Freak Magnet
2000 studio album by Violent Femmes
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Freak Magnet is the eighth studio album by Violent Femmes, released in 2000.[4][5] It contains the single "Sleepwalkin'."[6]
| Freak Magnet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 22, 2000 | |||
| Studio | Big House, Soundtrack, Odin, Son/Re, DV's Perversion Room, Milwaukee, WI, Nine Lives | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 44:49 | |||
| Label | Beyond[1] | |||
| Producer | Warren Bruleigh, Violent Femmes, Pierre Henry, Tom Grimley | |||
| Violent Femmes chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
Originally planned for a 1998 release on Interscope Records, Freak Magnet was pulled when the band was dropped from the label.[7] A reissue with live bonus tracks were released via Shout! Factory in 2005.[8]
Critical reception
The Washington Post called the album "stuck in the Reagan decade," writing that "the Femmes still play punky hootenanny-rock with occasional potty-mouthed lyrics to assure frat-boy appeal."[9] Exclaim! wrote that the Violent Femmes "tend to sound like an average band dabbling in a goofy brand of punk, save for Gordon Gano's voice, which anyone could spot a mile away."[10] Paste's Andrew Lisle wrote: "With sarcastic, solid originals like 'Happiness Is' and 'Hollywood Is High', the boys try to achieve former glory on Freak Magnet, falling just short of success."[11] Trouser Press called it "a strong return to form," writing that "the Femmes hang their music in thick, hard-rocking sheets of sound rather than on a skeletal acoustic frame."[12]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gordon Gano, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hollywood Is High" | 2:22 | |
| 2. | "Freak Magnet" | 2:35 | |
| 3. | "Sleepwalkin'" | 2:21 | |
| 4. | "All I Want" | 3:32 | |
| 5. | "New Generation" | Rose Marie McCoy, Albert Ayler, Mary Parks | 2:38 |
| 6. | "In the Dark" | 3:50 | |
| 7. | "Rejoice and Be Happy" | 2:11 | |
| 8. | "Mosh Pit" | Gano, Brian Ritchie | 2:13 |
| 9. | "Forbidden" | William Carlos Williams, Gano | 2:59 |
| 10. | "When You Died" | 2:34 | |
| 11. | "At Your Feet" | 2:51 | |
| 12. | "I Danced" | Max Dunn, Gano | 2:43 |
| 13. | "I'm Bad" | 2:42 | |
| 14. | "Happiness Is" | 4:18 | |
| 15. | "A Story" | Gano, Ritchie | 5:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Rejoice And Be Happy" (live) | 2:24 | |
| 17. | "Freak Magnet" (live) | 2:34 | |
| 18. | "Positively 4th Street" (live) | Bob Dylan | 3:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Bad" | 2:42 |
| 2. | "Freak Magnet" | 2:37 |
| 3. | "All I Want" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Rejoice and Be Happy" | 2:11 |
| 5. | "I Wanna See You Again" | 2:43 |
| 6. | "I'm Nothing" | 2:24 |
| 7. | "Positively 4th Street" (Bob Dylan) | 2:52 |
| 8. | "A Story" (featuring Pierre Henry) (Gano, Brian Ritchie) | 4:58 |
| 9. | "Happiness Is" | 4:20 |
| 10. | "Forbidden" (William Carlos Williams, Gano) | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Mosh Pit" (Gano, Ritchie) | 2:13 |
| 12. | "Yes Oh Yes" | 3:22 |
| 13. | "When You Died" | 2:34 |
| 14. | "Requiem" | 3:48 |
| 15. | "Reckless Stones" (Special bonus composition featuring Pierre Henry) | 4:41 |
Personnel
Violent Femmes
- Gordon Gano – vocal, guitar
- Brian Ritchie – bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion, shakuhachi, vocal, additional recording, cover design
- Guy Hoffman – drums, percussion, vocal
Technical personnel
- Violent Femmes – co-producer
- Warren Bruleigh – co-producer, mixing, additional recording
- Pierre Henry – co-producer, additional recording
- Tom Grimley – co-producer, additional recording
- Martin Brass – recording, mixing
- David Vartanian – mixing, cover design
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Roger Lian – mastering
- Bill Emmons – additional recording
- Mark Mason – assistant engineer
- Ken Feldman – assistant engineer
- Rich Tapper – assistant engineer
- Nicola Stemmer – assistant engineer