Violent Femmes - s/t (reissue)
(Rhino)

At the time of its release, this album didn't have any roots in what was considered "cool" at the time. They sounded nothing like the distorted punk of The Ramones nor were they even slightly similar to the synth-pop of new-wave. First of all, these guys were from Milwaukee. Secondly, they were just as likely to play a street corner as they were to play a coffee shop. The guitar (bass guitar too) are largely acoustic. The drumming style is clever and the drum set is makeshift (according to the liner notes, he played something called a tranceaphone which is a metal bushel basket upended over a floor tom). The lyrics as described by the bassist are "about stuff that most people would think embarrassing, like something they might tell their psychiatrist but not their girlfriend." These elements combined to make a band vaguely reminiscent of nearly everything from Buddy Holly to The Velvet Underground, but no single band. So, this album about the anger, frustration, alienation, and loneliness of being an outsider teenager resonated deeply with the outsiders.

Almost ten years later, when I was entering the 7th grade, I had had this album burned into my memory by my older sister (she was a senior in high school at the time). I'm pretty sure that essentially everyone at my school knew at least "Kiss Off" and "Blister in the Sun," and most of them probably knew the rest of the album as well as I did. "Blister in the Sun" was played at school functions and whenever the Violent Femmes came to town, the shows were always sold out. So, for me, this album was the perfect example of mainstream music.

Another ten years later I find myself in a record store, holding the double-disc version of this album. I'm hesitant to buy it in case my friends ask what I bought, because it seems embarassing to buy it. Then I realize, who am I kidding, my friends know that I'm totally cool, so I've got nothing to worry about, and I grab my credit card and buy it.

When I get home and listen to it, I'm pleasantly surprised to find how great these songs sound. It doesn't sound dated in the way that most things sound dated. No one is writing music like this with awkward and really busy bass playing, scatterbrained guitar, and dynamic drumming. The production has a big part of this. They went into the recording of this album with the idea of recording a timeless album. So, they didn't use any flashy production. They kept it simple and just recorded what they sounded like when they had played these songs on the sidewalks of Milwaukee.

To be honest, I'm sure that if this album were released today, I wouldn't be nearly so forgiving with the overall aesthetic of the band, and definitely not the specific parts. I have a friend who hasn't heard this album, and I'm hesitant to play it for him, because I assume that when he hears it, he'll think it's awful. So, it could be that my love for this album is mostly rooted in nostalgia. But, whatever it is, I still love it.

"Promise" is probably my favorite song. The menace that lies just beneath the surface in their music is a little more obvious for this song (and the next, "To The Kill"). Although I could find a reason for nearly every song being my "favorite."

As for the extra tracks, they are virtually a complete waste of space, and dropped the rating of this album from either an 11 or 12 to a 10. The inclusion of "Girl Trouble," "Breaking Up," "Waiting For The Bus," "Ugly," and "Gimme the Car" all made me second guess my opinion of the album. These songs are all so bad. Gordon Gano was supposedly only 18 when he wrote this early material, but still, that doesn't mean they had to include demo versions of these horrible songs. The second disc is entirely live material. Which, with the Violent Femmes is pretty pointless and gratuitous. I mean, they do change the songs a little sometimes when they play them, but it's nothing drastic. They may play a part longer or differently, or Gordon may sing a different line, but it's nothing that keeps it from seeming overly redundant. The only parts worth hearing are a somewhat charming interview, and four songs from early show (1981) that was originally released as a flexi that came free with Alternative Press.

Averaging out the worth of this album by the amount of good songs versus bad songs, it would get a very low rating. But, the great liner notes (written by Michael Azerrad!) which include a song-by-song commentary on the original album by the band (which is very amusing) and the 10 great pop songs that comprise the album still outweigh the extraneous material. I would recommend just buying the original album, but if you're a big fan, then the extra stuff may be interesting to hear.

sean hammond 2002 aug 16