "This compact disc, compiled to exploit those of you gullible enough to own the bastardly first generation digital music system, contains all-analog masters. Compact discs are quite durable, this being their only advantage over real music media. You should take every opportunity to scratch them, fingerprint them, and eat egg and bacon sandwiches off them. Don't worry about their longevity, as Philips will pronounce them obsolete when the next phase of the market-squeezing technology bonanza begins."[3]

Music and lyrics

In the book Gimme Indie Rock, music journalist Andrew Earles describes Atomizer as "Big Black at the height of its two-guitars-plus-bass-plus-drum-machine powers, forging a line-straddling, industrial-meets-nascent-noise-rock force to be reckoned with." Andy Kellman of AllMusic described the sound as "a wailing behemoth of assaultive Roland beats, Steve Albini and Santiago Durango's clanging and whirring guitars, and new member Dave Riley's lumberjack bass." The guitar work on the tracks "Passing Complexion" and "Kerosene" have been described as "warped-beyond-recognition." Kellman described the guitar intro of the latter track as "completely incapable of being accurately described by vocal imitation or physical gesture."[4][5]

Earles opined that the album contains "generally the harshest lyrical subject matter [the band] had to offer," describing the tracks as "fictional forays into the American underbelly." The album's opening track, "Jordan, Minnesota," is controversial due to its lyrics, which describe events regarding the bust of a child pornography ring in the titular city from the perspective of the perpetrators. In congruence, Kellman stated that the album sees Albini "at his most plainspoken and bleak." Kellman also stated his belief that the track "Bad Houses" could be "a perhaps unintentional reply" to "Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp. Additionally, the album contains themes of self-immolation.[4][5]

Reception and legacy

Retrospective professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
MusicHound Rock
3/5[11]
NME10/10[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
Select[14]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[15]

Reviewing for The Village Voice in September 1986, Robert Christgau wrote that, "Though they don't want you to know it, these hateful little twerps are sensitive souls—they're moved to make this godawful racket by the godawful pain of the world, which they learn about reading everything from textbooks to bondage mags. This is the brutal guitar machine thousands of lonely adolescent cowards have heard in their heads. Its creators deserve credit for finding each other and making their obsession real."[16]

Andy Kellman of

neo-industrial outfits attempted to one-up each other's levels of extremity over the years, Atomizer holds up extremely well," concluding his review by stating that the album is "as horrifying as the day it was recorded."[6]

In the book Gimme Indie Rock, music journalist Andrew Earles stated that the album "belongs in the collection of anyone with more than a passing interest in [underground rock music]."[5]

Accolades

In addition to the ones mentioned below, the album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[17]

Publication Country Work Accolade Rank
Alternative Press
 		USA Atomizer Top 99 Albums of '85 to '95 #11[18]
Spin USA Atomizer 100 Alternative Albums #83[19]
Top 100 (+5) Albums of the Last 20 Years #92[19]
Kerrang
 		UK Atomizer The 100 Greatest Rock Albums #63[citation needed]
The Kerrang! 200 Albums For The Year 2000 (under "Essential Alt-Rock") -[20]
Sounds UK Atomizer The Top 80 Albums from the '80s #28[citation needed]
Mojo UK Atomizer The 80 Greatest Albums from the 80s -[citation needed]
Rockdelux Spain Atomizer The 300 (+200) Best Albums from 1984–2014 -[citation needed]
NME UK Atomizer The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time #372[21]
Q UK Atomizer 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time -[22]
Pitchfork
 		USA "Kerosene" The Pitchfork 500 -[23]
Toby Creswell Australia "Kerosene" 1001 Songs -[citation needed]
Kerrang
 		UK "Kerosene" 666 Songs You Must Own: The Ultimate Playlist ("Alternative Rock") #5[24]
Rockdelux Spain "Kerosene" The Top 100 Songs from 1984–1993 #39[citation needed]
Robert Dimery USA "Kerosene" 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die -[25]

Notable covers

Among the

Consequence of Sound as one of her best covers.[26]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Big Black

No.TitleLength
1."Jordan, Minnesota"3:20
2."Passing Complexion"3:05
3."Big Money"2:30
4."Kerosene"6:05
5."Bad Houses"3:10
6."Fists of Love"4:21
7."Stinking Drunk"3:27
8."Bazooka Joe"4:23
9."Strange Things"3:54
10."Cables" (Live)3:09

Personnel

Big Black always credited Roland along with the band's members, though Roland is a brand of drum machine and not an actual person.[27] Additionally, Atomizer and all post-Atomizer releases by the band do not feature the TR-606, instead opting for the E-mu Drumulator.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Big Black – Atomizer Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ISBN 0-316-78753-1
    .
  3. ^ Albini, Steve (1987). The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape. Chicago: Touch and Go Records. pp. CD liner notes. TG94.
  4. ^ a b Atomizer - Big Black | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-04-03
  5. ^ a b c Earles, Andrew. Gimme Indie Rock. Voyager Press. p. 33.
  6. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Atomizer – Big Black". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  7. ISBN 0-679-73015-X
    . Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  8. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8
    .
  9. ^ Alex Cull (September 25, 2015). "Big Black's magnum opus is as potent an atomisation as ever". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  10. ISBN 978-0-86241-827-4
    .
  11. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1
    .
  12. ^ "Big Black: Atomizer". NME: 30. November 28, 1992.
  13. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8
    .
  14. ^ Perry, Andrew (December 1992). "Big Black: The Hammer Party / Atomizer / Songs About Fucking / Pigpile". Select (31): 86.
  15. ISBN 0-679-75574-8
    .
  16. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 2, 1986). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  17. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2
    .
  18. ^ "Rocklist.net..Alternative Press".
  19. ^ a b "Rocklist.net...Spin Magazine (USA) Lists...Page 2".
  20. ^ "Rocklist.net...Kerrang! Page 2".
  21. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 400-301". NME. 23 October 2013.
  22. Q
    . London: 87. July 2001.
  23. ^ "Pitchfork". www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2009-04-24.
  24. ^ "Rocklist.net...Kerrang! 666 Tracks".
  25. ISBN 978-1-84403-684-4
    .
  26. ^ "St. Vincent's Best Cover Songs". 9 September 2011.
  27. ^ Albini, Steve (1986). Atomizer. Homestead Records. pp. liner notes.
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