Since its formation in 1991, the band line-up has included Neil Fallon (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards), Tim Sult (lead guitar, backing vocals), Dan Maines (bass, backing vocals) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums and percussion). To date, Clutch has released thirteen studio albums, and several rarities and live albums. Since 2008 the band have been signed to their own record label, Weathermaker.
Clutch (originally called “Glut Trip” and stemmed from “Moral Minority”) was formed in 1991 by Dan Maines (bass), Jean-Paul Gaster (drums), Tim Sult (guitar), and Roger Smalls (vocals) in Germantown, Maryland. Smalls soon departed and was replaced by Neil Fallon, a longtime schoolmate of the other members at Seneca Valley High School. The band quickly gained notice through constant touring. The 12" single “Passive Restraints” on the Earache label was Clutch’s first commercial release, garnering attention from other labels. Their debut LP, Transnational Speedway League, was released in 1993. It was followed by a self-titled album two years later that gained Clutch mainstream exposure. The band moved to the larger Columbia label for the 1998 album The Elephant Riders. They followed it in 1999 with a self-released groove-based album Jam Room.
On April 28, 2009 Clutch released Slow Hole to China, a collection of unreleased tracks.
On June 10, 2012, the band released a new single, “Pigtown Blues”, on iTunes, backed with an acoustic version of “Motherless Child” from Strange Cousins from the West.
On March 16, 2013 Clutch released their tenth album Earth Rocker which entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at #15 giving Clutch their highest chart position to date. It would remain on the chart for a total of 5 weeks. The album also reached #4 on iTunes’ overall Top 100 album charts and was #1 in their rock chart. Earthrocker won “Album of the Year” 2013 from British publication Metalhammer, and was rated highly on many rock/metal magazines’ and websites’ end-of-the-year “Top Tens”.
In an interview on January 7, 2015 with music and entertainment company 88 Miles West, Fallon stated that the band was heading to Dripping Springs, Texas, to record their upcoming eleventh album. Fallon states the venture to Texas was due to the relocation of record producer Machine, with whom they worked on Blast Tyrant and Earth Rocker, and who recently opened a new studio there. He stated in the interview that “Septemberish, give or take a couple of months” is when they hope to release the new album.
Their eleventh studio album is titled Psychic Warfare, and was released October 2, 2015. Fallon said the concept is influenced by science fiction author Philip K. Dick. “His general philosophy and questions have always crept into my lyrics, because I share an interest in it,” he adds. “On Earth Rocker, ‘Crucial Velocity’ was definitely a Philip Dick song for me. On this record, ‘X-Ray Visions’ certainly is.”. Gaster described the new material as more diverse than ever.
In April 2018, Neil Fallon announced through the radio station The Eagle Rocks that the band's twelfth studio album would be titled Book of Bad Decisions. The album will be released on September 7, 2018. The album was recorded at Sputnik Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and engineer Vance Powell.
On November 13, 2020 Released The Weathermaker Studios Vol. 1. A collection of re-recorded hits and 4 unreleased covers and songs.
On September 16,2022 Clutch released their 13th Studio album: Sunrise on Slaughter Beach.
Between 2004-2018 Clutch created seven straight top 10 releases on Billboard’s Independent Album Chart.
Neil Fallon – vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, keyboards, percussion
Tim Sult – lead guitar
Dan Maines – bass guitar
Jean-Paul Gaster – drums, percussion
Rising Sun
Clutch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On your pterodactyl
Storming castles with abandon
And rainbows by fistfuls
Now lets go dancing madly backwards
While on a sea of air
Everyone I hear is saying
Captain Peon will be there
Screaming all the way
Gravity is such a drag
And we will not obey
Carelessly careening quickly
Screaming all the way
Gravity is such a drag
Now we will have our way
Wasn't I? Or was it shadow?
A trick of light in play
Leaving me to see that I saw
The garden from whence we came
But I'm not saying anything
That hasn't been said before
You may hear it now if you wish to
Put an ear against the floor
Then we go carelessly careening quickly
Screaming all the way
Gravity is such a drag
And we will not obey
Carelessly careening quickly
Screaming all the way
Gravity is such a drag
Now we will have our way
Now we will have it!
On the hills of charming dragons
There is snow falling everywhere
Sorcerers bring a new Sun
And we will soon be there
Then we go carelessly careening quickly
Screaming all the way
Gravity is such a drag
And we will not obey
Carelessly careening quickly
Screaming all the way
Gravity is such a drag
Now we will have our way
Now we will have it!
The lyrics to Clutch's song Rising Sun are both whimsical and surreal. The opening image of riding on a pterodactyl immediately sets the tone for the fantastical nature of the song. The singer is swept up in a journey filled with adventure and rebellion, storming castles and defying gravity. The lyrics speak to a desire for freedom and a willingness to reject societal norms and expectations. The lines "Gravity is such a drag and we will not obey" reinforce this idea.
As the song progresses, the imagery becomes more surreal, with references to dancing backwards on a sea of air and seeing a garden from a different perspective. The line "Wasn't I? Or was it shadow?" highlights the theme of perspective and the subjective nature of reality.
Despite the whimsical tone of the lyrics, there is a sense of urgency and even desperation in the repeated refrain "Now we will have our way." The singer is determined to break free from constraints and seize their destiny.
Overall, the lyrics to Rising Sun are a celebration of imagination and a call to embrace a life free from conformity and constraint.
Line by Line Meaning
You look so good while you're riding
You appear attractive while you are riding something, possibly a pterodactyl.
On your pterodactyl
You are riding a pterodactyl, a prehistoric flying reptile.
Storming castles with abandon
You are attacking castles recklessly and without restraint.
And rainbows by fistfuls
You are grabbing rainbows with great enthusiasm or in large quantities.
Now lets go dancing madly backwards
Let's dance in a crazy, frenzied way while moving backward.
While on a sea of air
We are dancing or moving on an imaginary surface of air.
Everyone I hear is saying
All the people I can hear are talking or whispering rumors.
Captain Peon will be there
A person named Captain Peon will attend or join us.
When we go carelessly careening quickly
We move wildly and recklessly at a high speed.
Screaming all the way
We are shouting or making loud noises while moving.
Gravity is such a drag
The force of gravity is causing difficulty or unpleasantness.
And we will not obey
We refuse to follow the rules or restrictions imposed by gravity.
Wasn't I? Or was it shadow?
I am not sure if what I saw was real or a figment of my imagination.
A trick of light in play
The cause of the confusion or doubt was a form of optical illusion.
Leaving me to see that I saw
Allowing me to realize that what I thought I saw was not real.
The garden from whence we came
The place or origin we came from, possibly a reference to the Garden of Eden.
But I'm not saying anything
I choose to remain silent or not speak my thoughts.
That hasn't been said before
My words are not original or unique but have been expressed previously.
You may hear it now if you wish to
I invite you to listen to what I have to say, if you want to.
Put an ear against the floor
Listen carefully or closely, perhaps by placing your ear on the ground.
On the hills of charming dragons
In a place beyond reality, where dragons roam or exist.
There is snow falling everywhere
Snow is falling in vast amounts throughout this otherworldly place.
Sorcerers bring a new Sun
Powerful wizards or magicians will create a new source of light or warmth.
And we will soon be there
We will arrive at this fantastical location or be part of this magical event.
Now we will have it!
We will finally obtain what we desire or have been pursuing.
Contributed by Claire E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.