This album and I go way back. The second gig I ever went to was Therapy? supported by Clutch and The Yo-Yos in Southampton University. Clutch blew me away with how heavy they were but also with how they managed to maintain such a smooth groove through it. At one point the drummer went on a drum solo that seemed to last for about 10 minutes and eventually went through the skin on his snare drum.
Some years later I decided I should actually pick up an album by Clutch and I remember someone telling me that The Elephant Riders was a good starting point. I have many great memories of listening to this album - I remember playing it whilst driving through the Australian outback - it wasn't to the taste of everyone in the car but Seb and I were having a great time. I also put it onto a tape as soon as I got a car of my own - I selected a handful of albums I thought would be great for driving to and The Elephant Riders was an obvious choice. As a side note, that was the last time I saw that cd; I still have the case but I've not seen the cd since. It's either in another case or somewhere at my parents' house (making all the more reason to get a copy on vinyl).
Despite my love for this album, I've never really persevered with the rest of Clutch's back-catalogue. I bought From Beale Street to Oblivion on Record Store Day a couple of years ago and it's also great. I've seen Clutch a couple of times since - both times involving trips to Wales - once with the excellent Taint supporting and a second time supporting Gwar. I'm a fan of the band and their sound, so there's really no reason not to get more of their music.
I think the main reason I've not bought any more of their albums is because The Elephant Riders keeps giving me so much joy. Every time I play it I can't help but sing along and play every air instrument I can think of. Everything about the album is huge - the choruses, the verses, the riffs. I can't list my favourite songs because they're all great. It's the perfect length - 10 songs and 50 minutes. All in all, it's just a great album.
When I saw that The Elephant Riders was being reissued for Record Store Day I immediately put it on my wish list. This year I had to commit very strongly to RSD or not at all - the last bus goes into town at 2.45 and the first bus in the morning would be way too late. The other option was a 2 hour walk, which if I was going to get a good space in the queue would involve leaving at the same time as the bus anyway. So at 3.10 on Saturday I sat outside Truck with four people in front of me. Two more appeared shortly thereafter and the queue grew from there, although it was definitely shorter than previous years. Luckily I was able to get everything I wanted, including this double red vinyl. A lot of the albums I was after they only had one copy of so it was worth-while.
It's a nice release, with the lyrics printed on the inside of the gatefold. Strangely the records were in the sleeves but not inside the gatefold and sealed that way, presumably to stop them knifing the cover in transit. It's also strange that one sleeve is a picture sleeve advertising other records on the same label and the other is plain black. It's also 45rpm rather than the usual 33 and a third, but from what I understand is that allows for a deeper sound, and The Elephant Riders needs a deep sound.
I nearly had a heart attack at the end of playing it as there is a bonus track tacked on the end of The Dragonfly after a short period of silence. From what I can tell from Discogs, a lot of the cd pressings have one of a number of bonus tracks in this place - the vinyl has the song 05. The most alarming thing was that I discovered that my cd copy has the same bonus track on the end (or, at least, the mp3s of it that I still have) and that somehow in all those years of listening to this cd I never just let it play at the end. Way back in the day I'd check on all my cds whether there were any bonus tracks, either hidden at the end or, more rarely, preceding the album and found by rewinding the first track (see As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt 2 for a fine example) but clearly I never did with The Elephant Riders. I like the way the album ends on The Dragonfly - it's such a good ending - so maybe that's why I'd never let it play out.
This is certainly a nice album to have on vinyl. When I put the album on, I immediately turned it up beyond the "normal" volume I play records at; you can't listen to Clutch quietly.
Format: Double 12", gatefold sleeve
Tracks: 10
Cost: £20 new
Bought: Truck Store
When: 16/04/16
Colour: Transparent red
Etching: none
mp3s: no
