Melvins’ Buzz Osborne Picks His 9 Favorite Heavy Acoustic Songs… Well, Mostly Acoustic
"What will they do next?" That's the one question that is always on the mind of any Melvins fan as the iconic rock weirdos consistently aim to push themselves and their listeners with quirky new directions to take their music in. Their latest effort is Five Legged Dog, a massive compilation that features acoustic reimaginings of dozens of originals and cover selections and quite a lot of it still sounds heavy in its own right. So, we asked Buzz Osborne to pick his favorite heavy acoustic songs... or, well... mostly acoustic, anyway.
Like we said, Melvins are a quirky and curious bunch, so it's only fitting that Osborne put his twist on this list — anything else would have actually been a tad disappointing, no?
Osborne is a man who has never opted for the conventional and the rest of his band — whoever happens to be in the lineup at any given time — always follows suit. It's this ethos that has kept them moving forward for almost four full decades now as Melvins reinvent themselves over and over.
The concept of heaviness in music is a fleeting one — it goes beyond guitar distortion or low tunings — as evidenced by Five Legged Dog. And even though this compilations is mostly comprised of reworked original recordings, now is the perfect time to understand some of Osborne's, perhaps, more atypical influences, that offer perspective on the new release.
Okay, Buzz, you're up!
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The Rolling Stones, "Sister Morphine"
This one starts out on acoustic but sounds really creepy and weird. Sort of a Dylan vibe to it, which is never a bummer.
Bob Dylan, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"
My god, this is a great song. I think it’s Bob's best. Wonderful lyrics and powerful guitar playing. It’s megaton in the heavy department.
Bob Dylan, "Girl From the North Country"
I imagine you could do a really slow version of this that would be monstrous. Maybe we should!
Led Zeppelin, "That's the Way"
I can hear this song with a huge drum beat. It might be really cool.
The Everly Brothers, "All I Have to Do Is Dream"
Not exactly all acoustic but they did play REALLY cool matching acoustic guitars. No one sings like these two.
George Jones, "Why Baby Why"
Not exactly acoustic but it’s George Jones. I saw him right before he croaked and it was one of the weirdest shows I’ve ever seen. Completely out of his mind. Loved it.
Buck Owens, "Streets of Laredo"
Not exactly acoustic but nonetheless a VERY weird and heavy song with one of the coolest vocals I’ve ever heard. Great lyrics!
Marty Robbins, "El Paso"
Marty had one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. Music like this is so good it almost chokes me up. Make sure you listen to the FULL version of this song. Much better than the short version.
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, "Sock It To Me Baby"
Absolutely not acoustic, but so cool I had to include it. Kick ass bass playing and an absolutely killer guitar solo. Mitch sings like a fucking demon. Love this stuff!