Possum Dixon (album)

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Possum Dixon
Studio album by
Possum Dixon
Released1993
Studio
  • 23 North
  • Mankey Business
Length31:41
LabelInterscope[1]
ProducerEarle Mankey, Possum Dixon
Possum Dixon chronology
Apartment Music
(1992) 		Possum Dixon
(1993) 		Sunshine or Noir?
(1995)

Possum Dixon is the debut album by the American band Possum Dixon, released in 1993.[2][3] The first single, "Watch the Girl Destroy Me", was a minor hit.[4][5]

The band promoted the album by touring with the Dead Milkmen and Violent Femmes, among others.[6][7] The album had sold more than 31,000 copies by the end of the 1990s.[8]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Earle Mankey and Possum Dixon, with Mankey encouraging the band to use older instruments in the studio.[9][10][11] Some songs from the band's early releases were rerecorded for Possum Dixon.[12]

Robert Levine noted in the Los Angeles Times that the album contained "dark tales of everyday life in the working world with a hard-hitting power-pop sound that makes the edgy frustration catchy."[13] "Nerves" is about low-paying work, while "Executive Slacks" is about bosses.[13][14] All of the songs were written by frontman Rob Zabrecky, on his own or with other members of the band.[15]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Calgary HeraldB+[17]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[18]
The Indianapolis Star[19]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[20]
The Tampa Tribune[15]

In Trouser Press, Robert Levine wrote that, though Zabrecky "sometimes takes his twentysomething angst too seriously, 'Nerves' and other numbers do a fair job of capturing what it's like to be young, poor and alienated in the City of Angels."[10] Steve Hochman of the Los Angeles Times opined, "Throw skinny ties on these guys and it'd be just a tad too close to new-wave redux," but admired "the propulsive energy" of the album.[21] Alex Hecht of the Houston Press deemed the album "catchy party rock music with nerdy vocals telling funny stories about girls and other nervous habits."[22]

Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post determined that "songs such as 'In Buildings' and 'She Drives', in which singer, bassist and songwriter Robert Zabrecky tempers his attitude and record-collector erudition with a solid melody and a steady beat, are as rollicking as the work of much dumber bands."[23] James Muretich of the Calgary Herald praised the "punkish energy [and] irreverence."[17] Scott Bacon of The Indianapolis Star stated that the guitarists shuffle "easily through a diversity of styles—be it ska, surf or just good ol' jangly guitar rock."[19]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Nerves"Robert Zabrecky2:27
2."In Buildings"Zabrecky2:47
3."Watch the Girl Destroy Me"Zabrecky3:43
4."She Drives"Zabrecky, Robert O'Sullivan2:21
5."We're All Happy"Possum Dixon2:35
6."Invisible"Zabrecky5:34
7."Pharmaceutical Itch"Possum Dixon3:22
8."Executive Slacks"Zabrecky, O'Sullivan2:16
9."Regina"Zabrecky, O'Sullivan2:29
10."John Struck Lucy"Zabrecky, O'Sullivan0:53
11."Elevators"Zabrecky, Celso Chavez, O'Sullivan3:06

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from CD liner notes.[24]

Possum Dixon

  • Robert Zabrecky – singer, bass guitar
  • Robert O'Sullivan – guitar, piano, back-up vocals, harmonica
  • Celso Chavez – guitar
  • Richard Treuel – drums

Technical

  • Earle Mankey – producer, mixing
  • Possum Dixon – producer
  • Chuck Reed – associate producer, mixing
  • Phil Kaffel – engineer, mixing
  • Jeff Sheehan – assistant engineer
  • Liz Sroka – assistant engineer
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Kim Holt – art direction, design
  • Robert Zabrecky – art direction, design
  • Arian Helm – live photos
  • Darrin Paskal – back photo

References[edit]

  1. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (January 16, 1994). "Reassessing the Labels After a Record Year". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 57.
  2. ^ "Possum Dixon Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Loop, Dwight (January 28, 1994). "Possum Dixon: Band Aims to Make People Dance". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 10.
  4. ^ Weatherford, Mike (October 8, 1993). "The Hobnob Lounge". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 2E.
  5. ^ Pelly, Jenn (May 15, 2012). "R.I.P. Celso Chavez of Possum Dixon". Pitchfork.
  6. ^ Abbott, Jim (December 17, 1993). "Aerosmith, Sting Book Orlando Dates". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 4.
  7. ^ Sherr, Sara (November 11, 1994). "Violent Femmes/Possum Dixon". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
  8. ^ Reece, Doug (July 18, 1998). "Interscope's Possum Dixon Gather Acclaim". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 29. p. 17.
  9. ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. pp. 499–500.
  10. ^ a b Levine, Robert. "Possum Dixon". Trouser Press. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Copley, Rich (January 20, 1994). "Possum Dixon Makes Raw Stage Performance". Applause. The Augusta Chronicle. p. 6.
  12. ^ Appleford, Steve (December 24, 1993). "Putting 'Retro' to Rest". Valley Life. Los Angeles Times. p. 7.
  13. ^ a b Levine, Robert (February 12, 1994). "Possum Dixon Hitting 'Nerves'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  14. ^ Schulman, Sandra (November 21, 1993). "Band on the run to success". Sun Sentinel. p. 3F.
  15. ^ a b Booth, Philip (January 7, 1994). "Critics' closet". Friday Extra!. The Tampa Tribune. p. 19.
  16. ^ "Possum Dixon Possum Dixon Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic.
  17. ^ a b Muretich, James (March 27, 1994). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  18. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6 (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 608. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  19. ^ a b Bacon, Scott (April 1, 1994). "Possum Dixon 'Possum Dixon'". The Indianapolis Star. p. C7.
  20. ^ Graff, Gary; Durcholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 888.
  21. ^ Hochman, Steve (November 28, 1993). "Cream of the Local Scene". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 58.
  22. ^ Hecht, Alex (December 4, 1993). "Picks". Night & Day. Houston Press.
  23. ^ Jenkins, Mark (January 7, 1994). "Playing Possum: Use Your Allusion". The Washington Post. p. N10.
  24. ^ Possum Dixon (1993). Possum Dixon (CD liner notes). Interscope Records. 7 92291-2.
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