Violent Femmes is the debut album by Violent Femmes, recorded in July 1982, the album was released by Slash Records on vinyl and on cassette in April 13, 1983, and on CD in 1987, 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. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album gold four years after its release and platinum four years after that, despite it never having appeared on the Billboard 200 albums chart. After achieving platinum certification on February 1, 1991, the album finally charted on the Billboard 200 for the first time on August 3, 1991, and peaked at number 171. Since Nielsen Music began electronically tracking sales in 1991, the album has sold 1.8 million copies. Blending RIAA certifications and Nielsen Music sales data, the record’s American sales were estimated at three million as of 2016.
Tracklist:
Side One
- Blister in the Sun
- Kiss Off
- Please Do Not Go
- Add It Up
- Confessions
Side Two
- Prove My Love
- Promise
- To the Kill
- Gone Daddy Gone
- Good Feeling
Violent Femmes
Victor DeLorenzo: snare drum, tranceaphone, drum set, scotch marching bass drum, backing vocals
Gordon Gano: acoustic and electric guitars, violin, lead vocals
Brian Ritchie: acoustic and electric bass guitars, xylophone, backing vocals
Additional personnel
Mark Van Hecke: production, piano on “Good Feeling”
