First album with producer Dave Fridmann

Drummer Nathan Roberts replaced English and guitarist Jonathan Donahue (also a member of the alternative rock band Mercury Rev ) joined in 1989. In a Priest Driven Ambulance , their first album with producer Dave Fridmann , was recorded at the State University of New York in Fredonia for $5 an hour on a $10,000 budget. The album was host to a marked expansion in the band’s sound and their previous experiments in tape loops and effects were given a more prominent role. During this period, Coyne made his transition to a higher, more strained vocal style akin to Neil Young , which he first used on Telepathic Surgery ‘s “Chrome Plated Suicide” and has employed ever since.