America's Least Wanted
| America's Least Wanted | ||||
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| Studio album by Ugly Kid Joe | ||||
| Released | September 8, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 - 1992 at Devonshire Studios, North Hollywood, CA | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 59:08 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Ugly Kid Joe, Mark Dodson, Michael Dodson, Ryan Dorn |
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| Ugly Kid Joe chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
Censored cover
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America's Least Wanted is the full-length debut album by rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992 (see 1992 in music). The title is a parody of the famous phrase "America's Most Wanted".
The album was a commercial success, charting three singles on the Mainstream Rock Tracks ("Neighbor", "Busy Bee" and "Cat's in the Cradle"). "Cat's in the Cradle" also reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eleven on the Top 40 Mainstream. As of 1995, the album has been certified double platinum.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Album information
Two of the songs had previously been included on the band's 1991 debut EP As Ugly as They Wanna Be but were slightly recorded again for this L.P.: "Madman" was given a new vocal track while "Everything About You" was given a spoken intro by actress and then Saturday Night Live cast member Julia Sweeney as her questionably gendered character, Pat. Incidentally, this was not the first time the song had been associated with "SNL" - it had previously been included in the SNL-based movie Wayne's World, which was released seven months before.
The difference between CD and LP versions of this album is that the song "Goddamn Devil" appears as its first track on the B-side.
[edit] Artwork
The album's original artwork which depicts Ugly Kid Joe's mascot as the Statue of Liberty gesturing an upraised middle finger. Several national chains refused to sell the album, and a more censored version was manufactured for some retailers. The censored version depicts the Ugly Kid Joe mascot handcuffed and tied in rope, while his legs are wrapped in chains.
[edit] Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
Critical reviews for America's Least Wanted were mostly positive. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it four and a half stars out of five, and said that it "delivers a set of similar rockers and a handful of power ballads, including a revamped version of Harry Chapin's 'Cats in the Cradle'" and described the music as a "mixture of fizzy, fuzzy riffs, sing-song melodies, and calculated obnoxiousness isn't that offensive."[2]
[edit] Track listing
- "Neighbor" – 4:43
- "Goddamn Devil" – 4:53
- "Come Tomorrow" (Lahr) – 4:54
- "Panhandlin' Prince" – 5:41
- "Busy Bee" – 4:08
- "Don't Go" – 4:30
- "So Damn Cool" – 4:24
- "Same Side" – 4:48
- "Cat's in the Cradle" (Harry Chapin) – 4:01
- "I'll Keep Tryin'" (Reed) – 4:58
- "Everything About You" – 4:20
- "Madman" ('92 Remix) – 3:37
- "Mr. Recordman" – 4:11
[edit] Personnel
- Whitfield Crane - Vocals
- Cordell Crockett - Bass, Vocals, Background Vocals
- Klaus Eichstadt - Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocals
- Dave Fortman - Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocals
- Mark Davis - Percussion, Drums
- Jennifer Barry - Background Vocals
- Rob Halford - Background Vocals (Goddamn Devil)
- Carrie Hamilton - Piano on "Everything About You"
- Stephen Perkins - Percussion
- Dean Pleasants - Rhythm Guitar on "Same Side"
- Julia Sweeney - Spoken words on "Goddamn Devil" & "Everything About You"
- Jay Baumgardner - Remixing
- Greg Calbi - Mastering
- Mark Dodson - Producer, Engineer
- Michael Dodson - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Ryan Dorn - Producer
- Michael Levine - Photography
- Randy Long - Engineer, Mixing
- Ugly Kid Joe - Producer, Remixing
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Billboard 200 | 27 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Neighbor" | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 29 |
| 1992 | "Neighbor" | UK Singles Chart | 28 |
| 1992 | "So Damn Cool" | UK Singles Chart | 44 |
| 1993 | "Busy Bee" | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 |
| 1993 | "Cat's in the Cradle" | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| 1993 | "Cat's in the Cradle" | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| 1993 | "Cat's in the Cradle" | U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 11 |
| 1993 | "Cat's in the Cradle" | UK Singles Chart | 7 |
| 1993 | "Busy Bee" | UK Singles Chart | 39 |
[edit] Notes
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