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RODuel by Swervedriver (MTV 120 Minutes 1993)
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On 12 August 1993, Swervedriver released their second album, Mezcal Head, produced by Alan Moulder and Swervedriver. Franklin and Hartridge credited Moulder for making the album sound "big and clear" and doing "way more for us than we had hoped for." The album debuted at number 55 in the UK and was critically acclaimed—NME asserted, "you are defied not to sit back, ride its massive cadences, revel in its classical form and sleek lines, and... fall helplessly in love." Later reviews praised it "combined the best elements of shoegazing with grunge and even American indie rock" and "really is the lost classic of the shoegaze movement." Its first single, "Duel", garnered both NME's and Melody Maker's "Single of the Week" and hit number 60 on the UK chart (their highest charting single to date). The band shot two videos for the single: a self-produced snowboarding excursion at Mount Hood and a big-budget MTV effort set in downtown Los Angeles, which included new bassist George. Swervedriver set off touring for the album in the UK and then moved to North America in late 1993 to join Shudder to Think and the Smashing Pumpkins, solidifying a strong American following in the process.
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