Bush – Sixteen Stone (Craft Recordings)

6x platinum debut gets the the deluxe vinyl treatment

I’m not sure anyone could’ve predicted the runaway success of Bush upon hearing their debut single, “Everything Zen,” in early 1995. At the time, the world was still reeling from the death of Kurt Cobain, and the comparisons to Nirvana were immediate.  Yet, delving back into the album reveals a great deal of surprises.  Craft Recordings has just reissued Sixteen Stone on limited edition red vinyl for its 30th anniversary.

The thing is, the album still sounds fresh, three decades later.  “Everything Zen” jumps out of the speakers.  While the similarities to the Seattle sound are definitely present (take, for example, quiet/loud of “Swim” or the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” rewrite, “Little Things”), there are things that definitely distinguish them from their compadres over the big pond.  For one, not many bands could pull off the groove in a hard rock song quite like “Comedown.”  

“Machinehead” was another single, fueled by a catchy repetitive guitar line and some fantastic drumming.  “Body” has a lead line that reminds me of “Outshined” by Soundgarden.  Then, there’s the fantastic ballad, “Glycerine” – the strings are a really nice touch here.

What really sets Sixteen Stone apart from many of the albums released in 1994 is that, even the lesser-known cuts, like “Monkey” and “Testosterone” are solid.  

The album has been split into two records, which improves the fidelity – the album runs over 50 minutes.  The packaging is very well done.  Instead of just mimicking the original CD art, this 30th anniversary edition features a gatefold jacket that reprints all the lyrics on the inside (they were impossible to read on the original CD booklet), plus a bunch of band photos on each inner record sleeve.  The opaque, red vinyl is very quiet.

Sixteen Stone holds up a lot better than a lot of other albums released in 1994.  With it finally available widely on vinyl, it’s time to give it it’s due.  —Tony Peters