''Full Blown Possession'' is the fifth and last full-length album by Memphis

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band The Grifters, released in 1997.

Production

The band recorded five of the album's songs at

Sun Studios Sun Studio is a recording studio opened by rock-and-roll pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label ...

, in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. The album was produced by Doug Easley, Davis McCain, John Neil Martin and the band.

Critical reception

The ''

Memphis Flyer The ''Memphis Flyer'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper serving the greater Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along ...

'' wrote that "the record includes most of the hallmarks of the band's sound -- like driving, chuka-chuka bass lines, tantalizing leads lurking just beneath the surface, and their distinctive staggering tempos." ''

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 ...

'' wrote: "Although not as broken-down and freaked-out as the band's apparent model, Alex Chilton's ''Like Flies on Sherbert'', the album is ramshackle and atmospheric just as often as it's hot-blooded and direct." The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

'' wrote that "the Grifters place their bets solidly on jagged pop hooks, off-kilter blues structures, and keen dynamics--much like the Rolling Stones of yore." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' called the album "excellent" and "a no-nonsense uppercut of venomous Memphis R&B and darkly melodic rock that'll leave you drinking through a straw." The ''

Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

'' wrote that the band sticks "to what they know: a world that's slightly spooky and more than a bit seedy, where rough-edged riffs weave together with a disconcerting delicacy and singer Scott Taylor's eloquent trash talk." ''

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'' thought that "other rock bands may play the blues, but the Grifters really mess with it."

Track listing

The song "Spaced Out" was re-recorded by Dave Shouse in 1999 for his solo project

Those Bastard Souls Those Bastard Souls were an independent rock band formed in 1995 as a solo side project by David Shouse of The Grifters. The name, somewhat of a nod to These Immortal Souls, was one that David Shouse coined as a replacement for A Band Called Bud ...

Album credits

Grifters

* Stan Gallimore – Drums * Tripp Lamkins – Bass, Guitar, Moog, Electric Piano * Dave Shouse – Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Clavinet, Harmonica * Scott Taylor – Vocals, Guitar, Organ, Mellotron

Additional musicians

* Doug Easley – Weird Sound on “Centuries” * John Stivers (Impala) – Guitar on “You Be the Stranger” * Skronkadelic Rhythm Factory – on “Contact Me Now”

Additional credits

* Photography by Dan Ball * Chair Painting by

Tobin Sprout Tobin Sprout (born April 28, 1955) is an American visual artist, musician, songwriter, and children's author. He is best known as a former member of the indie rock band Guided by Voices. He served as a secondary major songwriter and guitarist o ...

* Full Blown Possession cover drawing by Tripp Lamkins * Layout mostly by J. Saaed * Recorded by Doug Easley, Davis McCain and Stuart Sikes at Easley's,

(2,4,5,7,9,10,12) * Recorded by John Neil Martin and Jenny Hall at Sun Studios Beale Street,

(1,3,6,8,11) * Mixed by Nick Sansano * Mastered by John Golden at John Gold Mastering,

Newbury Park, California Newbury Park is a populated place and townReal Estate Communications, Inc. (1984). ''California Real Estate Directory''. Page 201. in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, while ...

References

Grifters (band) albums 1997 albums Sub Pop albums Albums recorded at Sun Studio {{1990s-indie-rock-album-stub