Kyuss - ...And The Circus Leaves Town
Released by
Elektra Records, on July 11th, 1995
Track listing:
- Hurricane - 02:42 (Homme/Garcia)
- One Inch Man - 03:30 (Reeder/Garcia)
- Thee Ol' Boozeroony - 02:49 (Reeder)
- Gloria Lewis - 04:02 (Homme/Garcia)
- Phototropic - 05:13 (Homme)
- El Rodeo - 05:35 (Homme/Garcia)
- Jumbo Blimp Jumbo - 04:41 (Homme)
- Tangy Zizzle - 02:40 (Homme)
- Size Queen - 03:46 (Homme)
- Catamaran - 03:02 (Hernandez)
- Spaceship Landing - 34:03 (Homme)
Total playing time - 1 hour, 12 minutes, 3 seconds.
Musicians:
John Garcia - Lead Vocals
Josh Homme - Guitar/Backing Vocals
Alfredo Hernandez - Drums/Backing Vocals
Scott Reeder - Bass/Backing Vocals
Recorded and mixed at
A&M Studios, March 1995
Produced by
Chris Goss and
Kyuss
Recorded by Joe Barrest
Assisted by Billy Bowers and Chad Bamford
Mixed by Brian Jenkins
Mastered by Eddy Schreyer at Future Disc Systems
Layout by Kyuss
Art by Jill Jordan
Photography by Michael Anderson
Nothing lasts forever, and Kyuss were no exception to this rule. Somewhere along the line, they came to a consensus that it was time to call it a day. No doubt there was a plethora of reasons for the decision to split, but the main factor leading to the split was the increasing frustration that the band felt at their record label, who were stupid enough to completely neglect the best band they had signed to them.
However, true to their nature, Kyuss were determined to go out in style. So they recruited drummer Alfredo Hernandez to replace the amicably departed Brant Bjork, gathered an arsenal of drugs that would have done Hunter S. Thompson proud and hit the studio one last time. The resulting album, appropriately titled ...And The Circus Leaves Town, was and remains to this day a record fit to stand proudly alongside its legendary predecessors.
This album continued the tradition of incredible heaviness that earned Kyuss their massive underground following, while introducing certain elements that had not been previously present in the Kyuss' music. One Inch Man showcases the more simplistic style of songwriting that Josh Homme would later utilise in Queens of the Stone Age, while Catamaran schizophrenically alternates between mellow beauty and trademark Kyuss heaviness.
This was the only album Kyuss recorded without drummer Brant Bjork, and while his replacement, Mr. Hernandez, is a fine drummer, Bjork's absence is very noticeable, as his utterly unique style was one of the most important parts of the foundations upon which Kyuss built their sound. However, Hernandez does a great job and while Brant Bjork's absence is regrettable it does not spoil the album. In fact, Bjork's absence is just about the only problem with ...And The Circus Leaves Town, and the quality of the songwriting and musicianship easily compensate for it.
So, leaving us with this final farewell gift, the gods of stoner rock mounted their chariots of fire and rode off into the sunset. Sadly we will never see the likes of Kyuss again, but they left behind them a legacy that the desert sands will never swallow up. Muchas Gracias, muy amigos!