Villains (The Verve Pipe album)

Villains
Studio album by The Verve Pipe
Released March 26, 1996
Recorded 1995-1996 at Studio D and The Plant, Sausalito, CA, Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA.
Genre Alternative rock
Length 53:40
Label RCA
Producer Jerry Harrison
The Verve Pipe chronology

Pop Smear
(1993)		 Villains
(1996)		 The Verve Pipe
(1999)
Singles from Satellite
  1. "Photograph"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Cup Of Tea"
    Released: 1996
  3. "The Freshmen"
    Released: January 27, 1997
  4. "Villains"
    Released: 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau (C)[2]
Sputnikmusic 3.3/5[3]

Villains is the third studio album and first major label release by The Verve Pipe. It was released in March 1996. The band received its first hit in "Photograph", which peaked in the top 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. A year after the release of the album, a reformatted version of "The Freshmen" peaked at #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The single was also the band's sole appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at #5. The success of the song helped this album go platinum. To date it is The Verve Pipe's best selling album.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Brian Vander Ark, unless noted.. 

Tracks
No. Title Length
1. "Barely (If at All)"   3:45
2. "Drive You Mild"   3:02
3. "Villains"   4:42
4. "Reverend Girl"    
5. "Cup of Tea"   4:26
6. "Myself"   4:47
7. "The Freshmen"   4:29
8. "Photograph"   4:55
9. "Ominous Man"   4:20
10. "Real"   1:51
11. "Penny Is Poison" (A.J. Dunning, Brian Vander Ark) 3:30
12. "Cattle"   3:42
13. "Veneer"   5:32
Total length:
 53:40

Personnel

The Verve Pipe
Artwork
  • Sean Mosher-Smith – Art Direction, Design
  • Aldo Mauro – Band Photography
  • Slow HEARTH – Bird Photography
Production
  • Jerry Harrison – Producer
  • Brian Malouf – A&R
  • Jason Rio, Philip "Mac" Ward – Coordinators
  • Douglas Biro & Ria Lewerke – Creative Directors
  • Karl Derfler – Engineer
  • Doug McKean – Additional Editing
  • Larry "Hot" Brewer – Additional engineering
  • Chris Buttleman – Guitar Technician
  • Ted Jensen – Mastering at Sterling Sound, New York, NY
  • Tom Lord-Alge – Mixing
  • Alvaro Alencar & Mauricio Iragorri – Assistant mixing
Management
  • Doug Buttleman – Management for The Fitzgerald Hartley Company
  • Fred Bohlander – Booking for Monterey Peninsula Artists
  • Howard B. Abrams – Legal

Charts

Album
Chart (1996) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 24
Top Heatseekers 1
Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1996 Photograph US Mainstream Rock Tracks 15
US Modern Rock Tracks 6
Cup Of Tea US Mainstream Rock Tracks 35
1997 "The Freshmen" US Mainstream Rock Tracks 9
US Modern Rock Tracks 1
US Billboard Hot 100 5
US Adult Top 40 7
US Top 40 Mainstream 7
US Top 40 Adult Recurrents 1
"Villains" US Mainstream Rock Tracks 24
US Modern Rock Tracks 22

Certifications

Country Certification Sales
United States Platinum[4] 1,000,000+

Gallery

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r233041
  2. ↑ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=verve+pipe
  3. ↑ "The Verve Pipe - Villains (album review)". Sputnikmusic.
  4. ↑ "RIAA Database Search Results". Recording Industry Association of America.