Mike Watt – Contemplating The Engine Room (1997/2017) [HDTracks FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

“Contemplating the Engine Room” is a punk rock opera by Minutemen veteran Mike Watt. Released in 1997, the album is a punk rock song cycle that uses navy life as an extended metaphor for both Watt’s family history and his first band, the Minutemen. The album was critically well-received, though not universally. The cover art features a picture of Watt’s father in his Navy uniform.

Mike Watt, recovering from his all-star alterna-rock debut solo album, returned in 1997 with what is perhaps the strongest album he has ever made. Of course, his earlier Minutemen albums will forever go down as landmarks, but in retrospect, many of the band’s SST releases were brilliant but uneven affairs that put polemics (and great song titles) over consistent songwriting. Unfortunately, much of fIREHOSE’s oeuvre is rife with inconsistency, and on Watt’s first solo project, he and his songs were overshadowed by a boatload of high-profile musicians who contributed to the album. Contemplating the Engine Room is Watt’s masterpiece, what he calls “a punk rock opera.” This is a concept album that works on every level: musically, lyrically, and (most importantly) conceptually. Watt (who sings and plays his trusty bass guitar), drummer Steve Hodges, and guitarist Nels Cline form a psychic bond that allows them to dexterously maneuver the complex terrain Watt has laid out in his songs, which celebrate three guys playing together, punk rock, life, and his relationship with his dad.

Tracklist:
01 – In the Engine Room
02 – Red Bluff
03 – The Bluejacket’s Manual
04 – Pedro Bound!
05 – The Boilerman
06 – Black Gang Coffee
07 – Topsiders
08 – No One Says Old Man (To the Old Man)
09 – Fireman Hurley
10 – Liberty Calls!
11 – In the Bunk Room / Navy Wife
12 – Crossing the Equator
13 – Breaking the Choke Hold
14 – Wrapped Around the Screw
15 – Shore Duty

Produced by Mike Watt.

Musicians:
Mike Watt – vocals, bass
Nels Cline – guitar
Stephen Hodges – drums

Download:

mqs.link_MikeWattCntemplatingTheEngineRm19972017HDTracks2496.part1.rar
mqs.link_MikeWattCntemplatingTheEngineRm19972017HDTracks2496.part2.rar