They sought and found little mainstream success, but the group's piledriver drum machines and brutal, slashing electric guitars were widely influential, especially for industrial rock. Albini's snide, malevolent singing and provocative lyrics garnered much attention.
Albini made a name for himself for his controversial "Tired of Ugly Fat?" column in the Chicago zine Matter, as well as irregular contributions to Forced Exposure. At the time, the band consisted of Albini and his drum machine, a Roland TR-606. (All of Big Black's recordings credit "Roland" as if "he" were a member of the band.)
The Lungs EP, the first effort to appear under the Big Black name, was recorded by Albini in his dorm room at Northwestern University. Intended primarily to recruit members to fill out the band, Lungs was released by Ruthless Records. The record is infamous for the variety of inserts, which included a lyric sheet in most copies, plus extras like condoms, dollar bills, stickers, concert tickets, photographs, silverware, razor blades, bloody bandages, and squirt guns. Heavily influenced by Public Image Limited and Killing Joke, Albini describes the amateurish Lungs as one of his few artistic regrets.
In 1983 Jeff Pezzati and Santiago Durango, both of Naked Raygun, joined the band on bass and guitar, respectively. They recorded two EPs together, switching to Homestead Records, and soon after Pezzati left the band. He was replaced by Dave Riley.
Riley was a longtime funk fan and had worked at a Detroit recording studio frequented by Sly Stone and George Clinton. His bass guitar work with Big Black was, to a degree, influenced by funk — not to suggest that he played like Bootsy Collins or Larry Graham, but he did bring a sinuous quality to the music. Even before Riley joined, there was evidence of an interest in funk: Big Black had already covered James Brown's The Payback.
The band made a name for itself nationally with its first album Atomizer, which featured more controversial lyrics by Albini, and strong contributions by Durango and Riley to the songs and arrangement — a working scheme the band had settled on because it took advantage of each member's strengths. Some listeners did not understand that their songs were either social commentary or sarcastic jokes (often both), and assumed that the band was sexist and racist. Albini responded to these accusations by making his lyrics even more offensive than before. Albini has stated that irritating "squares" was no challenge, but he took specific glee in offending "hipsters".
Albini drew much lyrical inspiration from misadventures and escapades he observed during his teen years in rural Missoula, Montana: for example, Cables was inspired by acquaintances who would visit a slaughterhouse to watch cattle get killed.
In 1987 the band switched labels again, this time to the cult Chicago-based indie label Touch and Go Records, when the band became disenchanted with Homestead Records after the label illegally released promotional-only copies of some limited-edition recordings. Big Black then released the Headache EP, which bore a sticker reading, "Not as good as Atomizer, so don't get your hopes up, cheese!" This was not a gimmick; the band truly thought Headache was inferior, and wanted to warn fans.
Shortly after, Durango announced that he was leaving the band to attend law school. Never expecting to make a career out of Big Black, the band realized this would be a good time to stop, not wanting to turn into the Rolling Stones. They broke up, and then released one final album, Songs About Fucking
Steve Albini went on to become a successful recording engineer (he dislikes the term "producer") for bands like Pixies, Nirvana, The Jesus Lizard, The Auteurs, Slint, Membranes, PJ Harvey, and many others, in addition to playing in Rapeman and Shellac.
The band are mentioned in the 1988 the Dead Milkmen song, Sri Lanka Sex Hotel, in the line: "Let's play Big Black at 3 a.m., And tell the neighbours they can all get fucked".
Dave Riley suffered a stroke in 1993 and was left paraplegic. He started a blog and wrote a book.
Santiago Durango released two EPs as Arsenal on Touch and Go, and is still a practicing lawyer. In his first case he helped recover Cynthia Plaster Caster's bronze casts of the genitalia of various rock and roll artists, including that of Jimi Hendrix. He handled some litigation for Touch and Go, and is currently an appellate defender.
Touch and Go acquired the rights to the Big Black back catalog, and reissued these (by this time) hard-to-acquire classics.
Big Black have been posthumously successful, with Q Magazine's August 2007 issue naming Songs About Fucking as the fifth loudest album of all time, just ahead of the Who's Live at Leeds and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.
Big Black briefly reunited to play a few songs at Touch and Go Records 25th anniversary celebration on 9 September 2006. The line up was Steve Albini, Santiago Durango and Jeff Pezzati. They played Cables, Dead Billy, Pigeon Kill and Racer X in that order.
"I know what you're all thinking... 'what was all the fuss about?'" Albini said onstage that night. He later said that the reunion would not have happened but for the Touch & Go anniversary, and said the record label is "the most important thing to happen in music in my lifetime." Pezzati and Durango nodded in assent.
Big Black's career is chronicled in Our Band Could Be Your Life, a study of several important American underground rock groups.
In December 2019, longtime bassist Dave Riley passed away from throat and lung cancer. He was 59.
Kasimir S. Pulaski Day
Big Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Red car blew up today when a black car went by
Never thought it really happened that way
Never thought it really happened that way
Never thought it really happened that way
Drew a rod and they blew him away
Down on the south side, out on Pulaski
There were pieces of a man all over the skyway
Why did mm get an mm mm like that?
I even felt a little sick
I never thought it really happened that way
I never thought it really happened that way
I wouldn't want to check out in that way
Drew a rod and they blew him away
There were pieces of a man all over the skyway
There were pieces of a man
mm mm in the ashtray
What are you trying to prove now, Benny?
What are you trying to call me, Benny?
Better stay out of it, Benny
Stay out of my wayski
The lyrics of Big Black's song Kasimir S. Pulaski Day depict a violent scene on the south side of Chicago. The singer witnesses a black car passing by, and then a red car exploding, which results in pieces of a man scattered all over the skyway. The lyrics express the shock and disbelief of the singer, who never thought that violence happened in such an extreme way. The line "Drew a rod and they blew him away" suggests that this may have been a gang-related or criminal activity, where someone was shot and killed.
The tone of the song is somber and melancholic, with a hint of fear and tension. The lyrics suggest that violence is a regular occurrence in that part of town, and it can happen unexpectedly, leaving people traumatized and shaken. The use of the name Kasimir S. Pulaski in the title of the song may reference a Polish hero who fought for American independence, but it is unclear whether there's any direct connection to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw something go wrong today when a black car went by
Witnessed an unfortunate event today when a black car passed by
Red car blew up today when a black car went by
A red car exploded today due to the actions of a passing black car
Never thought it really happened that way
Didn't expect such a tragic event to occur
Drew a rod and they blew him away
Someone used a gun and killed another person
Down on the south side, out on Pulaski
Referring to a specific location on the south side of a city
There were pieces of a man all over the skyway
The aftermath of the violent event left body parts scattered in public
Well I suffered real bad today, just like in the movies
The situation was so traumatic that it felt like a scene from a movie
Why did mm get an mm mm like that?
Asking why someone received a violent and tragic fate
I even felt a little sick
The experience was so disturbing that it caused physical discomfort
I wouldn't want to check out in that way
Expressing a fear of death in such a violent manner
There were pieces of a man all over the skyway
Reiteration that the event was very violent and caused a gruesome aftermath
There were pieces of a man
mm mm in the ashtray
Further description of the graphic aftermath of the event
What are you trying to prove now, Benny?
Questioning someone's motives for their actions
What are you trying to call me, Benny?
Asking why someone is addressing the singer in a certain way
Better stay out of it, Benny
Issuing a warning to someone to not get involved in the situation
Stay out of my wayski
Reiteration of the previous warning and asking the person to not impede on the artist's actions
Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.