''Village Gorilla Head'' is the debut album by

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

and Replacements bassist

Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...

released on July 27, 2004 through Sanctuary Records. The album featured contributions by Stinson's Guns N' Roses bandmates Richard Fortus and Dizzy Reed, Dave Philips and Gersh of his previous band Perfect as well as former bandmate

Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American session drummer. He is the son of tuba soloist Stan Freese and the older brother of musician Jason Freese. He is a member of the Vandals (since 1989) and Devo (since 1996), having f ...

and his brother

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

Background and recording

Initially, Stinson began writing and recording songs at his home studio in the late 1990s without the intention of making a record. Frank Black, of the Pixies, gave Stinson the use of his mobile recording studio and his studio space for free. For the album recording, Stinson brought in producer Philip Broussard to co-produce the album. Stinson played most of the instruments on the album, with the exception of drums, but featured contributions by

bandmates Richard Fortus and Dizzy Reed, who contributed guitars and keyboards respectively, along with drummers Gersh, who played with Stinson in Perfect, and

, who was also previously a member of Guns N' Roses, as well as Josh's brother

, who provided saxophone, and Dave Philips, also of Perfect, providing guitar and pedal steel.

Touring

For the tour supporting the album, Stinson enlisted Alien Crime Syndicate to not only be his support act during the tour, but also his backing band during the shows: Previously, rock group The Figgs supported Stinson, prior to the records release, however "it logistically wouldn't work out with The Figgs."

Critical reception

Initial critical response to ''Village Gorilla Head'' was mainly positive. Mark Deming, of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

, gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 stating "There's just enough good stuff on Village Gorilla Head to remind listeners of the scruffy kid with the flawless rock instincts they knew as Tommy Stinson, but at the same time there's a bunch of stuff suggesting that maturity and a more serious outlook are taking a toll upon him." John D. Luerssen, of

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

, gave the album 3 stars stating "Stinson's first real solo disc is a stunning achievement" and "No matter that Village took five years to build, these are concise, consistently great songs that suddenly find Stinson in the same league with players like Ryan Adams and Josh Rouse." RJ Smith, of Blender, described the album as "full of loud and introspective pop shaped into bittersweet songs that evoke Big Star and Cheap Trick."

Track listing

Personnel

;Recording *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, keyboards,

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

on "OK" * Richard Fortus – guitar on "Not a Moment Too Soon", "Light of Day" and "Motivation", cello on "Village Gorilla Head" and "Motivation" *Gersh – drums on Tracks 1, 3, 5 - 9, 11 * Dizzy Reed – piano, keyboards on "Something's Wrong" and "Village Gorilla Head" *

– drums on "Not a Moment Too Soon", "Couldn't Wait" and "Motivation" *David Philips – guitars on Track 3 *

Jason Freese Jason Freese is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist. As a professional studio musician he has performed on over 50 albums, including for artists Green Day, Dr. Dre, Pitbull, Avenged Sevenfold, Goo Goo Dolls, and Jewel. He is the ...

–

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

on Tracks 3, 10 ;Production personnel *Tommy Stinson – production *Philip Broussard – production,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

Sean Beavan Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. His production style is typically heavy, with heavily saturated guitar ...

– mixing * Stephen Marcussen – mastering

References

{{Authority control 2004 debut albums Sanctuary Records albums Tommy Stinson albums