Project 1950
2003 studio album by the Misfits
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Project 1950 is the sixth studio album by the American horror punk band the Misfits, released in 2003. It consists of cover versions of rock and roll songs from the 1950s and 60's and marks bassist Jerry Only's debut as the Misfits' lead singer. Except for Only, no members of the band from their previous album returned for Project 1950.
| Project 1950 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by the Misfits | ||||
| Released | July 29, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 24:20 | |||
| Label | Misfits Records | |||
| Producer | John Cafiero | |||
| The Misfits chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Project 1950 | ||||
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The album cover artwork was done by Pennsylvania artist Tony Squindo. The liner notes include explanations from the band members about why they chose each particular song.[1]
Receiving generally positive critical reviews from publications such as Allmusic, the album became a commercial success and hit the No. 2 slot on Billboard's 'Top Heatseekers' chart as well as No. 5 on its 'Top Independent Albums' chart.[2]
Recording
Ronnie Spector guest starred as a backing vocalist on two tracks. Other members of the band at that point had also previously been associated with famous groups, with a lineup including punk rockers Marky Ramone of the Ramones and Dez Cadena of Black Flag. Marky said in 2011 he was compelled to join out of pity for Jerry as he had recently bought the rights to the band name but only to have the original members walk off on him.[3]
In October 2014, the band released an expanded edition of the album, adding three new tracks with current drummer Eric "Chupacabra" Arce performing on the new tracks. A limited picture disc LP of the expanded album was also released with new artwork by Tom Whalen[4]
Reception
The album received positive reviews. AllMusic ran a supportive review by critic Johnny Loftus, who stated that "it's good to hear their excitement in the recordings, which crackle with enthusiasm" and called the album "really enjoyable in a nostalgia sort of way".[2] Reviewing the Expanded Edition of the album Ken Pierce, of Piercing Metal stated "Overall the tunes retain a large part of their original sound but with there being renditions by The Misfits they are faster and quicker to finish when it all comes down to it." rating the album 4 out of 5.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Magic Moment" | Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman | The Drifters | 2:36 |
| 2. | "Dream Lover" | Bobby Darin | Bobby Darin | 2:28 |
| 3. | "Diana" | Paul Anka | Paul Anka | 2:09 |
| 4. | "Donna" | Ritchie Valens | Ritchie Valens | 2:33 |
| 5. | "Great Balls of Fire" | Otis Blackwell, Jack Hammer | Jerry Lee Lewis | 1:50 |
| 6. | "Latest Flame" | Pomus, Shuman | Elvis Presley | 2:17 |
| 7. | "Monster Mash" | Bobby Pickett, Leonard L. Capizzi | Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers | 2:37 |
| 8. | "Only Make Believe" | Conway Twitty, Jack Nance | Conway Twitty | 2:16 |
| 9. | "Runaway" | Del Shannon, Max Crook | Del Shannon | 2:24 |
| 10. | "You Belong to Me" | Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd Stewart | Jo Stafford | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 24:20 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Witchcraft" | Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh | Frank Sinatra | 1:47 |
| 12. | "Daughter of Darkness" | Les Reed, Geoff Stephens | Tom Jones | 2:40 |
| 13. | "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" | Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, Florence Kaye | Elvis Presley | 2:43 |
| Total length: | 31:30 | |||
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[7] | 133 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[8] | 5 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[9] | 2 |
Bonus DVD
- "This Magic Moment"
- "Dream Lover"
- "Diana"
- "Donna"
- "Runaway"
- Tracks 1–4, recorded at the Phillips US Open Snowboarding Championships
- Track 5, recorded live, at The World in NYC
Bonus material
- Day the Earth Caught Fire: Live in NYC- Misfits with Balzac
- The Haunting/Don't Open 'Till Doomsday: Live in Japan- Balzac with Misfits
- Day the Earth Caught Fire: Live in Japan- Balzac with Misfits
- The Haunting/Don't Open 'Till Doomsday- Balzac
- Out of the Blue- Balzac
Personnel
- Jerry Only – bass, lead vocals
- Marky Ramone – drums, percussion
- Dez Cadena – guitars
- John Cafiero – background vocals on "Dream Lover", "Monster Mash" and "Runaway"
- Ronnie Spector – background vocals on "This Magic Moment" and "You Belong to Me"
- Jimmy Destri – keyboards on "Runaway" and "Great Balls of Fire"
- Ed Manion – saxophone on "Diana" and "Runaway"
- Eric "Chupacabra" Arce – drums, percussion on "Witchcraft", "Daughter of Darkness" and "(You're the) Devil in Disguise"[4]