For his first solo album,
Mike Watt assembled a different band for each track, creating a veritable who's who of post-punk and alternative rock --
Eddie Vedder,
Dave Grohl,
Thurston Moore,
J Mascis,
Frank Black,
Evan Dando,
Dave Pirner,
Henry Rollins,
Flea,
Lee Ranaldo,
Mike D, and
Pat Smear all appear, among others. Predictably, the sound is somewhat schizophrenic, but no more so than the average
Minutemen album.
Ball-Hog or Tugboat? is more polished than anything
the Minutemen released, yet looser than
fIREHOSE, filled with jazz-inflected breaks and sheer sonic freakouts, but dominated by a surprisingly large number of pop songs. On the power pop rush of "Piss-Bottle Man,"
Dando sings with more emotion than on most
Lemonheads records, and "Chinese Fire Drill" shows an effective folky side to
Watt's music. And
Watt's own vocals on "Big Train" are as big-hearted, sly, and funny as the album itself. [
Ball-Hog or Tugboat? was re-released on LP in 2016.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine