Violent Femmes (CD - 1983)

The Violent Femmes: Gordon Gano (vocals, guitar, violin); Brian Ritchie (acoustic & electric basses, xylophone, background vocals); Victor DeLorenzo (drums, tranceaphone, background vocals).

Recorded at Castle Studios, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in July 1982 and Music Works Studios, London, England on August 31 & September 1, 1983.

The Violent Femmes: Gordan Gano (vocals, guitar, violin); Brian Ritchie (vocals, nose flute, xylophone, acoustic & electric bass); Victor DeLorenzo (vocals, drums, trancephone)

Producers include: Mark Van Hecke, Violent Femmes.

Reissue producers: Victor DeLorenzo, Brian Ritchie

Recorded between 1981 & 1983. Includes liner notes by Michael Azerrad.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

One of the most distinctive records of the early alternative movement and an enduring cult classic, Violent Femmes weds the geeky, child-man persona of Jonathan Richman and the tense, jittery, hyperactive feel of new wave in an unlikely context: raw, amateurish acoustic folk-rock. The music also owes something to the Modern Lovers' minimalism, but powered by Brian Ritchie's busy acoustic bass riffing and the urgency and wild abandon of punk rock, the Femmes forged a sound all their own. Still, the main reason Violent Femmes became the preferred soundtrack for the lives of many an angst-ridden teenager is lead singer and songwriter Gordon Gano. Naive and childish one minute, bitterly frustrated and rebellious the next, Gano's vocals perfectly captured the contradictions of adolescence and the difficulties of making the transition to adulthood. Clever lyrical flourishes didn't hurt either; while "Blister In the Sun" has deservedly become a standard, "Kiss Off"'s chant-along "count-up" section, "Add It Up"'s escalating "Why can't I get just one..." couplets, and "Gimme the Car"'s profanity-obscuring guitar bends ensured that Gano's intensely vulnerable confessions of despair and maladjustment came off as catchy and humorous as well. Even if the songwriting slips a bit on occasion, Gano's personality keeps the music engaging and compelling without overindulging in his seemingly willful naiveté. For the remainder of their career, the group would only approach this level in isolated moments. ~ Steve Huey

An undisputed classic of the American rock underground, the Violent Femmes' 1982 self-titled debut still shines with its original luster. Quirky, catchy, innovative, and explosive, the Femmes made what was probably the first acoustic punk-folk-rockabilly-New Wave document for the dispossessed. The formula is as ingenious as it is simple--a trio playing guitar, bass, and drums runs through songs of adolescent angst, vulnerability, and social/sexual frustration.

In addition to their distinctive, minimal sound--guitarist Gordon Gano's rhythmic chord progressions filled out by Brian Ritchie's fluid bass and Victor De Lorenzo's aggressive brushwork on the drums--it is Gano's singing and superb songwriting that earmarks VIOLENT FEMMES. For the most part, Gano sounds like a psychotic, self-pitying, hormonally crazed teenager as he whines, stutters, and yowls his way through these remarkable songs. This two-disc deluxe edition includes rarities and live tracks, in addition to the paranoid "Kiss Off," the slinky "Gone Daddy Gone," and the lusty "Add It Up." And, of course, anyone who was a teenager in the '80s knows the glorious "Blister in the Sun," a seemingly permanent staple of dance venues across the United States.

An undisputed classic of the American rock underground, the Violent Femmes' 1982 self-titled debut still shines with its original luster. Quirky, catchy, innovative, and explosive, the Femmes made what was probably the first acoustic punk-folk-rockabilly-New Wave document for the dispossessed. The formula is as ingenious as it is simple--a trio playing guitar, bass, and drums runs through songs of adolescent angst, vulnerability, and social/sexual frustration.

In addition to their distinctive, minimal sound--guitarist Gordon Gano's rhythmic chord progressions filled out by Brian Ritchie's fluid bass and Victor De Lorenzo's aggressive brushwork on the drums--it is Gano's singing and superb songwriting that earmarks VIOLENT FEMMES. For the most part, Gano sounds like a psychotic, self-pitying, hormonally crazed teenager as he whines, stutters, and yowls his way through these remarkable songs. The CD includes two tracks not on the original album, in addition to the paranoid "Kiss Off," the slinky "Gone Daddy Gone," and the lusty "Add It Up." And, of course, anyone who was a teenager in the '80s knows the glorious "Blister in the Sun," a seemingly permanent staple of dance venues across the United States. minimize