Village Gorilla Head

Village Gorilla Head
Studio album by Tommy Stinson
Released July 27, 2004
Recorded March 2003 at Hollywood Sound using Frank Black mobile recording studio.
Genre Pop rock, hard rock[1]
Length 42:15
Label Sanctuary
Producer Tommy Stinson, Philip Broussard
Tommy Stinson chronology
Village Gorilla Head
(2004)		 One Man Mutiny
(2011)One Man Mutiny2011

Village Gorilla Head is the debut album by Guns N' Roses and Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson released on July 27, 2004[1] through Sanctuary Records.[1] The album featured contributions by Stinson's Guns N' Roses band mates Richard Fortus and Dizzy Reed,[2] Dave Philips and Gersh of his previous band Perfect as well as former band mate Josh Freese and his brother Jason.

Background and recording

Initially, Stinson began writing and recording songs at his home studio in the late 90's without the intention of making a record.[3] Frank Black, of the Pixies, gave Stinson the use of his mobile recording studio and his studio space for free.[3] For the album recording, Stinson brought in producer Philip Broussard to co-produce the album.[4]

Stinson played most of the instruments on the album, with the exception of drums,[3] but featured contributions by Guns N' Roses band mates Richard Fortus and Dizzy Reed, who contributed guitars and keyboards respectively,[2] along with drummers Gersh, who played with Stinson in Perfect, and Josh Freese, who was also previously a member of Guns N' Roses,[3][4] as well as Josh's brother Jason, who provided saxophone, and Dave Philips,[3] also of Perfect, providing guitar and pedal steel.[4]

Touring

For the tour supporting the album, Stinson enlisted Alien Crime Syndicate to not only be his support act during the tour, but also his backing band during the shows:[5]

Previously, rock group The Figgs supported Stinson, prior to the records release, however "it logistically wouldn't work out with The Figgs."[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Blender[8]
The Guardian[9]
Answers.com[10]

Initial critical response to Village Gorilla Head was mainly positive. Mark Deming, of Allmusic, gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 stating "There's just enough good stuff on Village Gorilla Head to remind listeners of the scruffy kid with the flawless rock instincts they knew as Tommy Stinson, but at the same time there's a bunch of stuff suggesting that maturity and a more serious outlook are taking a toll upon him."[1] John D. Luerssen, of Rolling Stone, gave the album 3 stars stating "Stinson's first real solo disc is a stunning achievement" and "No matter that Village took five years to build, these are concise, consistently great songs that suddenly find Stinson in the same league with players like Ryan Adams and Josh Rouse."[11] RJ Smith, of Blender, described the album as "full of loud and introspective pop shaped into bittersweet songs that evoke Big Star and Cheap Trick."[2]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Without a View"4:13
2."Not a Moment Too Soon" (featuring Richard Fortus and Josh Freese)4:25
3."Something's Wrong" (featuring Dizzy Reed)3:21
4."Couldn't Wait" (featuring Josh Freese)2:31
5."OK"3:32
6."Bite Your Tongue"2:32
7."Village Gorilla Head" (featuring Richard Fortus, Dizzy Reed and Josh Freese)3:37
8."Light of Day" (featuring Richard Fortus)4:57
9."Hey You"5:23
10."Motivation" (featuring Richard Fortus and Josh Freese)3:31
11."Someday"4:04

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Deming, Mark. "Village Gorilla Head > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Smith, RJ. "Village Gorilla Head". Blender. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tommy Stinson: A Rock N Roll Legend". Static Multimedia. January 18, 2005. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Steininger, Alex. "INTERVIEW: Tommy Stinson". In Music We Trust. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  5. ↑ "GUNS N' ROSES Bassist To Tour With ALIEN CRIME SYNDICATE". Blabbermouth. June 30, 2004. Archived from the original on December 7, 2005. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  6. ↑ Allmusic review
  7. ↑ Luerssen, John. "Album Review: Tommy Stinson - Village Gorilla Head". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Blender review
  9. ↑ The Guardian review
  10. ↑ Answers.com review
  11. ↑ "Tommy Stinson: Village Gorilla Head". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Village Gorilla Head (booklet). Tommy Stinson. Sanctuary Records. 2004.
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