''Old Liquidator'' is the debut full-length album by American rock band

The Minus 5 The Minus 5 is an American pop rock band headed by musician Scott McCaughey of The Young Fresh Fellows, Young Fresh Fellows, often in partnership with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. Band history McCaughey formed the band in 1993 as a side projec ...

. It was released in 1995 by

East Side Digital Records East Side Digital is a record label and distributor based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. History ESD was started and curated by Rob Simonds (who also created Rykodisc) in 1981 to import and distribute vinyl records on Japanese labels to record sto ...

. Recording sessions for the album were recorded simultaneously with their ''Hello EP'' debut. The sessions that produced this album and the following EP were followed up with '' The Lonesome Death of Buck McCoy'', released in 1997.

Critical reception

In a brief review for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', the album was given a positive reception for its catchiness and breadth of songwriting. The editorial staff of

AllMusic Guide AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the datab ...

gave the release four out of five stars.

Track listing

All songs written by

Scott McCaughey Scott Lewis McCaughey is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5. He was also an auxiliary member of the American rock band R.E.M. from 1994 u ...

, except where noted # "Winter Goes Away" – 4:06 # "Worse" – 2:46 # "All the Time" – 3:49 # "Find a Finger" – 3:04 # "Emperor of the Bathroom" – 3:22 # "Vulture" – 3:39 # "Algerian Hook" – 2:40 # "Story" – 3:56 # "How Many Bones" – 3:20 # "Basing Street" (

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,

''Hello EP'' track listing

All songs written by Scott McCaughey #"Loser So Supreme" – 3:16 #"Only One Thing" – 2:54 #"Brotherhood of Pain" – 2:41 #"Drunkards Lullaby" – 1:54

''Emperor of the Bathroom''

In 1995,

released this EP featuring alternate takes from the ''Old Liquidator'' sessions. All songs written by Scott McCaughey, except where noted #"Emperor of the Bathroom" (Video Mix) – 3:26 #"Heartache for Sale" – 3:07 #"Story" (Alternate Mix) – 4:13 #"Vulture" (Take 2) (Alternate Version) – 3:56 #"This Little Woody" (

Steve Barri Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as "Dizzy" b ...

and P. F. Sloan) – 2:58

Personnel

''Hello EP'' personnel

The Minus 5 * Terry Adams * Tom Ardolino *

Jon Auer Jonathan Paul "Jon" Auer (born September 29, 1969) is an American musician who co-founded the power pop band The Posies, along with Ken Stringfellow. Auer and Stringfellow also participated in the rejuvenated Big Star and in 2003 released ''Priv ...

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his c ...

(including production) *Jim Sangster *

Ken Stringfellow Kenneth Stuart Stringfellow (born October 30, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer. Best known for his work with The Posies, R.E.M., and the re-formed Big Star, Stringfellow's discography includ ...

Technical personnel *

Conrad Uno Conrad Uno is an American record producer and founder of the independent record label PopLlama Records. Uno began his career making his own music as a teenager in his makeshift basement studio. At the request of his friends, the Young Fresh Fello ...

– production

''Old Liquidator'' personnel

The Minus 5 * Terry Adams – piano * Tom Ardolino – piano *

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guita ...

, percussion, violin, backing vocals *

–

12-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

, bass guitar,

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

, dulcimer, bassoon, drums *

Amy Denio Amy Denio (born June 9, 1961) is a Seattle-based multi-instrumental composer of soundtracks for modern dance, film and theater, as well as a songwriter and music improviser. Her inspirations include world music, and is mainly known as a vocal ...

– saxophone * Chris Eckman – cello, guitar *

– banjo, bass guitar, guitar, vocals, drums, harmonica, organ, percussion, piano, production *Richard Peterson –

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

, piano, trombone, trumpet *Jim Sangster – bass guitar *

– bass guitar, bassoon, drums, guitar, harmonica, piano,

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist, ...

, vocals, associate production *Carla Torgerson – cello Technical personnel *Kearney Barton – recording *Art Chantry – artwork *Mark Guenther – recording *Pat Gray – recording *Nadine McCaughey – illustrations *Marty Perez – photography *Michael Shuler –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

– recording, production

''Emperor of the Bathroom'' personnel

The Minus 5 * Terry Adams – piano on "Vulture" (Take 2) (Alternate Version) *

– guitar on "Emperor of the Bathroom" (Video Mix) *

– 12-string guitar and bouzouki on "Emperor of the Bathroom" (Video Mix) and "Heartache for Sale", drums on "Story" (Alternate Mix) *

– guitar, vocals, bass guitar, and tambourine on "Emperor of the Bathroom" (Video Mix); vocals, guitar, organ, and tambourine on "Heartache for Sale"; guitar, bass guitar, vocals, and loops on "Story" (Alternate Mix); vocals and acoustic guitar on "Vulture" (Take 2) (Alternate Version); all instrumentation on "This Little Woody"; production on all tracks *

– drums on "Emperor of the Bathroom" (Video Mix), guitar on "Heartache for Sale", drums on "Story" (Alternate Mix) Technical personnel *Kearney Barton – recording *Mark Guenther – recording *Pat Gray – recording *Marty Perez – photography *

– recording, production

References

External links

* * *
''Old Liquidator''
at

Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also feat ...

* *
Official page
for ''Emperor of the Bathroom'' * *
''Emperor of the Bathroom''
at

{{Authority control 1995 debut albums Albums produced by Conrad Uno East Side Digital Records EPs The Minus 5 albums