Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo is the fourth studio album released by American punk rock band MxPx in 1998. The album title was taken from a letter that a fan had written to the band, complaining that the band was changing, and, "Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo".
Background
Due to the success of MxPx's "Chick Magnet", from their previous album Life in General, the band signed a multi-album contract with A&M.[2] A&M had previously signed a deal with Tooth & Nail to co-market Life in General.[2] This market deal was "cobbled together in order to sign the band", according to A&M chairman Al Cafaro.[2]
Composition and recording
Moving away from the sound of Life in General, the band "dirtied things up a little", according to vocalist/bassist Mike Herrera, for Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo.[2] The band refrained from making the album "sound like it was produced in a lab."[2] Greg Hetson of Bad Religion has guest vocals on "The Downfall of Western Civilization".[2]
Release
To generate hype, A&M picked 1,000 of the band's fans and sent them a CD of songs from the album, from April to June 1998.[2] Despite the band's sizable fan base, the label was not approaching the album with high expectations.[2] The vice president of A&M estimated the album would easily achieve 100,00 in sales.[2] On May 6, "I'm OK, You're OK" was sent to modern rock radio stations.[2] The band supported Bad Religion on their tour of Europe in May.[2] Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo was released on June 16 through A&M.[2] From June 30, for five weeks, the band played on the 1998 edition of Warped Tour.[2] In August, the band supported Blink-182.[2]
Reception
The album charted at number 99 on the Billboard 200[5] and at number 2 on the Top Contemporary Christian chart.[6] It certified gold in January 2000 by the Recording Industry Association of America.[7]
Track listing
All tracks written by Mike Herrera, and arranged by MxPx.
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| 1. | "Under Lock and Key" | 2:32 |
| 2. | "Tomorrow's Another Day" | 2:47 |
| 3. | "The Final Slowdance" | 1:59 |
| 4. | "I'm OK, You're OK" | 2:39 |
| 5. | "Cold and All Alone" | 2:07 |
| 6. | "Party, My House, Be There" | 2:16 |
| 7. | "The Downfall of Western Civilization" | 2:42 |
| 8. | "Invitation to Understanding" | 2:33 |
| 9. | "Fist vs Tact" | 1:11 |
| 10. | "What's Mine Is Yours" | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Self Serving with a Purpose" | 2:48 |
| 12. | "For Always" | 3:12 |
| 13. | "Set the Record Straight" | 2:57 |
| 14. | "Get with It!" | 1:44 |
| 15. | "Inches from Life" | 1:51 |
| 16. | "The Theme Fiasco" | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 40:29 |
Personnel
- MxPx
- Additional musicians
- Ronnie King — keyboard
- Greg Hetson — lead guitar on "The Downfall of the Western Civilization"
- Dale Yob — vocals on "I'm Ok, You're OK"
- Jeff Bettger — screams on "Fist vs. Tact" and "The Theme Fiasco"
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- Production
- Artwork
- Marina Chavez — photography
- Mitch Tobias — photography
- John Nissen — illustrations
- Luke W. Midkiff — illustrations/ video direction
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Chart positions
Music videos
References
Bibliography
- McGovern, Brian Vincent (September–October 1998). "Album Reviews: MxPx Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo". HM (73). ISSN 1066-6923.
- Reece, Doug (May 23, 1998). "A&M Rounds Up Existing Fan Base For MxPx's 'Buffalo' Set". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 110 (21). ISSN 0006-2510.
- "Top Contemporary Christian". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 110 (27). July 4, 1998. ISSN 0006-2510.
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