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Mike Watt
Contemplating the Engine Room
Release Date: 1997 10 07
Running Time: 50:08
Label: Columbia

Mike Watt, recovering from his all-star alterna-rock debut solo album, returned in 1997 with what is perhaps the strongest album he has ever made. Of course, his earlier Minutemen albums will forever go down as landmarks, but in retrospect, many of the band's SST releases were brilliant but uneven affairs that put polemics (and great song titles) over consistent songwriting. Unfortunately, much of fIREHOSE's oeuvre is rife with inconsistency, and on Watt's first solo project, he and his songs were overshadowed by a boatload of high-profile musicians who contributed to the album. Contemplating the Engine Room is Watt's masterpiece, what he calls "a punk rock opera." This is a concept album that works on every level: musically, lyrically, and (most importantly) conceptually. Watt (who sings and plays his trusty bass guitar), drummer Steve Hodges, and guitarist Nels Cline form a psychic bond that allows them to dexterously maneuver the complex terrain Watt has laid out in his songs, which celebrate three guys playing together, punk rock, life, and his relationship with his dad. Kembrew McLeod, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	In the Engine Room	Watt	4:53
2	Red Bluff	Watt	3:29
3	Bluejackets' Manual	Watt	2:15
4	Pedro Bound!	Watt	3:22
5	Boilerman	Watt	5:02
6	Black Gang Coffee	Watt	3:27
7	Topsiders	Watt	2:25
8	No One Says Old Man (To the Old Man)	Watt	4:11
9	Fireman Hurley	Watt	2:18
10	Liberty Calls!	Watt	4:40
11	In the Bunk Room/Navy Wife	Watt	2:00
12	Crossing the Equator	Watt	4:20
13	Breaking the Choke Hold	Watt	3:44
14	Wrapped Around the Screw	Watt	2:39
15	Shore Duty	Watt	4:50