American Grafishy

American Grafishy
Studio album by
Flipper
Released1992
Length42:05
LabelDef American
ProducerFlipper
Flipper chronology
Gone Fishin'
(1984) 		American Grafishy
(1992) 		Love
(2009)

American Grafishy is the third studio album by the San Francisco-based punk rock band Flipper.[1] It was released in 1992 by Def American; label president Rick Rubin had once been in a Flipper tribute band.[2][3] The album title is a pun on the coming-of-age film American Graffiti. The band promoted the album with a North American tour.[4]

Production

The album was produced by Flipper.[5] The opening and closing tracks allude to former bandmember Will Shatter's death.[6] John Dogherty replaced Shatter on bass.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Chicago Tribune[9]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(dud)[10]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[11]
Entertainment WeeklyC[12]
Spin Alternative Record Guide3/10[13]

Trouser Press noted that "the band’s patented approach to noise still packs a punch."[14] The Chicago Reader deemed American Grafishy a "feeble reunion album."[15] The Boston Globe called it "semi-hooky, appealingly tortured, snarling, gnarled punk."[16] The Toronto Star considered it "hard, lean, exciting, vital."[17]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote: "What was once radical now sounds rote, and if a band capable of such titanic anarchy can even bother with a career, what does it say about the rest of us number-crunchers, dishwashers and wage slaves?"[18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Flipper

No.TitleLength
1."Someday"4:18
2."Flipper Twist"4:48
3."May the Truth Be Known"2:51
4."We're Not Crazy"3:11
5."Fucked Up Once Again"5:31
6."Exist or Else"5:18
7."Distant Illusion"4:28
8."Telephone"3:18
9."It Pays to Know"4:50
10."Full Speed Ahead"3:37
Total length:42:05

Personnel

  • Bruce Loose – lead and backing vocals
  • Ted Falconi – guitar, illustration
  • John Dougherty – bass, backing vocals
  • Steve DePace – drums, backing vocals

Other personnel

  • Flipper – producer, art direction
  • Rick Rubin – executive producer
  • Garry Creiman – associated producer, engineering
  • Barrle Goshko – art direction, design
  • Tami Herrick-Needham – design
  • Jay Blakesberg – photography

References

  1. ^ "Flipper Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Something Fishy This Way Comes". East Bay Express. March 6, 2002.
  3. ^ Lepage, Mark (27 Feb 1993). "Cacophonous collision: Flipper Twist is anthem for slacker clubland generation". The Gazette. Montreal. p. E9.
  4. ^ "FLIPPER TO PLAY ANTICIPATED LAWTON GIG". Lawton Constitution. July 19, 1993. p. 11A.
  5. ^ "Album reviews — American Grafishy by Flipper". Billboard. 105 (4): 62. Jan 23, 1993.
  6. ^ Jenkins, Mark (12 Feb 1993). "Rock That's Hell On the Listener". The Washington Post. p. N25.
  7. ^ Pahnelas, Bill (February 21, 1993). "FLIPPER, 'American Grafishy'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. J9.
  8. ^ AllMusic review
  9. ^ Kot, Greg (1993-01-21). "Flipper American Grafishy (Def American)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). "Flipper". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. p. 105. ISBN 9780312245603.
  11. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  12. ^ Arnold, Gina (1993-02-19). "American Grafishy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  13. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 9780679755746.
  14. ^ "Flipper". Trouser Press. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Pioneers of American Punk". Chicago Reader. October 12, 1995.
  16. ^ Sullivan, Jim (21 Jan 1993). "FLIPPER AMERICAN GRAFISHY Def American". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 7.
  17. ^ Howell, Peter (30 Jan 1993). "Disc matchup". Toronto Star. p. G12.
  18. ^ Dollar, Steve (February 6, 1993). "American Grafishy Flipper". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. L20.