The Melvins

Houdini Live 2005: A Live History Of Gluttony And Lust

[3/5] Produced by Kurt Cobain, the Melvins’ 1993 major-label debut, Houdini, was mostly notable in that it 1) didn’t make the Melvins the next Nirvana; 2) contained the most boring Kiss cover (“Going Blind”) this band could have done; and 3) likely spent a lot of Atlantic Records’ money to record an unlistenable 11-minute-long drum solo (“Spread Eagle Beagle”). It also contained three of the most brutal, kickass songs in the Melvins’ arsenal–“Hooch,” “Night Goat” and “Honey Bucket”–as well as one of the band’s loveliest songs ever (“Lizzy”). Houdini Live 2005 revisits all of these things “live” (though inspired by the band’s performance of Houdini at 2005’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, it’s a different recording), essentially proving only that, at this point in their career, the Melvins can do whatever the fuck they want. Completists should note, however, that the MC5 cover from the original vinyl version of Houdini has been omitted, and for obvious reasons, Kurt Cobain doesn’t appear.
(IPECAC) Aaron Burgess