To the Center
1999 studio album by Nebula
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To the Center is the debut studio album by the American stoner rock band Nebula.[1][2] It was released on August 24, 1999, on Sub Pop.[3] The album was later reissued in 2018 by the band's current label, Heavy Psych Sounds Records.[4][5]
| To the Center | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 24, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | April 1999 | |||
| Studio | Hanszek Audio, Seattle, Washington | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:51 | |||
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| Producer |
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| Nebula chronology | ||||
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Production
Recorded in Seattle, the album was produced with Jack Endino.[6] Guitarist Eddie Glass played a Gibson SG.[7]
Mark Arm sang on the band's cover of the Stooges' "I Need Somebody".[8]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Antichrist Magazine | 78/100[10] |
| Chicago Sun-Times | [7] |
| Classic Rock | 8/10[11] |
| New Noise Magazine |  [12] |
Exclaim! wrote that Glass "transformed himself into a veritable guitar god almost overnight in an era wherein the slightest six-string noodling is waved off the road, considered indulgent."[3] The Chicago Tribune thought that "acoustic guitars, sitar, [and] synthesizer give this Hendrix-like trio added texture."[13] OC Weekly decided that "the band also gets a little groovy, pulling out the aural incense to jam on the Fugazi-like 'Freedom' and synthesizer-laced, Jefferson Airplane-ish 'Synthetic Dream'."[14]
The Province determined that "this power trio seems to have blotted up its churn and burn from ancient Frisco acid rock band, Blue Cheer."[15] Tucson Weekly deemed To the Center "an album which undeniably pushes the band to the forefront of its genre, whether or not you've got a bong in front of you."[16]
Houston Press wrote: "On a song such as 'Come Down', Nebula actually does what few '90s bands have ever done, chemically enhanced or not: It achieves true heaviness. After the song's simple three-note syncopated intro doubles back on itself, Glass scratches his guitar pick down his strings before singing the hurried lyrics. And it's during those one and a half seconds, the time it takes for Glass's pick to travel a few inches, that Nebula is the heaviest band on earth. Not since Ritchie Blackmore's days with Deep Purple has the simple gesture of pick scratching been used so perfectly."[17]
AllMusic called the album a "retro-psychedelic heavy rock platter, long on stripped-down riff muscle and surprisingly technically adept guitar jams."[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Eddie Glass and Ruben Romano, except where noted. All music by Glass.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "To the Center" | 6:31 | |
| 2. | "Come Down" | 2:01 | |
| 3. | "Whatcha Lookin' For" | 2:37 | |
| 4. | "Clearlight" | 4:29 | |
| 5. | "Freedom" | 7:14 | |
| 6. | "Antigone" | 2:30 | |
| 7. | "I Need Somebody" | Iggy Pop, James Williamson | 4:18 |
| 8. | "So Low" | 3:45 | |
| 9. | "Synthetic Dream" | 4:28 | |
| 10. | "Fields of Psilocybin" | 2:15 | |
| 11. | "Between Time" | Randy Holden | 3:22 |
| 12. | "You Mean Nothing" | 4:21 | |
| Total length: | 47:51 | ||
Personnel
- Eddie Glass – guitar, vocals, percussion, Fender Rhodes, bolbatar, drums
- Ruben Romano – drums, vocals, percussion, sitar
- Mark Abshire – bass, vocals, audio generator
Additional personnel
- Mark Arm – vocals on "I Need Somebody"
- Jon Wright – Fender Rhodes on "To the Center" and "So Low"