| Ask for It | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP by Hole | ||||
| Released | September 8, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | November 19, 1991 at Maida Vale Studios, London, February 11, 1992 at Whisky A Go Go, West Hollywood, and March 1992 at Boyle residence, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, punk rock, grunge | |||
| Length | 19:04 | |||
| Label | Caroline | |||
| Producer | Mike Robinson | |||
| Hole chronology | ||||
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Ask for It is the first EP by alternative rock band Hole, released on September 8, 1995. It was the band's second and last release on Caroline Records, the first being their debut album Pretty on the Inside (1991). Although the EP was released after 1994's platinum-selling Live Through This, its contents were recorded by an earlier lineup of the band between 1991 and 1992. The EP is composed of three songs by Hole as well as several cover versions of songs by the Wipers, Beat Happening, The Velvet Underground, and The Germs.
The recordings on the EP come from various performances, including a November 19, 1991 John Peel session for the BBC, a March 1992 studio recording session for a Wipers tribute album, and a live performance at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood on February 11, 1992.
Contents |
Ask for It featured songs recorded from several different sources; only one song on the EP was a studio recording, while the rest were from live performances with John Peel and at the Whisky A Go Go.
Hole's first radio session, one of the famous John Peel Sessions, was recorded prior to their second UK tour with Daisy Chainsaw and Therapy?. The session took place at Studio 4 and was first broadcast on January 5, 1992.[1] Hole frontwoman Courtney Love had written John Peel two letters previously, thanking him for airing "Retard Girl" on his radio show, which was the reason for Hole's sturdy fanbase in England at the time.[2] During the session, live versions of "Doll Parts", "Violet", "Drown Soda" and "Forming/Hot Chocolate Boy" were recorded.[3]
In 1992, Hole recorded a cover version of "Over the Edge" by infamous Portland punk band the Wipers for a tribute album titled Fourteen Songs for Greg Sage and the Wipers (1993). Several other bands— many from Portland and the outlying area— recorded covers of Wipers songs, including Nirvana, Poison Idea, Calamity Jane, Dharma Bums, and M99.
Although Hole had been based in Los Angeles, Courtney Love had lived in Portland on and off between 1972 and 1985, and was part of the city's punk scene during the height of the Wipers' career.[4][5] The recording session for "Over the Edge" took place at producer and engineer Jimmy Boyle's residence in Hollywood in 1992. At the end of the song, Love added the lyrics, "You, go to Portland / You might take him with you / You, go to Portland".[6]
Though Hole only performed three known shows in 1992, due to Love's pregnancy, their first show of 1992 was recorded. "Pale Blue Eyes" by The Velvet Underground, along with The Beatles' "Cry, Baby, Cry", were the only cover songs from the show.
The front cover of the EP features a woman's outstretched arms side-by-side over a tile floor with slash marks on her wrists, alluding to self mutilation. The cover concept was designed by Courtney Love.[7] The interior artwork features two black and white promotional shots of the band in 1991 among the liner notes.
The EP received fairly positive reaction from critics. Robert Christgau gave the album three stars out of three,[8] and Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating, noting that the band's rendition of "Pale Blue Eyes" was "eerily compelling". The magazine also stated that "the cover image of a pair of wrists, decorated with newly healed scars, screams 'desperate cry for help' louder than any song on here."[9]
The album received a 2.5 out of 5 rating from Allmusic.[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Over the Edge" | Greg Sage | 2:47 |
| 2. | "Pale Blue Eyes" | Lou Reed | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Drown Soda" | Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, Jill Emery, Caroline Rue | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Doll Parts" | C. Love | 2:21 |
| 5. | "Violet" | C. Love, E. Erlandson | 3:36 |
| 6. | "Forming/Hot Chocolate Boy" | The Germs/Beat Happening | 1:32 |
The EP has sold about 150,000 copies in the U.S. to date.
| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Billboard 200 (U.S.) | 172 |
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