W.A.S.P. (album)
Untitled | |
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Metal Crypt | [2] |
Ultimate Metal Reviews | (7.3/10)[3] |
W.A.S.P. is the debut album by American heavy metal band W.A.S.P., released August 17, 1984. The album has been known under three different names; the spine of the original vinyl release had Winged Assassins printed on it, while early cassette releases of the album had the name of the album's first track, "I Wanna Be Somebody", printed in bold letters on the cover. The album is officially entitled simply W.A.S.P., which it is typically referred to as.
Overview
Upon its original release, controversial track "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" was deleted from the album. The Parents Music Resource Center had labeled the song as one of its "Filthy 15", songs that the group determined to be morally objectionable. Capitol Records subsequently bowed to pressure and pulled the song. The band released the song on an independent label in the UK as a single in 1984, and it was reinstated on the album's 1998 reissue.
The song "I Wanna Be Somebody", released as the album's first single with accompanying music video, achieved such success that it was ranked No. 84 on VH1's list of the "Top 100 Hard Rock Songs" of all time.[4]
Several of the album's songs have been covered by other bands. "Sleeping (In the Fire)" has been covered by Tiamat and Anders Manga, "Hellion" by Children of Bodom, "L.O.V.E. Machine" by Fallen Man,[5] Lullacry, Fozzy and Alghazanth, "I Wanna Be Somebody" by Sentenced, Catamenia, Witchery, and Gates of Ishtar, and "The Torture Never Stops" by the death metal group Torture Division.[6]
The song "Tormentor" was heard in the films The Dungeonmaster (1984) and TerrorVision (1986).
Track listing
Original
- All songs written by Blackie Lawless, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Wanna Be Somebody" | 3:43 | |
2. | "L.O.V.E. Machine" | 3:51 | |
3. | "The Flame" | Lawless, Chris Holmes, J. Marquez | 3:41 |
4. | "B.A.D." | 3:56 | |
5. | "School Daze" | 3:35 | |
6. | "Hellion" | 3:39 | |
7. | "Sleeping (In the Fire)" | 3:55 | |
8. | "On Your Knees" | 3:48 | |
9. | "Tormentor" | Lawless, Holmes | 4:10 |
10. | "The Torture Never Stops" | 3:56 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" | 3:07 | |
2. | "I Wanna Be Somebody" | 3:43 | |
3. | "L.O.V.E. Machine" | 3:51 | |
4. | "The Flame" | Lawless, Holmes, Marquez | 3:41 |
5. | "B.A.D." | 3:56 | |
6. | "School Daze" | 3:35 | |
7. | "Hellion" | 3:39 | |
8. | "Sleeping (In the Fire)" | 3:55 | |
9. | "On Your Knees" | 3:48 | |
10. | "Tormentor" | Lawless, Holmes | 4:10 |
11. | "The Torture Never Stops" | 3:56 | |
12. | "Show No Mercy" | 3:48 | |
13. | "Paint It Black" (The Rolling Stones Cover) | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | 3:27 |
Chart positions
Album
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard 200[8] | 74 |
Certifications
Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
---|---|---|---|
U.S.[9] | Gold | June 4, 1998 | 500,000 |
Personnel
- Blackie Lawless – lead vocals, bass guitar
- Chris Holmes – lead & rhythm guitars
- Randy Piper – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
- Tony Richards – drums, backing vocals
Production
- Produced by Blackie Lawless and Mike Varney
- Engineered by Duane Baron and Stephen M. Fontano
- Mixed by Duane Baron
- Jim Scott and Hanspeter Huber – assistant engineers
- Pre-production by David Tarling
References
- ^ Prato, Greg. "W.A.S.P. W.A.S.P. review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
- ^ Arroyo, Hermer. "Classic Review: W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P." Metal Crypt. Michel Renaud/The Metal Crypt. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ^ "W.A.S.P.--W.A.S.P. (1984)". Ultimate Metal Reviews. UMR. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ^ Vh1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs Archived January 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Fallen Man
- ^ Torture Division » Downloadgraphy
- ^ W.A.S.P
- ^ "W.A.S.P. Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
- ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved August 10, 2009)