Music Dec 18, 2013 at 4:00 am

Feeling Doom-Drone Classic Earth 2's Tremors 20 Years On

Possibly more influential than Nirvana. Dave Harwell (left), Dylan Carlson (right).

Comments

1
Earth 2 is incredible, but I think Pentastar is my favorite Earth record. Pentastar is amazing.
2
Probably said "phase cancellation," not "fade cancellation"
3
@2 You're right. I misheard him on the transcription. Thanks.
4
"Fade cancellation" should probably be "phase cancellation"
5
I'd like to think that I was listening to Earth 2 blazed on LSD and weed at the same time as Stephen O'Malley back in those days.
Go see them live.
6
Saw these guys live around '91 opening for the Screaming Trees. I couldn't believe that anyone would book them for a gig. I'll admit that Earth's more recent stuff is ok, but Earth 2 sounds like some nodding junkies who lack the skills or ambition to compose anything memorable. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against ambient music, but I've heard plenty of stoned dudes tune the e-sting down to d and play this shit for half an hour. No wonder Dylan isn't interested in doing it live again. Very interesting question about the cover pictures though.
7
Wow. I didn't know O'Malley was the Ultra Lame Fest, I was too, but for Mudhoney and Seaweed. I did not get Earth AT ALL at the time. I did give Pentastar a spin when it came out and that was the album that hooked me.
8
I had picked up Brian Eno's Thursday Afternoon in 1985 on CD, 60 minutes of piano and the wonders of the Echoplex.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thursday_Af…

I was never into metal, or the Melvins.

I have one of the 2000 CD's of Earth 2. I listened to it quit a bit.

I am surprised that there is a story about it 20 years later.
10
@8 Thursday Afternoon is profoundly beautiful, one of Eno's overlooked gems.

Earth 2 is too important for it to be forgotten. This seemed like a good time to remind people about it.
12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrEljMfX…
14
great article, thanks Dave.
15
Normally I don´t ever reply to articles, but this one was really well written + to see three relevant and different point of views really makes this a decent retrospect of one of my fave albums (which for me was also one of the few doorways to minimalist music about 10 years ago, next to Aphex Twin and Ulver). Thanks!
16
"Did Earth 2 sound to you like an ultimate statement, a kind of ground zero for heavy music?"

"No, it never did. I think people give it more credit than it deserves. "

Says the guy that built AN ENTIRE CAREER from ripping off that one album, time and time again. SHEESH.
17
i remember a tiny paragraph in melody maker that said "no one likes earth" so i rushed out and bought earth 2, ,liked it so much i bought the first ep. none of my friends liked it so i felt it was made for me personally!

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