Fu Manchu's Scott Hill: My Ultimate "Drive Fast" Playlist | Page 2 | Revolver

Fu Manchu's Scott Hill: My Ultimate "Drive Fast" Playlist

Stoner-rock icon reveals his 25 favorite pedal-to-the-metal jams
fu-manchu-courtesyofband-1-crop.jpg, Nicholas A. Sayers
photograph by Nicholas A. Sayers

Revolver has teamed with Fu Manchu for exclusive colored vinyl pressings of their classic albums The Action Is Go and Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust. Quantities are extremely limited — get yours before they're gone!

Fu Manchu reached a crossroads in 1997. After three albums bandleader Scott Hill and his crew had established themselves as a serious rising force in the West Coast stoner-rock movement, alongside heavies like Kyuss and Sleep, but things inside the band weren't going so well.

"We were on tour for our [1996] In Search of … record and we weren't getting along, me and [bassist] Brad [Davis] weren't getting along with our drummer [Ruben Romano] and lead guitar player [Eddie Glass] personally and musically," Hill told us. "They weren't happy, we weren't happy …"

Romano and Glass ultimately parted ways with Fu Manchu — and Hill invited two new members into the fold: drummer Brant Bjork (of Kyuss) and guitarist Bob Balch. The lineup changes immediately recharged the group, and they hit the ground running: jamming out the now classic EP Godzilla before laying down Fu's fourth full-length, The Action Is Go.

"It was a good time," Hill said of the era around the recordings. "Brant got in the band, we were coming up with a lot of songs. We were doing a lot of touring, selling a lot of stuff on vinyl. … It was a very productive time. … We were getting along really well, hanging out, surfing together. Brant was living in Palm Desert. I lived right at the beach and he always wanted to learn how to surf. So we're out there, pushing him out on six-foot waves and he's just getting worked, and we're laughing. It was good time."

The songs that came out of that era — including "Evil Eye," "Godzilla" and "Urethane" — rank high among fan favorites, and both The Action Is Go and Godzilla (which was repackaged in 1999 as the full-length Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust) are essential entries in the SoCal riff-rock cannon. Fu Manchu's groove-heavy cuts have also become go-to soundtracks for all types of rad activities: from surf trips and snowboard runs to skate sessions ("Evil Eye" appeared on the soundtrack for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2) and high-octane road trips through the desert.

We know what Hill likes to blast when he hops on his board, but we were curious about what's on his stereo when he hits the road. The frontman was happy to oblige, and graciously shared the following "drive fast" playlist.

"I have a 1968 Chevy El Camino," Hill told us, "and [if] I need to be somewhere fast, this is a compilation I will play!"