Rock and Roll Killing Machine by Drowningman
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This week, we're talking about two things we think are quite interesting. First off, we chat about the early mathcore/metalcore band Drowningman and reflect on why they never quite reached the heights of their peers, such as Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan—bands they often found themselves touring with in the late 90s and early 00s.
While that story is compelling in itself, Drowningman can also count themselves among the artists who tried to sabotage a contractual obligation to a record label. As the story goes, they hit the studio with Kurt Ballou (Converge, God City Studios) to record a very weird album, tentatively titled Best Album Ever. The record was never officially released; it was allegedly created with the sole intention of being purposefully bad in order to satisfy, and terminate, their two-album contract with Revelation Records. In the end it never saw the light of day.
This got us thinking about other artists who have tried to escape their contractual obligations. We use this lens to take a wee sojourn into the annals of music history, unearthing stories of several big-name artists who tried, and sometimes succeeded, in doing something similar.
We hope you enjoy!
Highlights:
00:00 Intro
01:27 Skipping the Discourse
01:56 Viral Bands Debate
02:59 Patreon Pitch
05:37 Awkward Party Exits
06:17 Meet Drowningman
08:19 Origins and Scene
12:00 Early Releases Breakdown
16:07 Rock and Roll Killing Machine Era
21:07 Later Records and Fadeout
24:47 Did They Deserve Bigger
27:05 Contractual Obligation Albums
35:38 Ozzy Contract Loophole
36:25 Speak of the Devil Drama
38:05 Ozzy Album Aftermath
38:57 Neil Young vs Geffen
39:49 Beach Boys Owed Album
40:55 More Contract Escapes
42:40 Sisters of Mercy SSV
45:46 More Obligation Oddities
47:43 Rolling Stones Provocation
50:31 Zappa Lather Bootleg
51:25 Prince vs Warner Saga
57:42 Drowning Man Review
59:32 Track Highlights Breakdown
01:02:56 Final Verdict and Wrap
01:06:21 Outro and Thanks