Dragline is the debut studio album by the Americangrunge band Paw.[2] It was released in 1993 through A&M Records. It sold around 80,000 copies.[3]
The single "Jessie" released in 1993, reached number 82 in the UK.[4] Other singles from the album included "Sleeping Bag" and "Couldn't Know" in 1993.
In 2015, the album was re-released by Cherry Red Records Ltd. with all the b-sides from the singles as bonus tracks as well as extensive liner notes and slightly different artwork (the band logo and the title are smaller).[5]
Production
Produced by Mr. Colson and the band, the album was recorded at Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin.[6][7]
The Morning Call wrote that "the approach is elemental and effective: a rhythm pounces, and a metallic guitar groove drills holes before surrendering to softly ringing accents or gently strummed acoustics as [Mark] Hennessy sings about death and suffering in a throaty roar."[17] The Los Angeles Times deemed the album "country-grunge," writing: "It would take a major revolution to get country radio to play this—there's way too much wattage in the amps. But there is also plenty of Middle American sensibility, giving this debut a character all its own."[14] The Calgary Herald said that the album "mixes melodic guitar with in-yer-face speed metal, kind-of a Pursuit of Happiness meets Metallica."[9]
Trouser Press wrote that "much of the quartet’s sonic heft emanates from the formidable drum-pounding of Peter Fitch, whose brother Grant hammers out echo-drenched guitar riffs that revisit a limited number of arena-rock clichés with alarming frequency."[18]The New York Times wrote that "Hennessy's conviction, and his ability to distill situations into terse, allusive lyrics, make him a rival of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder."[19]The New Yorker called the album "equal parts metallic vigor and Southern-rock grit."[20]
Rolling Stone listed Dragline at No. 35 on its list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums."[21] In 2007, Martin Popoff named the album the 15th greatest heavy metal album of the 1990s.[22]
Track listing
All songs were written by Mark Hennessy and Grant Fitch, except where noted.
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Gasoline" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)
4:47
2.
"Sleeping Bag"
4:07
3.
"Jessie" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)
3:14
4.
"The Bridge"
3:34
5.
"Couldn't Know"
4:12
6.
"Pansy" (M. Hennessy, G. Fitch, P. Fitch)
3:26
7.
"Lolita"
4:56
8.
"Dragline"
5:07
9.
"Veronica"
3:58
10.
"One More Bottle"
4:04
11.
"Sugarcane"
3:46
12.
"Hard Pig"
5:07
13.
"Suicide Shift" (Re-release bonus track)
3:06
14.
"Slow Burn" (Re-release bonus track)
2:18
15.
"I Know Where You Sleep" (Re-release bonus track)
4:37
16.
"Jessie" (Re-release bonus track (Live acoustic in Boston, Nov 29))
^Tyler, Brad (December 9, 1993). "Grunge Puppy". Houston Press. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2025 – via defgav.com.
