Kyuss - "Wretch" (1991)

Ooooooh look what I got for ya! ZOMG !!!!111 it's the first Kyuss album!

Kyuss released their "real" first album in 1990 under the name Sons Of Kyuss before they shortened their name and made this one, which included re-recorded versions of some songs on that "real" first one. Some say the Sons Of Kyuss versions are better, but I haven't heard them so I wouldn't know.

On this album the classic Kyuss line-up was solidified, with singer John Garcia, guitarist Josh Homme, drummer Brant Bjork and bassist Nick Oliveri. On Sons Of Kyuss Chris Cockrell played bass, and he also plays bass on two tracks on Wretch. He is not to be confused with Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker. That'd be fun though, if Chris Crocker was the bassplayer of Kyuss. Close your eyes for a minute and picture that now.

The Kyuss as we know and love it today can clearly be heard on Wretch, but they're weren't quite there yet. They didn't arrive at that classic bass heavy sound until they hooked up with Chris Goss for the follow-up, Blues For The Red Sun a year later. One gets the feeling the producers of this one didn't quite get Kyuss and the sound that was needed for this kind of music (which I refuse to call "stoner rock") to be presented in the most flattering way. Thus, the production on Wretch is a bit weak, but there songs are there. Mostly.

Wretch does however present the band's punk roots, and while I can't claimed to have counted, I'm 90% sure this album contains more fast numbers than any of the subsequent albums. Some songs even sound like the could have been written by The Ramones.

Which, of course, is neato.

(mp3) Kyuss - (Beginning of what's about to happen) HWY 74

(mp3) Kyuss - Katzenjammer

(mp3) Kyuss - I'm not

Kyuss playing I'm Not and Choke in 1990:

Buy Wretch @ Amazon.com.