Dragline (album)

Dragline
Studio album by Paw
Released	1993
Recorded	September–December 1992[1]
Studio	Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin
Genre	Grunge
Length	50:18 (1:08:13 in the re-release)
Label	A&M
Producer	Mr. Colson Paw
Paw chronology
Dragline (1993) Death to Traitors (1995)
Singles from Dragline
"Jessie" Released: 1993 "Couldn't Know" Released: 1993 "Sleeping Bag" Released: 1993

Dragline is the debut studio album by the American grunge 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]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Calgary Herald	C[9]
Classic Rock	[10]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	10/10[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]
Entertainment Weekly	B[13]
Los Angeles Times	[14]
MusicHound Rock	[15]
Vox	6/10[16]

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))	3:16
17.	"Imaginary Lover" (Re-release bonus track (Atlanta Rhythm Section cover))	4:37
Total length:		01:08:13

Personnel

• Mark Hennessy – vocals
• Charles Bryan – bass
• Grant Fitch – guitar
• Peter Fitch – drums

References

1. Tyler, Brad (December 9, 1993). "Grunge Puppy". Houston Press. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2025 – via defgav.com.
2. "Paw | Biography & History". AllMusic.
3. "Paw and the Year Scrunge Broke". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. May 14, 2010.
4. "PAW Full Official Chart History". Official Charts.
5. "Dragline: Expanded Edition".
6. "Dragline by Paw". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 20. May 15, 1993. p. 54.
7. Baird, Robert (August 25, 1993). "Clawing Their Way to the Top". Phoenix New Times.
8. "Dragline Paw". AllMusic.
9. King, Frank (May 16, 1993). "Paw: Dragline". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
10. Wilding, Philip (March 20, 2015). "Paw: Dragline". Classic Rock (loudersound). Retrieved December 22, 2023.
11. Popoff 2007, p. 338.
12. Larkin 2006.
13. Aaron, Charles (May 7, 1993). "Dragline". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
14. "Paw 'Dragline' A&M". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 1993.
15. Prickett 1999, p. 861.
16. Scanlon 1993.
17. Harry, Rich. "For Rock Band Paw, Rural Life, Inspiration Go Hand in Hand". The Morning Call.
18. "Paw". Trouser Press. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
19. Pareles, Jon (December 8, 1993). "From Metal into Melody". The New York Times.
20. "Paw". The New Yorker. Vol. 70, no. 1–6. p. 16.
21. "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019.
22. Popoff 2007, p. 515.

Bibliography

• Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 453.
• Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
• Prickett, Barry M. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 860–861.
• Scanlon, Ann (September 1993). "Rock & Pop Albums". Vox. No. 36. IPC. p. 76.