Suicidal Tendencies (album)
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| Suicidal Tendencies | |||||
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| Studio album by Suicidal Tendencies | |||||
| Released | July 5, 1983 | ||||
| Recorded | 1983 | ||||
| Genre | Hardcore punk, thrash metal | ||||
| Length | 28:17 | ||||
| Label | Frontier | ||||
| Producer | Glen E. Friedman | ||||
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| Suicidal Tendencies chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Suicidal Tendencies | |||||
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Suicidal Tendencies is the eponymous debut album by the band Suicidal Tendencies, released in 1983 on Frontier Records. It became one of the best-selling hardcore punk albums at the time and launched the band into its future success.
Included on the album is "Institutionalized", possibly the band's most popular song after two decades. In the song, the narrator describes how, despite his claims to the contrary, his overbearing parents suspect he is using drugs and verging on a nervous breakdown. The song ends with them finally deciding to send him to a mental institution.
Critic Ira Robbins writes that "Half-sung, half-recited and built on repeated sudden tempo changes, 'Institutionalized' is a unique, devastating centerpiece. One of the era's quintessential expressions of teen dislocation, it converts generation gap misunderstandings into a complete communications breakdown, encapsulating all the punk sociology of such films as Repo Man and Suburbia in four minutes."[1]
The music video for "Institutionalized" was one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and the single was also used in the Emilio Estevez cult classic movie Repo Man and an episode for the hit TV show Miami Vice (which included a cameo appearance by the group). Slayer vocalist Tom Araya makes a guest appearance in the video.
"Institutionalized" is referenced in the Sage Francis song "Slow Down Gandhi" in the line "It's death penalty vs. suicidal tendencies / All I wanted was a fucking Pepsi / Institution / Making you think you're crazy is a billion dollar industry." Limp Bizkit also referenced it in the song "Stuck" with the lines "All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi. So far from suicidal but still I get them tendencies bringing back the memories that I really miss."
"Institutionalized" is featured in the game Guitar Hero II for the Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 as a playable song; a member of the most difficult tier, "Face Melters."
"I Shot The Devil" was originally titled "I Shot Reagan". Some rumors suggest the band was persuaded by the FBI to change the name of the song.
The song "Memories of Tomorrow" was covered by Slayer for their Undisputed Attitude album, but was not added to the final release. The song "Institutionalized" was also covered by Senses Fail for the soundtrack to the video game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
The song "I Saw Your Mommy..." is featured on the soundtrack for the game Scarface: The World is Yours for the Playstation 2, Xbox, and PC.
In 1993, Muir and the later incarnation of the band re-recorded the entire album and released it as Still Cyco After All These Years, with (mostly) faithful recreations of the originals, plus 3 songs from the also then-unavailable Join the Army.
The song "Two Sided Politics" was covered by Bones Brigade on their Older Than Shit, Heavier Than Time album.
[edit] Track listing
All songs composed by Mike Muir except as indicated.
- "Suicide's an Alternative / You'll Be Sorry" – 2:44
- "Two Sided Politics" (Muir, Louiche Mayorga) – 1:03
- "I Shot the Devil" – 1:51
- "Subliminal" – 3:08
- "Won't Fall in Love Today" (Muir, Mayorga) – 0:59
- "Institutionalized" (Muir, Mayorga) – 3:49
- "Memories of Tomorrow" (Muir, Mayorga) – 0:59
- "Possessed" – 2:07
- "I Saw Your Mommy..." (Muir, Mayorga) – 4:52
- "Fascist Pig" – 1:17
- "I Want More" - 2:28
- "Suicidal Failure" - 2:53
[edit] Credits
- Mike Muir – Vocals
- Grant Estes – Guitar
- Louiche Mayorga – Bass, Vocals
- Amery Smith – Drums
- Glen E. Friedman – Album Photography & Design, Producer
- Randy Burns – Engineer
- Dee Zee – Art Mechanicals
- Marc Lewis & Dave Flynn – Roadies
- Mark Stern – Lyric Sheet Typesetting
[edit] Reissues
Suicidal Tendencies was reissued several times, with formats in different countries (see the table below).
| Year | Country | Format | Label | Note |
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| 1983 | USA | Cassette | Frontier FCX 1011 | |
| 1983 | USA | Vinyl LP | Frontier FLP 1011 | |
| 1987 | Europe | Vinyl LP | Virgin V 2495 | Reissue; 33RPM |
| 1987 | Europe | CD | Virgin CDV 2495 | Reissue |
| 1990 | USA | CD | Frontier FCD 1011 | Reissue |
| 1997 | USA | Vinyl LP | Epitaph 80104-1 | Reissue; Remastered |
| 1997 | USA | CD | Epitaph 80104-2 | Reissue; Remastered |
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