''California Crossing'' is an album by the American stoner rock band

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, comic ...

, released in 2001 through

Mammoth Records Mammoth Records was an independent record label founded in 1989 by Jay Faires in the Carrboro area of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The majority of the acts on Mammoth were executive-produced by Faires and the label's general manager, Steve Balcom ...

Production

The album was produced by

Matt Hyde Matt Hyde (born June 19, 1964) is an American producer, engineer, mixer and musician. From 1982 to 1985 he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. While still at Berklee in 1984, he obtained an internship at Pyramid Recording Studio in Bost ...

, who encouraged Fu Manchu to spend more time on preproduction and song arrangements. The band pushed the vocals higher in the mix for the album, worked on backing vocals, and tried to keep most of the tracks around three minutes.

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...

singer

Keith Morris Keith Morris (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the ...

provides vocals on "Bultaco". Drummer

Brant Bjork Brant Bjork (born March 19, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is perhaps best known as the drummer and founder of the influential Californian stoner rock band Kyuss. Bjork played in Vista Chino, along with ...

departed the band after the recording of the album.

Critical reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' deemed the album "a strangely nihilistic celebration of all things

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' wrote that Fu Manchu "are the stoned

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, a matey Motorhead: a band who can rewrite that album into the infinite future and rule perpetually." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' thought that "more than anything else, it's the band's cartoonish perspective that keeps ''Crossing'' from flagging." ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' called the songs "rooted in mad propulsion, clean sonics and Scott Hill's atonal holler."

Track listing

Personnel

*Scott Hill – vocals, guitar *

– drums *Bob Balch – guitar *Brad Davis – bass *

– mixer, producer

Production

Vocals on "Bultaco" by

Backing vocals by Fu Manchu
Engineered by Nick Raskulinecz
Recorded at Sound City, Van Nuys, CA
Vocals recorded at Aftermath, Laguna, CA
Mixed at Henson Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Mastered by Dave Collins at Steve Marcussen Mastering, Hollywood, CA
Enhanced CD footage filmed by Ken Pucci All songs written by Fu Manchu, except "California Crossing", lyrics by Rodney Skelton.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2001 albums Fu Manchu (band) albums Mammoth Records albums Albums produced by Matt Hyde Albums recorded at Sound City Studios