Sixteen Stone

Sixteen Stone
Studio album by Bush
Released	December 6, 1994
Recorded	January 1994 at Westside Studios, London, England
Genre	Grunge, post-grunge
Length	52:38
Label	Trauma, Interscope, Atlantic, Kirtland Records (2004 reissue)
Producer	Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley & Bush
Bush chronology
Sixteen Stone (1994) Razorblade Suitcase (1996)
Singles from Sixteen Stone
"Everything Zen" Released: January 28, 1995 "Little Things" Released: May 30, 1995 "Comedown" Released: September 26, 1995 "Glycerine" Released: November 14, 1995 "Machinehead" Released: April 9, 1996

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	B−
Q

Sixteen Stone is the debut album of British rock band Bush. Released in 1994 through Trauma Records, it boasted numerous successful singles and is widely regarded as the band's most popular album.

Packaging

In the UK, a stone is a unit of weight that equals 14 pounds. Therefore, sixteen stone means 224 pounds or about 102 kilograms. When asked why lead singer Gavin Rossdale chose the name "Sixteen Stone" for the name of their album, he said: "Once upon a time there was a lonely man... my friend, who called a phone number advertising a '21 year old Scandinavian beauty, new in town.' When she arrived, she was forty years old and sixteen stone..." In the booklet of Sixteen Stone, there is a heart and a dedication to Rupert and Julie, two of Gavin's friends who died in a boating accident along the Thames in England. The cover insert has a picture of what looks like a bush or mop head flying through the air. This is actually Gavin's dog named Winston. A Puli, a breed of dog with dreadlock-like cords, that has been tossed in the air or is jumping. Beck used the same effect in 1996 with a Komondor, another Hungarian dog breed that has similar fur to the Puli, on his album Odelay which looks like a mop jumping a hurdle.

Release and reception

Commercial performance

On the Billboard Music Charts (North America), Sixteen Stone peaked at #4 on the Heatseekers and Billboard 200 charts. The album spawned two Top 40 singles. After about 6 months of promotion for Sixteen Stone, the album began to sell wildly, once "Comedown" and "Glycerine" struck America. U.S. sales for Sixteen Stone finally passed the six million mark in 2010.

Critical reception

The album overall had fairly good reception, although one critic mentions that the band sounds too much like Seattle rockers Nirvana and Pearl Jam. In later years Bush would distance themselves from the familiar grunge sounds with experimental releases such as The Science of Things, and Deconstructed.

Track listing

All tracks written by Gavin Rossdale.

1. "Everything Zen" - 4:38
2. "Swim" - 4:56
3. "Bomb" - 3:23
4. "Little Things" - 4:24
5. "Comedown" - 5:27
6. "Body" - 5:43
7. "Machinehead" - 4:16
8. "Testosterone" - 4:20
9. "Monkey" - 4:01
10. "Glycerine" - 4:27
11. "Alien" - 6:34
12. "X-Girlfriend" - 0:45

Early pressings of the album do not list "Alien" on the back cover (there is a blank space where the title should be). "Monkey" is also missing from the inside cover, but both songs have lyrics printed and appear on the album.

Subsequent pressings also include an acoustic version of "Comedown" and a second CD of live tracks, "Swim," "Alien," "Bomb," and "Little Things." Rather than actually being acoustic, the bonus "Comedown" track is actually Rossdale singing and playing guitar with more effects. This version is also slower paced, has violins added and has no drums or bass guitar.

Personnel

• Clive Langer – producer, engineer, mixing
• Paul Cohen – photography, cover photo
• Caroline Dale – cello
• Robin Goodridge – drums
• David J. Holman – mixing
• Paul Palmer – mixing
• Danton Supple – assistant engineer
• Robert Vosgien – mastering
• Alan Winstanley – producer, engineer, mixing
• Winston – vocals
• Gavyn Wright – violin, viola
• Bush – producer, engineer
• Dave Parsons – Bass
• Vincas Bundza – harmonica
• Jasmine Lewis – vocals
• Nigel Pulsford – guitar, string arrangements
• Gavin Rossdale – guitar, vocals
• Alessandro Vittorio Tateo – vocals
• Mark Lebon – photography
• Debra Burley – coordination
• Jackie Holland – coordination
• Gillian Spitchuk – paintings

Charting singles

Billboard Music Charts (North America)

Year	Song	Chart	Spot
1995	Everything Zen	Modern Rock Tracks	No. 2
1995	Everything Zen	Mainstream Rock Tracks	No. 5
1995	Little Things	Modern Rock Tracks	No. 4
1995	Little Things	Mainstream Rock Tracks	No. 6
1995	Comedown	Modern Rock Tracks	No. 1
1995	Comedown	Mainstream Rock Tracks	No. 2
1995	Comedown	Billboard Hot 100	No. 30
1995	Glycerine	Modern Rock Tracks	No. 1
1995	Glycerine	Mainstream Rock Tracks	No. 4
1995	Glycerine	Billboard Hot 100	No. 28
1995	Glycerine	Top 40 Mainstream	No. 28
1996	Machinehead	Modern Rock Tracks	No. 4
1996	Machinehead	Mainstream Rock Tracks	No. 4
1996	Machinehead	Billboard Hot 100	No. 43

Charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
Top Pop Albums of the 90's	59
U.S Billboard 200	4
UK Albums Chart	42
ARIA Charts	5
Ultratop	14
Canadian Albums Chart	7
Media Control Charts	68
Megacharts	20
RIANZ	2