Hippopotamomus

Hippopotamomus is the fifth studio album by British musician Momus, released in 1991 through Creation Records.

Hippopotamomus
Studio album by
Momus
Released12 August 1991 (1991-08-12)
RecordedMarch–April 1991
StudioThe Spike (Fulham, London)
LabelCreation
ProducerMomus
Momus chronology
Don't Stop the Night
(1989)		 Hippopotamomus
(1991)		 The Ultraconformist
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
NME0/10[2]
Select4/5[3]

The album's third track, "Michelin Man", caused Momus to be threatened with legal action by the Michelin tyre company. They were angered by his use of their mascot, the aforementioned Michelin Man, an anthropomorphic pile of rubber inner-tubes, as a metaphor for hypersexual rubber fetishism. As a result, all unsold copies of the album were destroyed and future pressings of the album omitted the song from the album.[4][5] The track was later reinstated on the Create 2 compilation as part of a 2018 reissue campaign with Cherry Red Records.[6]

Reception

The album received mixed reviews from critics. Melody Maker's Sharon O'Connell compared the album to the work of Serge Gainsbourg, speculating that the title referenced Gainsbourg's scatological, wordplay-heavy song "L'Hippopodame".[7] Select's Ted Kessler gave the album a positive review, calling it "wickedly seductive". Critics generally noted the album's overwhelmingly sexual themes.[7]

NME's Betty Page panned the album, giving it a rating of 0/10, labelling Momus a "perv" and "anal retentive", and taking issue with the album's themes of cannibalism, violence against women, pornography, pedophilia, and extreme sexual practices.[7] The controversy stemming from Page's review would later serve as the basis for Amongst Women Only, a 1991 documentary directed by Nicholas Triandafyllidis centred on Momus' relations with women and accusations of misogyny raised against him.[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Nicholas Currie (Momus)

No.TitleLength
1."Hippopotamomus"4:23
2."I Ate a Girl Right Up"3:16
3."Michelin Man" (also known as "Made of Rubber")1:54
4."A Dull Documentary"3:12
5."Marquis of Sadness"3:31
6."Bluestocking"3:11
7."Ventriloquists and Dolls"3:55
8."The Painter and His Model"4:29
9."A Monkey for Sallie"2:44
10."Pornography"3:04
11."Song in Contravention"4:36

References
  1. Huey, Steve. "Hippopotamomus – Momus". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. Page, Betty (6 July 1991). "Don't Call Momus..." NME. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  3. Kessler, Ted (August 1991). "Momus: Hippopotamomus". Select (14): 59.
  4. Anthony Reynolds (2018) Sons of Pioneers Cheery Red pp.9-10
  5. Shepherd, Fiona (10 September 1999). "The World Can Change in a Matter of Momus". The Scotsman. UK. p. 23. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  6. "Momus – Create 2 – Recreate (2018, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. "Hippopotamomus Reviews". imomus.com. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  8. "MOMUS / Amongst Women Only" a short film by Nicholas Triandafyllidis, retrieved 12 March 2021
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