What Makes a Man Start Fires?

What Makes a Man Start Fires? is the second full-length album and fifth release overall by influential American punk rock band Minutemen.

What Makes A Man Start Fires?
Studio album by
Minutemen
ReleasedJanuary 1983
RecordedJuly 3, 1982, August 1982
GenreHardcore punk, post-punk
Length26:39
LabelSST
ProducerSpot
Minutemen chronology
Bean-Spill
(1982)		 What Makes A Man Start Fires?
(1983)		 Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat
(1983)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Ann Arbor Newsvery favorable[2]
Robert ChristgauA-[3]

Background

At almost twice the length of their previous album, The Punch Line, the Minutemen's songs began surpassing the two-minute mark. Breaking another Minutemen record, the band took the longest time they took to date to record What Makes A Man Start Fires?. The basic tracks were recorded in one late-night session, but then the band held two separate late-night sessions for guitar and vocal overdubs. Watt has said that he considers this to be Minutemen's "first real album."

While the songwriting credits are shared among all three Minutemen, all of the music for the album was composed exclusively by bassist Mike Watt;[4] the bass-centered origins of the songs is especially apparent on such tracks as "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs", "Sell Or Be Sold", and "The Anchor". All three members contributed lyrics.

Also for the first time on a Minutemen record, the band had a guest musician, Saccharine Trust guitarist Joe Baiza, who added improvised guitar leads to "Beacon Sighted Through Fog" and "East Wind/Faith". Drummer George Hurley introduces his first non-drum percussion work on a Minutemen album, playing a collection of empty oil drums on "East Wind/Faith".

For what would be the only time on a Minutemen release, all of the lead vocals were sung exclusively by D. Boon, although Watt does contribute backing vocals.[5]

The opening track, "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs", is actually meant as a tribute to Dylan (a hero of Watt's since his childhood) as well as a tongue-in-cheek parody of Dylan's classic early lyrical style. Further showing off their sense of humor, Watt introduces "Mutiny In Jonestown" by slating the take during the basic track recording as "Pavarotti, take one".

"Split Red" is remade from the band's previous release, the 1982 EP Bean-Spill, with some different lyrics.

What Makes A Man Start Fires? also appears on the My First Bells cassette and the Post-Mersh Vol. 1 CD. It would be released as its own separate CD by SST in 1991.

Track listing
Side one
  1. "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs" – 1:27 (Watt)
  2. "One Chapter in the Book" – 1:00 (Watt)
  3. "Fake Contest" – 1:44 (Watt)
  4. "Beacon Sighted Through Fog" – 1:00 (Watt)
  5. "Mutiny in Jonestown" – 1:06 (Boon/Watt)
  6. "East Wind/Faith" – 2:10 (Hurley/Watt)
  7. "Pure Joy" – 1:30 (Hurley/Watt)
  8. "'99" – 1:00 (Hurley/Watt)
  9. "The Anchor" – 2:30 (Hurley/Watt)
Side two
  1. "Sell or Be Sold" – 1:45 (Boon/Watt)
  2. "The Only Minority" – 1:00 (Boon/Watt)
  3. "Split Red" – 0:52 (Boon/Watt)
  4. "Colors" – 2:05 (Boon/Watt)
  5. "Plight" – 1:37 (Boon/Watt)
  6. "The Tin Roof" – 1:08 (Watt)
  7. "Life as a Rehearsal" – 1:35 (Watt)
  8. "This Road" – 1:26 (Watt)
  9. "Polarity" – 1:44 (Watt)

Personnel

Additional musicians
  • Joe Baiza - additional guitar on "Beacon Sighted Through Fog" and "East Wind/Faith".

References
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-makes-a-man-start-fires-mw0000267967
  2. Brown, Bill (2010). You Should've Heard Just What I Seen: Collected Newspaper Articles, 1981-1984. ISBN 9780557668441. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "What Makes a Man Start Fires? Review". Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  4. Ibarra, Craig (2015). A Wailing Of A Town: An Oral History of Early San Pedro Punk And More 1977-1985. END FWY. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-0-9860971-0-2.
  5. "What Makes a Man Start Fires?". Sputnikmusic. May 5, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
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