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Bloodletting (Concrete Blonde album)

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Bloodletting
Studio album by
Concrete Blonde
ReleasedMay 15, 1990
RecordedAugust 1989 – February 1990
at Battery Studios, London[1]
Additional Recording at
Cherokee Studios, Hollywood and
Can-Am Recording, Tarzana[2] and
John Keane Studio, Athens, GA[3]
Genre
Length
  • 42:11
  • 1:09:00 (20th anniversary edition)
Label
ProducerConcrete Blonde, Chris Tsangarides
Concrete Blonde chronology
Free
(1989) 		Bloodletting
(1990) 		Walking in London
(1992)
Singles from Bloodletting
  1. "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)"
    Released: 1990
  2. "Joey"
    Released: May 21, 1990
  3. "Caroline"
    Released: September 9, 1990
  4. "Tomorrow, Wendy"
    Released: 1991

Bloodletting is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde. Released on May 15, 1990, the album marks a shift for the band toward gothic rock. It features guest appearances by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Wall of Voodoo's Andy Prieboy.

Bloodletting peaked at number 8 on the Australian ARIA Charts and was certified gold in 1990.[4] It earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) the following year.

Background

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Concrete Blonde lead vocalist Johnette Napolitano said of the album:

It was pretty miserable. It's not a happy little disc. We had a string of bad luck and [Bloodletting] was the tail end of it. A particularly bad relationship. It had never happened to me until I was 29 years old. I had a hard time getting over it. So, it's not a happy record, but I could do two things: I could make a self-indulgent record, which is what this is, or I could lock up all these songs in a closet and do something that wasn't sincere. This will never happen again, this record.[5]

Release

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Bloodletting was released in May 15, 1990.

"Joey" was the band's biggest hit, reaching number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and the top 20 of the pop charts.[6] The song reached #2 in Australia while also spending 6 weeks at #3.[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Chicago Tribune[9]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
Record Collector[12]

Elizabeth Wurtzel, in her review of the album for New York magazine, called the album "not nearly as likable or far-ranging" as the band's preceding album, Free, "though it's deeper and more focused."[13]

2010 re-issue

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On July 13, 2010, Shout! Factory released the 20th anniversary edition of Bloodletting,[14] featuring six bonus tracks: "I Want You", "Little Wing", the French extended version of "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" and live versions of "Roses Grow", "The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden" and "Tomorrow, Wendy".[15]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Johnette Napolitano, except as noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" 6:04
2."The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden"Napolitano, Bruce Moreland2:36
3."Caroline" 5:30
4."Darkening of the Light" 3:24
5."I Don't Need a Hero" 4:25
6."Days and Days" 3:12
7."The Beast" 3:52
8."Lullabye" 3:56
9."Joey" 4:07
10."Tomorrow, Wendy"Andy Prieboy5:05
20th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."I Want You" (B-side of "Joey"[16]) 3:28
12."Little Wing" (from "Caroline" maxi-single[17])Jimi Hendrix4:15
13."Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" (French version from European maxi-single[18]) 7:06
14."Roses Grow" (Live at the Malibu Nightclub on Long Island for WDRE) (from "Caroline" maxi-single[19]) 3:05
15."The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden" (Live at the Malibu Nightclub on Long Island for WDRE) (from "Caroline" maxi-single[20])Napolitano, Bruce Moreland4:15
16."Tomorrow, Wendy" (Live at the Malibu Nightclub on Long Island for WDRE) (from "Caroline" maxi-single[21])Andy Prieboy4:26

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1990) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 8
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[26] 4
US Billboard 200[27] 49
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums[28] 44

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[29] Gold 35,000^
United States (RIAA)[30] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Discogs - Battery Studios, London - profile and discography
  2. ^ Discogs - Can-Am Recorders - profile and discography
  3. ^ Discogs - John Keane Studios - profile and discography
  4. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  5. ^ Linden, Amy (September 1990). "Concrete Blonde's Ambition". Spin. p. 56. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Concrete Blonde". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  7. ^ "australian-charts.com - Concrete Blonde - Joey". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  8. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Bloodletting – Concrete Blonde". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  9. ^ Kot, Greg (June 7, 1990). "Concrete Blonde: Bloodletting (IRS)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Sandow, Greg (May 18, 1990). "Bloodletting". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  11. ^ Willman, Chris (June 3, 1990). "Concrete Blonde 'Bloodletting' I.R.S." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Pearlman, Mischa (September 2010). "Bloodletting | Concrete Blonde". Record Collector. No. 379. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  13. ^ Wurtzel, Elizabeth (September 24, 1990). "Dark Roots". New York. Vol. 23, no. 37. p. 113. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Discogs - Bloodletting (20th anniversary edition) - CD 2010-07-13th, Shout! Factory (826663-12086) US
  15. ^ allMusic - Bloodletting (20th anniversary edition) - CD 2010-07-13th, Shout! Factory (12086) US
  16. ^ Discogs - Joey - vinyl-7" German cover 1990, I.R.S. Records (006-24 1064 7) Europe
  17. ^ Discogs - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, I.R.S. Records (X25G-13811) US
  18. ^ Discogs - Bloodletting (the Vampire song) - maxi-single CD 1991, I.R.S. Records (1C (560) 2045972) Europe
  19. ^ Discogs - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, I.R.S. Records (IRS 2041312) Europe
  20. ^ Discogs - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, I.R.S. Records (X25G-13811) US
  21. ^ allMusic - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, Capitol (13811) US
  22. ^ Discogs - Hugh Brown - profile and discography
  23. ^ Discogs - John Keane - profile
  24. ^ Discogs - Ron Scarselli - profile and discography (layout artist, graphic designer, and painter)
  25. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Concrete Blonde – Bloodletting". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  26. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1306". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "Concrete Blonde Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  28. ^ "Cash Box Top 200 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 54, no. 6. September 8, 1990. p. 16. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  30. ^ "American album certifications – Concrete Blonde – Bloodletting". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
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