Violent Femmes is the debut album by Violent Femmes. Mostly recorded in July 1982, the album was released by Slash Records on vinyl and on cassette in April 1983,[1][2] and on CD in 1987[3][4] with two extra tracks "Ugly" and "Gimme the Car".
In 2002, Rhino Records remastered the album, filled out the disc's length with demos, and added another disc of live tracks and a radio interview for a 20th anniversary special edition, with liner notes by Michael Azerrad.
Violent Femmes is the band's most successful album to date and went platinum eight years after its release. The album achieved what is believed to be a unique feat by going gold, four years after its release, without having yet made an appearance on Billboard's Top 200 album chart.
Slant Magazine listed the album at #21 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s".[5]
Contents[]
Album[edit][]
Most of the songs on both this album and its follow-up were written when the songwriter, Gordon Gano, was still in high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[6] Violent Femmes peaked at #171 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart in 1991.[7]
Reception[edit][]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [8] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[9] |
J. D. Considine in a 23 June 1983 review in Rolling Stone felt that the debut was precocious yet dynamic, with a good balance between Gano's direct lyrics and the full sound of the music.[10]
Both Robert Christgau in an undated Consumer Guide Review and Steve Huey in an AllMusic retrospective, compared the album and singer Gordon Gano with Jonathan Richman of The Modern Lovers;[11][12] a comparison which Gano was sick of by May 1983, as he was trying to sound like Steve Wynn.[13]
Track listing[edit][]
All songs written by Gordon Gano, except as noted.
Side one
- "Blister in the Sun" – 2:25
- "Kiss Off" – 2:56
- "Please Do Not Go" – 4:15
- "Add It Up" – 4:44
- "Confessions" – 5:32
Side two
- "Prove My Love" – 2:39
- "Promise" – 2:49
- "To the Kill" – 4:01
- "Gone Daddy Gone" (Gano, Willie Dixon) – 3:06
- "Good Feeling" – 3:52
- US CD bonus tracks
- "Ugly" – 2:21
- "Gimme the Car" – 5:04
- 20th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks
- "Girl Trouble" (demo) – 3:07
- "Breakin' Up" (demo) – 5:17
- "Waiting for the Bus" (demo) – 2:08
- "Blister in the Sun" (demo) – 2:35
- "Kiss Off" (demo) – 2:49
- "Please Do Not Go" (demo) – 4:18
- "Add It Up" (demo) – 4:35
- "Confessions" (demo) – 5:20
- "Prove My Love" (demo) – 2:50
- "Ugly" (UK single) – 2:22
- "Gimme the Car" (UK single) – 5:07
- 20th Anniversary Edition bonus live disc
- "Special" (live) – 4:27
- "Country Death Song" (live) – 5:25
- "To the Kill" (live) – 4:19
- "Never Tell" (live) – 7:17
- "Break Song" (live) – 0:41
- "Her Television" (live) – 2:28
- "How Do You Say Goodbye" (live) – 2:43
- "Theme and Variations" (live) – 0:54
- "Prove My Love" (live) – 3:19
- "Gone Daddy Gone" (live) – 3:32 (Gano, Willie Dixon)
- "Promise" (live) – 3:09
- "In Style" (live) – 3:43
- "Add It Up" (live) – 6:15
- Michael Feldman Interview from WHA-FM – 4:09
- "Kiss Off" (live on WHA-FM) – 3:31
Personnel[edit][]
- Violent Femmes
- Victor DeLorenzo – drums, Scotch marching bass drum, snare drum, tranceaphone, vocals
- Gordon Gano – guitar, violin, lead vocals
- Brian Ritchie – acoustic bass guitar, electric bass guitar, xylophone, vocals
- Additional personnel
- Mark Van Hecke – production; piano on "Good Feeling"
- Luke W. Midkiff – percussion on "Kiss Off"
Charts[edit][]
Album
| Chart | Entry
date |
Peak
position |
Weeks charted |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARIA Charts[14] | January 27, 1986 | 34 | 32 |
| The Billboard 200[15] | August 3, 1991 | 171 | 7 |
Certifications[edit][]
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – USA | Gold | December 8, 1987[citation needed] |
| Platinum | February 1, 1991[citation needed] |