Freak Magnet [IMPORT]

Violent Femmes

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 7, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 7, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Beyond Records
• ASIN: B00004KD35
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,657 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hollywood Is High

2. Freak Magnet

3. Sleepwalkin'

4. All I Want

5. New Generation

6. In the Dark

7. Rejoice and Be Happy

8. Mosh Pit

9. Forbidden

10. When You Died

11. At Your Feet

12. I Danced

13. I'm Bad

14. Happiness Is

15. Story - Pierre Henry, Violent Femmes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Formed in the early 1980s, the Violent Femmes and their folky, quirky, acoustic-driven take on power pop gained them a reputation as the freakish cousins of the then-massive new-wave movement. It also gave them quite a huge following, especially after the success of their debut. Their formula was simple: Gordon Gano's adenoidal whine and offbeat lyrics coupled with Brian Ritchie's frenzied acoustic bass and a simple, stripped down drum kit. Almost two decades later, their formula really hasn't changed much; Freak Magnet couldn't really have been performed by anyone other than the Violent Femmes. Gordon Gano still knows how to write great pop songs, and "Hollywood Is High," "Sleepwalkin'," or "New Generation" could have easily appeared on any previous Violent Femmes release. Freak Magnet is not the sound of a band maturing or exploring a new sound or even expanding on an old one; rather, it's the sound of a band comfortably within its element. After the feeble effort of 1994's New Times, Freak Magnet is a fantastic return to form. --Robert Burrow

Product Description

Originally scheduled for a 1998 release on Interscope, Freak Magnet was pulled when the band was dropped from the label. The album was eventually released in improved form by indie label Beyond in 2000, but that label went under, leaving Freak Magnet in limbo once again. Now, High Coin is reissuing an even more improved version of Freak Magnet including three bonus tracks, finally giving it the widespread exposure it deserves. Bonus tracks: Live Versions of 'Rejoice And Be Happy', 'Freak Magnet' and 'Positively 4th Street'. 2006. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They're Back, March 10, 2000

By	Kyle (Charlotte) - See all my reviews

After years without a studio album, Freak Magnet is finally out. It is their best album since "Why Do Birds Sing?". After the weak "New Times" and the only slightly better import only "ROCK", the Violent Femms have regained their footing. Songs like "Freak Magnet", "Sleepwalking" and "I Danced" are fun upbeat tunes that sound like the old Violent Femms. This is a must have album for any Violent Femms fan.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yikes, what a cool album!, March 29, 2000

By	Gnarly Dunebuggy - See all my reviews

One of the best party albums I've heard. Although the second half of the album is a little less upbeat (and the last song is downright scary), all of the songs are strong. I really like the title song and the US single, "Sleepwalkin'". It's classic Femmes...and I kind of think of it as their first album, only a little more electric and quite a bit more upbeat. I definitely recommend Freak Magnet!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars kicking, March 27, 2000

By	Aaron Gutsell (Fort Benning, Georgia) - See all my reviews

Releasing their first studio album in six years, the Violent Femmes have received mixed reviews. Comments have included progress, the punkish, cynical band still cranking out clever little ditties that are wearing thin after 15 years. Superficially, this may seem a correct analysis, but on deeper reflection, entirely wrong. VF's two previous releases, New Times, and, Why Do Birds Sing? are unrelated sounds, each its own genius, the maligned New Times a logical, intellectual sound extension, and also a filled-out, grown-up VF sound. Who else in the world could have written a catchy song about the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio? Freak Magnet has brushed away the complexity of adding to the New Times sound, an evolutionary dead-end, and made a switch as timely as U2's musical progress between Rattle & Hum and Achtung Baby. Freak Magnet reviewers have also been skewed by experience. None mention having seen the Femmes live, and this album is all about live; refer a welcome treat, Viva Wisconsin, released in the last 6 months. Freak Magnet is the cumulative output of 20 years plugged and unplugged, streetcorner, theater, stadium and studio. A writer's object is their so-called 'natural voice', not fancy college words getting in the way of communication, but a conversational voice best captured on a tape recorder. Freak Magnet is the VF Natural Voice, their musical Natural Voice, an album instantly translatable to the stage, the quick tempo of a busking-sound drum, their style, as distinctive as the wrong-end drumsticks of Pantera. Catch this music live and you will know conversion, and when it comes time to slow the show down, VF will perform bittersweet ballads up there w/ the best. U2 is rumored to be returning to their old sound- the Joshua Tree era- minus techno, can they as assuredly make the transition to their roots as the Violent Femmes?