''My Brother the Cow'' is the fourth studio album by the American

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

band

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Orig ...

. It was released on

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

on March 28, 1995 (see

1995 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995. Specific locations * 1995 in British music *1995 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1995 in classical music * 1995 in country music *1995 in heavy metal music * 1 ...

). ''My Brother the Cow'' includes numerous direct references to bands that influenced Mudhoney's sound. The song "F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)", for example, is a reference to the

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

song "F.V.K. (Fearless Vampire Killers)". "Orange Ball-Peen Hammer" alludes to the song "Orange Claw Hammer" by

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

, as well as containing lyrics borrowed from

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 ...

. "1995" is homage to the song "1969" by

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

, and also includes musical references to "L.A. Blues", another Stooges song. The original CD release includes a 34-minute hidden track named "woC eht rehtorB yM", which consists of most of the album's preceding songs played backwards. Reprise re-issued the album in 2003 with bonus tracks. Tracks 13–18 of this edition were originally on a 7" single included with the vinyl LP of the album. "Not Goin' Down That Road Again" was originally the B-side of the "Generation Spokesmodel" 7" single, and is also included on '' March to Fuzz''. The song "Into Yer Shtik" received some backlash for the band as Courtney Love thought it was about her in the wake of Kurt Cobain's death. About a month before the release of the album and on Mark Arm's 33rd birthday, head of Reprise called the band's A&R rep Dave Katznelson saying he never wanted to see or speak to the band ever again. Due to grunge's decrease in popularity at this point, the record only sold around 40,000 copies on its initial release.

Track listing

# "Judgement, Rage, Retribution and Thyme" – 2:34 # "Generation Spokesmodel" – 2:33 # "What Moves the Heart?" – 3:12 # "Today, Is a Good Day" – 3:05 # "Into Yer Shtik" – 3:48 # "In My Finest Suit" – 4:57 # "F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)" – 2:16 # "Orange Ball-Peen Hammer" – 3:21 # "Crankcase Blues" – 3:06 # "Execution Style" – 2:24 # "Dissolve" – 3:17 # "1995" – 5:43 # "woC eht rehtorB yM" (hidden track) – 33:42

Re-issue track listing

# "Judgement, Rage, Retribution & Thyme" – 2:34 # "Generation Spokesmodel" – 2:33 # "What Moves the Heart?" – 3:12 # "Today, Is a Good Day" – 3:05 # "Into Yer Shtik" – 3:48 # "In My Finest Suit" – 4:57 # "F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)" – 2:16 # "Orange Ball-Peen Hammer" – 3:21 # "Crankcase Blues" – 3:06 # "Execution Style" – 2:24 # "Dissolve" – 3:17 # "1995" – 5:43 # "Mudhoney Funky Butt" – 1:24 # "West Seattle Hardcore" – 0:50 # "Sissy Bar" – 1:06 # "Carjack '94" – 1:16 # "Sailor" – 0:25 # "Small Animals" – 1:17 # "Not Goin' Down That Road Again" – 3:41

Personnel

;Mudhoney *

Mark Arm Mark Arm (born Mark Thomas McLaughlin; February 21, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. His former group, Green River, was one of the first grunge bands, along with Malfunkshun, So ...

– vocals, electric guitar *

Matt Lukin Matthew David Lukin (born August 16, 1964) is an American former musician, best known as a bassist and founding member of the Melvins and Mudhoney. Career Melvins (1983–1987) Lukin co-founded the Melvins in 1983 with guitarist/vocalist B ...

– bass guitar *

Dan Peters Daniel Joe Peters (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer for Mudhoney, having played with them since their formation in 1988. Prior to Mudhoney, he joined Bundle of Hiss when he was fifteen years old. He was also briefly the drummer for Nir ...

– drums,

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

* Steve Turner – electric guitar ;Additional musicians * E.J. Renestair – tenor sax * Jon Wahl –

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

;Technical personnel *

Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhon ...

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control Mudhoney albums 1995 albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Jack Endino