Thank the Holder Uppers


Thank the Holder Uppers is an album by the American band Claw Hammer. The band's first major label album, it was released in 1995 via Interscope Records. Claw Hammer supported the album with a North American tour.

Production

The album was produced by Brett Gurewitz, the head of the band's former label. The band often added harmonica, saxophone, and piano to the album's longer tracks.

Critical reception

The Washington Post wrote that singer John Wahl's "high pitched vocals and Christopher Bagarozzi's guitar-hero fretwork may recall Led Zep, but the band's rhythms and sense of structure owe more to Captain Beefheart." Trouser Press thought that "the foursome caper rowdily like kids set loose in a candy store."
Westword opined that the songs "may sometimes seem quizzical—'Blind Pig' is the weirdest imaginable ZZ Top imitation, while 'Olfactory Blues/Nosehair' resembles a bizarre marriage of Frank Zappa and, well, Foghat—but they're never, never boring." CMJ New Music Monthly declared that, "problem is, these guys seem a little too proficient on their instruments, enamored of severe tempo changes for the sake of keeping themselves interested." LA Weekly praised the "exceptional guitarists and crackerjack drummer, Bob Lee."
AllMusic wrote: "In sum, think of Funhouse-era Stooges with a few more instruments and slightly quiet moments, almost as good a vocalist and crisp production, and there's Holder Uppers in a nutshell." In another retrospective review, Spin deemed the album "a totally unmarketable combo of cartoonishly venomous wails, chainsaw riffs, and harmonica solos."

Personnel

  • Chris Bagarozzi - guitar
  • Bob Lee - drums
  • John Wahl - vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Rob Walther - bass