{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{correct title|reason=namespace|edit=omission|title=Project: Mersh}} {{Infobox album | name = Project: Mersh | type = ep | artist = Minutemen | cover = Project-mersh.jpg | alt = | released = April 8, 1985 | recorded = February 1985 | venue = | studio = | genre = Punk rock | length = 22:14 | language = English | label = SST (034) | producer = Joe Carducci | prev_title = Double Nickels on the Dime | prev_year = 1984 | next_title = 3-Way Tie (For Last) | next_year = 1985 }} '''''Project: Mersh''''' is the final extended play by American punk rock trio Minutemen, released on April 8, 1985, through SST Records. It is the band's penultimate release before the death of frontman and composer D. Boon later that year due to injuries sustained in an auto accident.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bogdanov|first1=Vladimir|last2=Woodstra|first2=Chris|last3=Erlewine|first3=Stephen Thomas|title=All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul|page=741|publisher=Hal Leonard|year=2002|isbn= 9780879306533}}</ref>
==Background== The cover art is a painting by D. Boon depicting a meeting of three exhausted record label executives in which one of them says "I got it! We'll have them write hit songs!" ''Project: Mersh'' was a sarcastic and ironic attempt at a commercial (or "mersh") recording rather than their "econo" method.<ref name="rice">{{cite journal | last=Rice|first=Barbara|title=The Minutemen|url=http://www.dementlieu.com/users/obik/arc/other/mmen_tn10.html| journal =Truly Needy | volume =1 | issue =10 |date =1986 |access-date = March 27, 2019}}</ref> Though, as bassist Mike Watt pointed out in a 1985 Bard College interview, "It's only mersh because we said it was mersh, it only sold about half as much as our art record ''Double Nickels on the Dime''." All six songs surpass the two-minute mark ("More Spiel" is nearly six minutes long) and incorporate verses, choruses, hooks, and fade outs,<ref name="rice"/> in contrast to nearly all the band's previous recordings. Crane, who provided backing vocals and played the trumpet on ''Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat'', returned to lend his voice and instrumentals to the album. The album even utilizes a synthesizer, which was played by Ethan James who produced their previous album ''Double Nickels on the Dime''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/project-mersh-mw0000272969/credits|title=Project: Mersh - Minutemen - Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|accessdate=26 November 2018}}</ref> The album also features a cover of Steppenwolf's "Hey Lawdy Mama."<ref>{{cite web|last=Coley|first=Brian|title=Minute by Minutemen|url=http://sidemouse.com/bcoley.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060219005113/http://sidemouse.com/bcoley.htm|archivedate=February 19, 2006|accessdate=May 10, 2019}}</ref>
==Reception== {{Music ratings |rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/project-mersh-mw0000272969|title=Project: Mersh Minutemen |website=AllMusic|accessdate=26 November 2018}}</ref> |rev2 = ''Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s'' | rev2score = B+<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|authorlink=Robert Christgau|title=The Politics of Time|year=1994 |url=https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord0000chri/page/276/mode/2up?q=minutemen|publisher=Robert Christgau|isbn=9780306805820 |accessdate=April 21, 2022}}</ref> | rev3 = ''The Great Rock Discography'' | rev3score = 6/10<ref>{{cite book|title=The Great Rock Discography|author=Martin C. Strong|author-link=Martin C. Strong|edition=1st|year=1998|isbn=978-0-86241-827-4|publisher=Canongate Books|url=http://www.folklib.net/book/index/book_strong_rock.shtml#TMntmn|access-date=March 15, 2020}}</ref> | rev4 = ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' | rev4Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=RSguide>{{cite book |chapter=Minutemen |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/545 545–546] |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |first=Rob |last=Sheffield |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |edition=4th |year=2004 |publisher=Fireside Books |location=London |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA546 |access-date=October 17, 2011 }}</ref> }} Byron Coley at ''Spin'' said "it seemed a forward-moving continuation of the form annihilation the band had undertaken with ''Double Nickels on the Dime''. The band seem like San Pedro, California's branch of the Sun Ra Arkestra at one moment and the '85 version of Cream the next."<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine= Spin | title=Spins|author=Byron Coley| date=April 1986|issue=12|page=43}}</ref>
==Track listing== ;Side one #"The Cheerleaders" (D. Boon) – 3:52 #"King of the Hill" (Boon) – 3:24 #"Hey Lawdy Mama" – 3:37 (Larry Byrom, Jerry Edmonton & John Kay of Steppenwolf)
;Side two #"Take Our Test" (Mike Watt) – 2:44 #"Tour-Spiel" (Watt) – 2:45 #"More Spiel" (Watt) – 5:52
==Personnel== ;The Minutemen *D. Boon – guitar, singing *George Hurley – drums, sound effects, wood block *Mike Watt – bass guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, speech
;Additional musicians *Crane – trumpet, backing vocals *Ethan James – synthesizer, backing vocals
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! scope="col" | Chart (1985) ! scope="col" | Peak<br />position |- | UK Indie Chart<ref>{{cite book |first=Barry |last=Lazell |url=http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/m.htm |title=Indie Hits 1980-1989 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |date=1997 |accessdate=September 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606125743/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/m.htm |archivedate=June 6, 2011 }}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|21 |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Minutemen}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1985 EPs Category:Minutemen (band) albums Category:SST Records EPs Category:1980s concept albums