Let's Face It
1997 studio album by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
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Let's Face It is the fifth studio album by American ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was released on March 11, 1997, by Mercury Records and Big Rig Records.[3]
| Let's Face It | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 11, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Bearsville (Bearsville, N.Y.); Fort Apache (Cambridge, Mass.) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:21 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| The Mighty Mighty Bosstones chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Let's Face It | ||||
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The album sold very well due to the success of its single "The Impression That I Get", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Also faring well were the album's other two singles, "Royal Oil" (No. 22) and "The Rascal King" (No. 7). The album itself reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200 (the only Bosstones album to enter the top 50).[4] The album has been certified platinum.[5]
Let's Face It was rereleased on vinyl by Asbestos Records in 2013.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4/5[9] |
Let's Face It has received positive reviews. Sputnikmusic's Adam Thomas called the album "a quintessential piece of '90s ska" and concluded that it "shows The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the top of their game and is one of the greatest ska-punk albums to come out of the nineties."[9] AllMusic's Steve Huey also gave the album a positive review, writing: "Even if the production is a tiny bit slick, and the playing time is rather short... it's still difficult to view Let's Face It as anything but a rousing success and easily one of the band's best albums."[6] Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club wrote that "for every misfire like the preachy title track, there's an infectious anthem that begs to be blared from every window in the city. Play 'The Rascal King' or 'The Impression That I Get' as loud as you can get away with, and ask yourself if the Bosstones aren't back."[10] David Fricke of Rolling Stone was more reserved in his praise, criticizing the album's "flat" production.[11]
In 2004, Let's Face It was ranked No. 36 in a Kerrang! reader poll of the 50 greatest punk albums.[12]
Track listing
Original release
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Noise Brigade" | Dicky Barrett, Dennis Brockenborough, Joe Gittleman | 2:16 |
| 2. | "The Rascal King" | Barrett, Gittleman | 2:46 |
| 3. | "Royal Oil" | Barrett, Nate Albert | 2:39 |
| 4. | "The Impression That I Get" | Barrett, Gittleman | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Let's Face It" | Barrett, Albert | 2:39 |
| 6. | "That Bug Bit Me" | Barrett, Albert | 2:09 |
| 7. | "Another Drinkin' Song" | Barrett, Gittleman | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Numbered Days" | Barrett, Albert | 3:10 |
| 9. | "Break So Easily" | Barrett, Brockenborough | 2:45 |
| 10. | "Nevermind Me" | Barrett, Gittleman | 3:21 |
| 11. | "Desensitized" | Barrett, Tim Burton | 2:04 |
| 12. | "1-2-8" | Barrett, Gittleman | 2:39 |
Japanese edition
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "At It Again" | 2:04 |
12-inch vinyl edition
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Wrong Thing Right Then" | 3:12 |
The track "Wrong Thing Right Then" was previously available on the soundtrack to Meet the Deedles.[14]
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.[15]
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- Dicky Barrett – lead vocals, artwork
- Nate Albert – guitar, backing vocals
- Joe Gittleman – bass, backing vocals
- Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton – saxophone, backing vocals
- Kevin Lenear – saxophone
- Dennis Brockenborough – trombone
- Joe Sirois – drums
- Ben Carr – Bosstone, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Paul Q. Kolderie – production, engineering
- Sean Slade – production, engineering
- Brian Dwyer – trumpet
- Dan McLaughlin – trumpet
- John Rosenberg – keyboards, backing vocals
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[23] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[25] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||