''Metaphysical Graffiti'' is the fifth studio album by

the Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Da ...

, released by

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/d ...

in 1990. The album title and cover art, the latter designed by the band's drummer Dean Clean, parody the 1975 album '' Physical Graffiti'' by

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

. Two tracks ("Do the Brown Nose" and "If You Love Somebody, Set Them on Fire") appear on '' Death Rides a Pale Cow''. The album peaked at No. 164 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Production

Like ''

Bucky Fellini ''Bucky Fellini'' is the third studio album by The Dead Milkmen. It was released in 1987 by Enigma. The album peaked at No. 163 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album produced one single, "Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)". An EP was rel ...

'' and ''

Beelzebubba ''Beelzebubba'' is the fourth studio album by the American satirical punk rock band the Dead Milkmen, released in 1988. It peaked at No. 101 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album contains perhaps the band's best-known song, "Punk Rock Girl". Fiv ...

'', ''Metaphysical Graffiti'' was recorded in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, and was produced by Brian Beattie.

Gibby Haynes Gibson Jerome Haynes (born September 30, 1957) is an American musician, radio personality, painter, author and the lead singer of the band Butthole Surfers. Early life and career Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Gibby Haynes is the son of actor ...

, of Butthole Surfers, appears on "Anderson, Walkman, Buttholes and How!" The video for "Methodist Coloring Book" had to be reedited before MTV would agree to play it, due to imagery the network was worried may be offensive. Enigma printed and mailed coloring books to promote the track.

Critical reception

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' wrote: "When the Milkmen played their first punk parodies in the mid-1980s, they sounded appropriately fresh. Now they sometimes seem to be as dated as the music they ridicule." 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 a ...

'' deemed the album "more screaming, more production and less melody." The ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The new ...

'' called it "funny, loud, fast and violent." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' wrote that "parody is in safe hands with the Dead Milkmen." The ''

Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph ''The Gazette'' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It has operated since 1873. History The publication began as ''Out West'', beginning March 23, 1872, but failed in its endeavor. ...

'' called ''Metaphysical Graffiti'' "a savagely sarcastic collection of commentaries on greed and religion." ''

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 "Milkmen albums usually turn on the existence of a single standout tune-'Bitchin' Camaro', for example, or 'Punk Rock Girl'-and this outing doesn't seem to have one."

Track listing

All songs written by The Dead Milkmen # "Beige Sunshine" – 3:37 # "Do the Brown Nose" – 4:41 # "Methodist Coloring Book" – 2:38 # "Part 3" – 2:20 # "I Tripped Over the Ottoman" – 3:05 # "The Big Sleazy" – 4:08 # "If You Love Somebody, Set Them on Fire" – 2:01 # "Dollar Signs in Her Eyes" – 3:37 # "In Praise of Sha Na Na" – 3:25 # "Epic Tales of Adventure" – 2:55 # "I Hate You, I Love You" – 1:58 # "Now Everybody’s Me" – 3:55 # "Little Man in My Head" – 3:48 # "Anderson, Walkman, Buttholes and How!" – 3:25 # "Cousin Earl" - 6:36

References

1990 albums The Dead Milkmen albums Restless Records albums {{1990s-punk-album-stub