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
Spleen Merchant
Clutch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But pity the poor dumb fool who gets my bleeding spleen.
Corn pone, I born tomorrow, my bone marrow protein filled
Scotch whiskey Men of Tain have come to split your skills.
Hey, hey
I got your heaven, I got your burning hell, I got it all right here.
If bad, you can toss them back and stuff them in sausages.
Isn't it something so becoming, a gentlemen of good taste.
The appetizer's quite the pleaser, but might you pass the pepper please this way.
Hey, hey
I got your heaven, I got your burning hell, I got it all right here.
Fertilizer makes your corn row higher, but makes your back yard stink.
And all the crows know where the wind blows, where water sinks.
Hey, hey
I got your heaven, I got your burning hell, I got it all right here.
In Clutch's song "Spleen Merchant", the lyrics seem to depict a person who is not only unafraid of death, but is willing to offer their organs for scientific purposes. The lyrics, "When I die you can cut me up and take all that you please, but pity the poor dumb fool who gets my bleeding spleen" suggest a person who values their own body for its parts, as they offer up their spleen for research or medical purposes. The lyrics also suggest a certain cynicism towards the world, perhaps a reflection of the singer's discontent with the state of things. The lines "Corn pone, I born tomorrow, my bone marrow protein filled/Scotch whiskey Men of Tain have come to split your skills" suggest a feeling of being used or exploited by those in power, and a sense of resignation towards one's fate.
Moving on to the second stanza, the lyrics seem to be discussing the preservation of organs for use in medicine. The lines "Wrap them tight in zip-lock bags to benefit good medicines/If bad, you can toss them back and stuff them in sausages" suggest a certain callousness towards the body, and a willingness to use it for any purpose. The lyrics also hint at a sense of refinement, with the lines "Isn't it something so becoming, a gentlemen of good taste/The appetizer's quite the pleaser, but might you pass the pepper please this way." Overall, the lyrics of "Spleen Merchant" seem to be a meditation on the nature of the body and its usefulness, as well as a commentary on the state of the world as the singer sees it.
Line by Line Meaning
When I die you can cut me up and take all that you please,
After my death, you can take any part of my body as you wish without my objection.
But pity the poor dumb fool who gets my bleeding spleen.
However, spare a thought for the unfortunate person who ends up with my ruptured spleen.
Corn pone, I born tomorrow, my bone marrow protein filled
Even if I'm reborn tomorrow, my bone marrow will still be highly nutritious and rich in protein.
Scotch whiskey Men of Tain have come to split your skills.
The highly skilled craftsmen from Tain who make Scotch whiskey have arrived to judge your expertise.
Wrap them tight in zip-lock bags to benefit good medicines.
It is advisable to wrap unused body parts tightly in zip-lock bags to use them as good medicines later.
If bad, you can toss them back and stuff them in sausages.
If the body parts are not good enough for medicine, you can discard them or use them as stuffing for sausages.
Isn't it something so becoming, a gentlemen of good taste.
It is admirable to be a gentleman with refined taste.
The appetizer's quite the pleaser, but might you pass the pepper please this way.
Although the appetizer is delicious, it would be appreciated if someone could pass the pepper this way.
Fertilizer makes your corn row higher, but makes your back yard stink.
Fertilizer is beneficial for your crops, but it can make your backyard smell unpleasant.
And all the crows know where the wind blows, where water sinks.
Crows have a keen sense of identifying where the wind blows and where water sinks.
Hey, hey
An exclamation to grab someone's attention.
I got your heaven, I got your burning hell, I got it all right here.
I have the best of both worlds, the ultimate pleasure of heaven and the extreme agony of hell.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAN MAINES, JEAN-PAUL GASTER, NEIL FALLON, RICHARD TIMOTHY SULT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind