Golden Shower of Hits
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Golden Shower of Hits is the third studio album by the American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks. Despite the title, it is not a compilation album nor does it contain at least one song that became a "hit". The album was released on July 21, 1983 through Allegiance Records. It was the band's last album to feature Roger Rogerson on bass and Lucky Lehrer on drums. Lehrer was fired from the group mid-recording of the album and John Ingram was hired to finish the recording. After their departures, the band's music would take a different direction on their next studio album, Wonderful (1985).
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Critical reception for Golden Shower of Hits has been mostly positive. Greg Prato of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars and claims that "everything you love about legendary Californian punkers the Circle Jerks is gloriously displayed on Golden Shower of Hits." He adds that "obnoxious humor (Keith Morris' vocals, the album cover), disjointed guitars courtesy of Greg Hetson, and sloppy yet excited rhythm work (bassist Roger Rogerson and drummer John Ingram) all add up to perhaps the ultimate punk rock party", and calls Golden Shower of Hits an "ultimate introduction to this one-of-a-kind band."[1]
Golden Shower of Hits received another positive review from Jeff Bale of Maximum Rock 'n' Roll, who claimed that the album "ranks somewhere between their great debut and its so-so follow-up, Wild in the Streets." About the album's music, Bale states, "the songs range from vintage Jerks - short, tuneful blasts like 'In Your Eyes' and 'Coup d'Etat' - to boring mid-tempo rockish numbers (like 'When the Shit Hits the Fan' and 'Rats of Reality') that seem to be aimed at a crossover hard rock/HM audience."[2]
Culture
- Track 12, "Golden Shower of Hits (Jerks on 45)" (which is a riff on the popular "Stars on 45" medley from 1981), contains a medley of six cover versions strung together to create a story line of two people who fall in love, have an unplanned pregnancy, rush into marriage, and end up divorced.
- The songs "Coup d'État" and "When the Shit Hits the Fan" were featured on the soundtrack to the film Repo Man in 1984. "When the Shit Hits the Fan" was re-recorded for the soundtrack with Earl Liberty and Chuck Biscuits replacing Rogerson and Lehrer.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In Your Eyes" | Keith Morris, Greg Hetson, Roger Rogerson, Lucky Lehrer | 0:41 |
| 2. | "Parade of the Horribles" | Lehrer, Hetson | 1:30 |
| 3. | "Under the Gun" | Morris, Hetson | 2:56 |
| 4. | "When the Shit Hits the Fan" | Morris, Hetson | 2:34 |
| 5. | "Bad Words" | Morris, Rogerson | 1:43 |
| 6. | "Red Blanket Room" | Morris, Hetson, Rogerson, Lehrer | 1:32 |
| 7. | "High Price on Our Heads" | Rogerson | 2:52 |
| 8. | "Coup d'Etat" | Morris, Hetson | 1:59 |
| 9. | "Product of My Environment" | Morris, Rogerson | 1:46 |
| 10. | "Rats of Reality" | Hetson, Rogerson | 3:19 |
| 11. | "Junk Mail" | Morris, Rogerson | 1:20 |
| 12. | "Golden Shower of Hits (Jerks on 45)" 1. "Along Comes Mary" 2. "Close to You" 3. "Afternoon Delight" 4. "Having My Baby" 5. "Love Will Keep Us Together" 6. "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" | Tandyn Almer Burt Bacharach, Hal David Bill Danoff Paul Anka Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman | 5:12 |
| Total length: | 27:34 | ||
Personnel
- Keith Morris - lead vocals
- Greg Hetson - guitar
- Roger Rogerson - bass
- Lucky Lehrer - drums on "Parade of the Horribles", "When the Shit Hits the Fan", "Bad Words" and "Coup d'État"
- John Ingram - drums on all other tracks
Production
- Jerry Goldstein - producer
- Steve Barncard; Bobby Lewis; John Fishback - engineers
- Scott Hasson - assistant engineer
- Bill Inglot; Ken Perry - mastering
- Glen E. Friedman - photography
- Mike Dowd - design
References
- ^ a b Allmusic review
- ^ Bale, Jeff (December 1983). "Golden Shower of Hits review". Maximum Rock 'n' Roll.