Soul Coughing - Fully Retractable

El Oso (a literal translation of the Spanish for 'The Bear'), released in 1998 (see 1998 in music) is the third and final album by the New York City band Soul Coughing. The disc is marked by a deep drum and bass influence--before starting work on the album, the band toured with Full Cycle DJs Krust and Die (in fact, their band with Roni Size, Reprazent, won the Mercury Prize in 1997 and thus put the kibosh on a notion to have them produce)--and by a scattershot approach to production: Tchad Blake (Soul C's Ruby Vroom, Latin Playboys, Sheryl Crow) Pat Dillett (They Might Be Giants, Doveman, Mary J. Blige), and British drum and bass DJ Optical (Goldie, Grooverider, Ed Rush.)

Artist Jim Woodring (Frank) drew the cartoon "monkey-bear" on the disc's cover.

The chorus of the song "$300" is a sample of a Chris Rock joke; singer Mike Doughty heard the joke on Rock's Roll With the New. Curious, Doughty recorded it into his ASR-10 sampler with the intention of simply reversing it and seeing what the joke was, and wrote the song around what he found there. The song was used in the House episode "The Softer Side" in 2009.

Some consider El Oso to be a marked deviation from their previous albums, Ruby Vroom and Irresistible Bliss, particularly in its departure from jazz and continuation of the melodicism of Bliss in an overall darker mood.

The disc yielded Soul Coughing's biggest hit single, "Circles." Tchad Blake, who produced the tune, hated it, and told them it would be a mistake to release it. Cartoon Network gave it a music video in which Hannah-Barberra toons walked along looped backgrounds as part of the Cartoon Network Groovies.

Made #1 on KTUH's charts on the week of January 25, 1999.

Track listing

All music by Soul Coughing. All lyrics written by Mike Doughty unless otherwise noted.
"Rolling" 3:36
"Misinformed" 3:25
"Circles" 3:07
"Blame" 5:01
"St. Louise Is Listening" 4:29
"Maybe I'll Come Down" 4:32
"Houston" 4:04
"$300" 3:08
"Fully Retractable" 3:26
"Monster Man" 4:16
"Pensacola" (Doughty/Ava Chin) 4:16
"I Miss the Girl" 4:03
"So Far I Have Not Found the Science" 2:53
"The Incumbent" (Doughty/Mark De Gil Antoni) 6:46

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Soul
• Coughing
• Mike
• Doughty
• Fully
• Retractable
• El
• Oso
• 1998

[papaclanc]

Three minute rock music doesnt get much cooler than this song, or this band, for that matter.

[TheLordded]

Great song one if not my favourite soul coughing song

[TheEliteM0NK3Y]

Bass boosted.

[BoBtheparrot7]

@timsticle well, obviously the song is about a break up. Most likely a pretty messy one. In the order of a relationship it goes:

1.Meeting the woman/man

2.Having a relationship (probably rocky)

3. Breaking up

I assume thats what he means considering he says "3 stings... won't kill me" as in, although the "3 stings" hurt him he is trying to remind himself that he will get over her and it "won't kill him".

At least thats what I can draw from it.

[BoBtheparrot7]

Shooed out like a house fly,

this house was half my mind.

I don't dispute the doubts you've outlined.

But it's my right to waste your time

[timsticle]

can someone tell me what he means by 3 stings?

[rockandrollmcdonalds]

good song, good album...also the album ruby vroom is pretty good too, i reccomend that

[gtmattz]

2 ppl pras rng butan :(

[cloudparter]

This is some groovy shit.. Love it!

[x24z26]

half masted, bass boosted, sling backed, fully retractable

[seanr1013q]

I don't ispute the doubt you've outlined

[johnrbirdsong]

subsequently these things wont kill me