Suicidal Tendencies (album)

Suicidal Tendencies is the self-titled debut studio album by the American hardcore punk band Suicidal Tendencies. It was released on July 5, 1983 through Frontier Records. The album became one of the best-selling hardcore punk/skate punk albums at the time and launched the band into its future success.

Album information

The album includes the song "Institutionalized", possibly the band's most famous 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."^[3]

The music video for "Institutionalized" was one of the first skate punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and the single was also used in the Emilio Estevez film Repo Man (1984) and an episode of the television show Miami Vice (which also included a cameo appearance by the band). 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". It was also featured in the film Iron Man (2008).

"I Shot the Devil" was originally entitled "I Shot Reagan". The band is rumored to have been approached by the FBI to change the name of the song. The group eventually used the original title of the song on the lyrics sheet.^[4] It was also covered by the California hardcore punk band "Chotto Ghetto" on its extended play Shootin' Devils.

The song "Memories of Tomorrow" was covered by Slayer for its album Undisputed Attitude, 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 to 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 two songs from Join the Army.

The song "Two Sided Politics" was covered by Bones Brigade on its album Older Than Shit, Heavier Than Time.^[5]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Mike Muir, except where noted. 

Personnel

• Mike Muir – lead vocals
• Grant Estes – guitar^[A]
• Louiche Mayorga – bass, backing vocals
• Amery Smith – drums

Production

• Glen E. Friedman – producer, photography, design
• Randy Burns – engineer
• Dee Zee – art mechanicals
• Marc Lewis; Dave Flynn – roadies
• Mark Stern – lyric sheet typesetting

Reissues

Suicidal Tendencies has been reissued a number of times, with formats in different countries (see the table below).

Notes

References