To Mother (EP)

To Mother is the first EP by American punk band Babes in Toyland, released July 1, 1991 by Twin/Tone Records. It consists of outtakes from their previous release, Spanking Machine, which were re-recorded and produced by John Loder in London in 1990.

To Mother
EP by
Babes in Toyland
ReleasedJuly 1, 1991[1]
Recorded1990
StudioSouthern Studios, London, England
Genre
Length22:17[2]
LabelTwin/Tone
ProducerJohn Loder
Babes in Toyland chronology
Spanking Machine
(1990)		 To Mother
(1991)		 The Peel Sessions
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Rolling Stone[3]
Robert Christgau(dud)[4]
Spin Alternative Record Guide5/10[5]

It was a commercial success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 1 on the UK Indie Chart, remaining in the number 1 position for ten weeks.

Recording

The material on To Mother was recorded in 1990 by engineer and producer John Loder at his private home studio (Southern Studios) in the Wood Green area of London.[6]

Artwork

A childhood photograph of Kat Bjelland's mother, Lynne Irene Higginbotham, appears on the album's cover.[7] Bjelland's mother died of pancreatic cancer at the time of the EP's recording, which influenced the decision of both the artwork and the title.[7]

Release

To Mother was released on vinyl in the United Kingdom by the independent label Southern Records,[8] who at the time distributed Twin/Tone Records releases abroad.[7] In the United States, Twin/Tone released the EP on July 1, 1991[1] on compact disc, cassette, as well as vinyl formats.[9][10]

According to Twin/Tone's official catalogue, the album sold 1,260 vinyl copies, 1,792 cassettes, and 4,336 CDs before the band signed with Warner Bros.'s Reprise Records in 1992, with whom they released their breakthrough album, Fontanelle (1992).[9] The EP entered the UK Indie Chart at number 1,[11] and remained there for 13 weeks, 10 of which it held the number one position.[8]

In 1993, the independent Australian label Insipid Records released "Catatonic" as a split-single with "Death, Agonies & Screams" by Poison Idea.[12]

Critical response

Critic Steve Taylor called the EP "more varied" than their previous releases, "opening with the ranting 'Catatonic' and closing with the soothing 'Quiet Room.'"[13] Rolling Stone awarded the album a two out of four-star rating in their 2004 album guide,[3] while Robert Christgau gave it a "bomb" rating, the lowest in his rating classification system.[4] John Dugan of AllMusic awarded the EP three out of five stars, noting that it is a "follow-up that's strong but not life-changing."[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kat Bjelland

No.TitleLength
1."Catatonic"2:50
2."Mad Pilot"2:51
3."Primus"4:00
4."Laugh My Head Off"3:34
5."Spit to See the Shine"2:45
6."Ripe"3:39
7."The Quiet Room" (instrumental)2:38
Total length:22:17

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1991) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart[11] 1

References
  1. Bogdanov, Erlewine & Woodstra 2002, p. 42.
  2. Dougan, John. "To Mother". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  3. Brackett, Nathan; et al. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-743-20169-8.
  4. Christgau, Robert. "Babes in Toyland". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  5. Hutson, Johnny (1995). "Babes in Toyland". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 22. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  6. Leon 2016, p. 114.
  7. Leon 2016, p. 110.
  8. "Babes in Toyland: To Mother [Vinyl]". Southern Records. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  9. "Babes in Toyland - To Mother". Twin Tone Records. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  10. Schoemer, Karen (March 27, 1992). "Pop/Jazz; Post-Punk Angst of Babes in Toyland". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2017. closed access
  11. Leon 2016, p. 7.
  12. Babes in Toyland/Poison Idea (1993). Catatonic/Death, Agonies & Screams (7" vinyl). Insipid Records. IV-30. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
  13. Taylor, Steve (2006). The A to X of Alternative Music. A&C Black. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-826-48217-4.

Works cited
  • Bogdanov, Vladimir; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Woodstra, Chris (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation/Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3. OCLC 47823606.
  • Leon, Michelle (2016). I Live Inside: Memoirs of a Babe in Toyland. Minnesota Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-873-51999-1.
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