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.
Tiny%2C King of the Jews
Big Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mm mm all in me
And I killed another day
On the wall there's another there
I hacked through another night
By the look of mm my hand
I'm adrift and I can't mm
I started out hating myself and when I'm through
Man's gotta have something to hate, guess I'll do
And when I'm through with myself, I'll start on you
Everything I do, it's do-or-die
I started out drinking, I wonder why
I started out drinking, mm mm mm mm
Mm mm mm mm all in me
And I killed another day
On the wall there's another there
I hacked through another night
Another wrinkle in my skin
Another trip that I can't make
Man's gotta hate someone, and I guess I'll do
And when I'm through with myself, I'll start on you
I started out hating myself, now that I'm through
I'm looking for someone to hate, guess you'll do
The song "Tiny King of the Jews" by Big Black depicts a protagonist who is lost and unable to stop self-destructive behavior, likely resulting from alcoholism. The opening lines suggest that the singer has a habit of drinking and that it has taken a toll on them. They also express a sense of apathy towards life, having "killed another day". The following lines suggest a feeling of isolation: the singer sees another person on the wall but is unable to reach them; they feel adrift and helpless.
The chorus is particularly brutal as it suggests that the singer hates themselves, and when they are through with that hate, they will turn to hating someone else, namely the listener. The lines "Everything I do, it's do-or-die / I started out drinking, I wonder why" suggest that the singer has a self-destructive streak that is difficult to shake, and they question why they started drinking in the first place. The final lines suggest that the singer is looking for someone to blame and hate, which they do by directing their anger towards the listener.
Overall, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of a person who has lost their way, is consumed by self-loathing, and is looking for someone else to blame for their situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I started out drinking, states that winnie
I began the day by consuming alcohol, as I often do.
Mm mm all in me
I really indulged in drinking that morning.
And I killed another day
I wasted another day of my life with my habits.
On the wall there's another there
I see another day marked off on my calendar.
I hacked through another night
I struggled through yet another restless evening.
By the look of mm my hand
My hand shakes involuntarily due to my excessive drinking.
I'm adrift and I can't mm
I feel lost and helpless in my situation.
I started out hating myself and when I'm through
I had a deep-seated loathing for myself from the beginning, and when I'm finished, that hatred will still exist.
I've gotta have something to hate, and I guess it's you
I need someone or something to direct my self-hatred towards, and you happen to be the target of that hatred.
Man's gotta have something to hate, guess I'll do
As a human, I feel the need to direct my anger towards something, and as of now, that something is you.
And when I'm through with myself, I'll start on you
Once I'm done punishing myself, I will turn to you as the next recipient of my animosity.
Everything I do, it's do-or-die
Everything I do seems critical, as if my life depended on it.
I started out drinking, I wonder why
I always drink, but sometimes I question the reasons behind my constant consumption.
Mm mm mm mm all in me
I drank so much that I can feel the effects of the alcohol throughout my whole body.
Another wrinkle in my skin
My excessive drinking is taking a toll on my appearance.
Another trip that I can't make
My addiction is preventing me from being able to do things that normal, healthy individuals can do.
Man's gotta hate someone, and I guess I'll do
I feel compelled to direct my negative emotions towards someone, and that person happens to be you.
I started out hating myself, now that I'm through
I always had a deep-seated hatred for myself, and that emotion continues even after my destructive habits.
I'm looking for someone to hate, guess you'll do
I need to focus my negative energy towards someone, and you happen to be the recipient for that anger.
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