You’d think over the course of 26 years, a major label and influence that looms over bands like Mastodon and Tool, the Melvins would have cracked the Billboard 200 by now. However, due to their consistent cult-like fan base and declining album sales all around, the 2,809 copies of The Bride Screamed Murder that they sold in their first week led to the band’s debut at #200 on the chart.
The debut isn’t even their best opening week of their 19 albums. That would be 1996’s Stag, which sold about 4,000. Houdini was their most successful, with the 1993 album selling 110,000 copies overall. The band seemed somewhat surprised, with Buzz Osbourne replying “Top 200 What?”
The article contains one of the most random bits of Melvins trivia ever: among the many bassists the band has had is one of Shirley Temple’s daughters!
