Mr. Bungle 1995

 

Band Members: Danny Heifetz – Drums. Trevor Dunn – Bass. Clinton (Bär) McKinnon - Tenor sax, Clarinet, Keyboards. Trey Spruance - Guitar, Keyboards. Mike Patton – Vocals. William Winnant – Percussion.

 

Dates: November 18^th to December 18^th.

 

Number Of Shows Played: 21

 

Cities: 21

Countries: 2

 

Number Of Songs Played: 36

 

Songs Debuted on Tour: Let’s put it this way, the only songs that were played on this tour, but were played before were Travolta, and Platypus.

 

Overview: I want to say I am somewhat biased toward this tour because It is one of my favorites. This is a different band than on previous tours. All the same members are there, but they basically start over in terms of songs. They only play 2 songs that they had ever played before. Most shows included lots of improvisation. The addition of William Winnant is a world of difference also.

 

The Songs That Were Played:

 

"24.000 Baci" (Adriano Celentano)

One of my favorite bungle covers of all time. This song featured William Winnant on keyboards, and had a really swank, vegas type feel.

 

"Casanova 70" (Armando Trovajoli)

Another great cover debuted on this tour. This song wasn’t played near as much as it should have been. It features William Winnant on cuica, which obviously rules. Why didn’t they bring this back in 99?

 

"Cold War" (Siege)

A heavy metal number in the same style as ‘Loss For Words’, but much shorter. I have never heard the original, but am guessing it’s the same.

 

"Der Zinker" (Peter Thomas)

This would start out with Winnant and Heifetz, and then the rest of the group would come in. A really great song, my only complaint is that its really short, but well worth the listen. Another song that should have been brought back in 1999.

 

"Ei Raat Tomar Amar" (Hemanta Mukherjee)

This song is an interesting little number. The arrangement consists of piano, bells and vocals for the beginning. At one point a guitar part comes in, then some synth strings. Another quiet song that the audience enjoyed talking over. This song was played again in 1999, but no where near as well.

 

"Everybody's Working For The Weekend" (Loverboy)

This was played more times than necessary, but it was always played good, and audiences seemed to like It more than the improvised stuff they were playing. It was done pretty much the same as the original.

 

"I Sin For A Living" (The Meatmen)

Very short, and very fast. I haven’t heard any recordings of this clear enough to really tell what is going on. Anyone care to comment on it?

 

"La Lucertola" (Ennio Morricone)

This is my favorite cover Mr. Bungle has ever done. It was played fairly often during the tour It’s played fairly accurate compared to the original. Trey would play trumpet on this, and Bar would play flute. Could Danny Heifetz rule anymore on this song?

 

"Let Me Out" (Babs Gonzales)

A great song, but most recordings of this are wrecked by audience members yelling for ‘Girls Of Porn’ and other lame stuff. The arrangement sounds to just be a very simple drum part, a guitar, and Patton singing. This wasn’t played nearly enough.

 

"Loss For Words" (Corrosion Of Conformity)

A highlight of the tour, this was done fairly similar to the original. Trey’s playing was always great on this. This was only played 5 times in 1995, and all 5 performances of it were in December.

 

"Love Dance of the Saroos" (Joe Meek)

A great cover version. Very light and up beat, and provided perfect contrast to other songs that were played. The instrumentation is guitar and bass outlining the chords, and keys and Mike Patton whistling for the melody.

 

"Love In Space" (Peter Thomas)

Another slow song. Mr. Bungle played a lot of great slow songs on this tour, its too bad the audience talked over them. This featured a great sax solo, with minimalist accompaniment.

 

"Muscoli Di Velluto" (Ennio Morricone)

Another great cover. This is fairly close to the original. The instrumentation is great, using the full group. Patton sings melody lines with out lyrics, and the whole band seems to have fun with the song.

 

"Radar" (Bernard Herrmann)

This was only played once on this tour, and only played 5 times total. Is there a recording of this in 1995 anywhere?

 

After School Special

This was done surprisingly good in my opinion. During the parts between verses, William Winnant’s percussion is a treat. Trey usually played around a little with the short guitar solo. This song ends with the line “she says”, and doesn’t go into the stuff after that on the CD.

 

Backstrokin

This was done fairly similar to the album version, but suffers due to the lack of studio effects.

 

Carry Stress In The Jaw

Defiantly a highlight of the tour. This song ruled. Danny Heifetz was in top form during each performance. This song was played similar to the album version, with improv added before the Edgar Allen Poe part.

 

Chemical Marriage

This was played the same as it was on the album. Always played very good.

 

Desert Search for Techno Allah

Another tour highlight. A lot of improv was worked into this song. It was played just like it was on the album, but with some sections stretched out a bit for improv.

 

Everyone I Went To High School With Is Dead

In my opinion, this was the high point of the tour. This was usually played near the end of the show, and contained loads of improvisation. The two verses were there, but musically, everything was different every night.

 

Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz

To the best of my knowledge, this was played every night during the tour. It was played similar to the album version, with the standard deviation coming in Patton’s “mouth sounds” (read: stuff 4 year old kids do), and with improvisation occurring at the end.

 

Merry Go Bye Bye

This is said to have been played twice. Somehow I doubt it was. Does anyone know for sure?

 

Phlegmatics

This song started out with Mike Patton playing the intro drum part on a drum machine, and then the rest of the band coming in. Played pretty much the same as it is on the album. This was played a lot during the tour, and I think it was consistently one of the highlights.

 

Platypus

This was played as close to the ‘Disco Volante’ recording as possible. Some improvisation took place during Trevor’s bass solo, and Patton’s “No relation to the flounder” speech.

 

Secret Song

Played pretty much as it was on the album, without Trevor’s old guy parts. Bär played drums on this, and Danny Heifetz played keyboards.

 

The Bends - Aqua Swing

This is my favorite part of The Bends. This was played similar to the album, with the standard deviation coming in the keyboard solo.

 

The Bends - Drowning Flute

This was played similar to the album version, with slight improvisation inserted.

 

The Bends - Love On The Event Horizon

Was this actually played or not? If anyone knows for sure, email me.

 

The Bends - Panic In Blue

As with all parts of The Bends, this was played very similarly to the album version, with a little improvisation thrown in for good measure.

 

Travolta

Played too often on this tour, in my opinion. This was played the same as it always was. A bit of nostalgia for the old folks.

 

Violenza Domestica

This song was only played twice in 1995, which is a pity, because this song had a very different and very interesting arrangement. Expect an mp3 of it soon.

 

Other People’s Opinions:

 

No one has left their opinion of this tour yet. I guess that means that everything I said is exactly right. If you want to add an opinion on this tour, email me, and I will put it up.