Violent Femmes discography

Violent Femmes discography
Releases
↙Studio albums 8
↙Live albums 4
↙Compilation albums 4
↙EPs 1
↙Singles 19
↙Video albums 3
↙Music videos 11
↙Miscellaneous 16

This is the discography of Violent Femmes, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based alternative rock group, which consists of eight studio albums, nineteen singles, four live albums and four compilation albums, in addition to a number of miscellaneous appearances on soundtracks and compilations featuring various artists. This list does not include solo material by any of the bands' members.

Violent Femmes was formed in 1980 by vocalist/guitarist Gordon Gano, bassist Brian Ritchie and drummer Victor DeLorenzo, finding immediate success with the release of their self-titled debut album in early 1983. Featuring "Blister in the Sun", "Kiss Off", "Add It Up" and "Gone Daddy Gone", Violent Femmes became the band's biggest-selling album and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA.[1] Although the sales success of their debut was never matched, The Blind Leading the Naked (1986), 3 (1989), Why Do Birds Sing? (1991) and New Times (1994) all peaked at higher chart positions on the Billboard 200. Throughout their career, Violent Femmes' popularity remained consistent, especially in Australia where four of their albums made the Top 40 and the debut stayed on the charts for seven months. The songs "Nightmares" and "American Music" cracked the top five on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.[2] The group would go on to become one of the most commercially successful alternative rock acts of the 1980s and 1990s, selling over 9 million albums by 2005.[3] In 2009, Gano released a statement announcing the bands' break-up.[4]

Albums

Studio albums

Year Album details Chart peaks Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US[5] UK[6] AUS[7]
1983 Violent Femmes 171 — 31 US: Platinum
1984 Hallowed Ground
  • Released: June 1984
  • Label: Slash Records (25094)
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
 — — 56
1986 The Blind Leading the Naked 84 81 31
1989 3
  • Released: February 1989
  • Labels: Warner Bros. Records, Slash Records (25819)
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
 93 — 66
1991 Why Do Birds Sing?
  • Released: April 30, 1991
  • Labels: Slash Records, Reprise Records (26476)
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
 141 — 26
1994 New Times 90 — 60
1995 Rock!!!!!
  • Released: 1995 (Australia), 2000 (US)
  • Label: Mushroom Records (93424)
  • Format: CD
 — — 30
2000 Freak Magnet — — —
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Live albums

Year Album details
1999 Viva Wisconsin
  • Released: November 23, 1999
  • Labels: Beyond Music, BMG Entertainment (78024)
  • Format: CD
2005 BBC Live
  • Released: August 2, 2005
  • Label: Hux Records (065)
  • Format: CD
2006 Archive Series No. 1: Live in Iceland
  • Released: July 27, 2006
  • Label: Add It Up Productions (01)
  • Format: CD
Archive Series No. 2: Live in Chicago Q101
  • Released: September 2006
  • Label: Add It Up Productions (02)
  • Format: CD

Compilation albums

Year Album details Chart peaks Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US AUS
1990 Debacle: The First Decade
  • Released: 1990
  • Label: Liberation Records (30477)
  • Formats: CD, CS, LP
 — 39
1993 Add It Up (1981–1993)
  • Released: September 14, 1993
  • Labels: Slash Records, Reprise Records (45403)
  • Formats: CD, CS, 2xLP
 146 45 US: Gold
AUS: Gold[10]
2001 Something's Wrong — —
2005 Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes — —
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

EPs

Year EP details
2015 Happy New Year[11]
  • Released April 18, 2015
  • Format: 180-gram clear vinyl EP

Singles

Retail singles

Year Single Peak chart
positions		 Album
US Mod AUS
1983 "Gone Daddy Gone" — — Violent Femmes
"Ugly" — — Non-album single
1984 "It's Gonna Rain" — — Hallowed Ground
1986 "Children of the Revolution" — 54 The Blind Leading the Naked
"I Held Her in My Arms" — —
1989 "Nightmares" 4 — 3
1991 "American Music" 2 — Why Do Birds Sing?
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" — —
"Used to Be" — —
1993 "I Held Her in My Arms" (alt. version) — — Add It Up (1981–1993)
1994 "Machine" — — New Times
"Breakin' Up" 12 —
1995 "Tonight" — 69 Rock!!!!!
2000 "All I Want" — — Freak Magnet
"Sleepwalkin'" — —
2008 "Crazy" — — Non-album single
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Promotional singles

Year Single Album
1994 "Don't Start Me on the Liquor" New Times
1995 "She Went to Germany" Rock!!!!!
1997 "Blister in the Sun" Grosse Pointe Blank OST

Music videos

Year Song Director(s)
1983 "Gone Daddy Gone" Douglas Martin
Steven Martin
1986 "Children of the Revolution" Mick Haggerty
1989 "Nightmares" Martin Atkins
1991 "American Music" Adam Bernstein
"Used to Be" Phil Waters
1993 "I Held Her in My Arms" Mick Haggerty
1994 "Breakin' Up"
"Machine" Sean Casey
1995 "Tonight"
1997 "Blister in the Sun" Evan Bernard
2000 "All I Want" Dominic Engel

Video albums

Year Title
2005 Permanent Record: Live & Otherwise
  • Released: July 12, 2005
  • Label: Rhino Entertainment (970428)
  • Format: DVD
2006 No, Let's Start Over
2007 Live at the Hacienda
  • Released: December 11, 2007
  • Label: Cherry Red (CRDVD163)
  • Format: DVD

Soundtracks and compilations

Year Title Track(s)
1987 I Was a Teenage Zombie Soundtrack "Good Feeling"
1991 Triple J's Live at the Wireless "Kiss Off"
1994 The Crow Soundtrack "Color Me Once"
Woodstock 1994 "Dance, Motherfucker, Dance!/Kiss Off"
1995 Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits "Step Right Up"
Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits "Eep Opp Ork Ah-ah (Means I Love You)"
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Soundtrack "Blister in the Sun", "Blister 2000"
1998 MTV's 120 Minutes Live "Kiss Off"
1999 End Sessions: Live on The End 107.7 "Fat"
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Soundtrack "I Swear It (I Can Change)"
Mystery Men Soundtrack "No More Heroes"
The Best of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas "Blister in the Sun"
2000 Y100 Sonic Sessions Volume Four "Add It Up"
2002 Discrespective: Big Day Out "Girl Trouble"
2006 Rocket Science Soundtrack "Blister in the Sun", "Kiss Off"
2007 Triple J's Live at the Wireless: From the Vaults "Blister in the Sun"

References

  1. ↑ "RIAA Gold & Platinum Database". 1991-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  2. ↑ "Violent Femmes Album & Song Chart History". Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  3. ↑ "SA is set to be rocked". Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  4. ↑ "Yeproc.com". Yeproc.com. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  5. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/430985/violent+femmes/chart
  6. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/violent%20femmes/
  7. ↑ Kent, David (compiler); Australian Chart Book 1970-1992: 23 Years of Hit Singles and Albums from the Top 100 Charts; p. 330 ISBN 9780646119175
  8. ↑ "Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
  9. ↑ "The Billboard Book of Gold & Platinum Records," 1989
  10. ↑ http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2007Albums.htm
  11. ↑ "Violent Femmes Releasing EP for Record Store Day". ARTISTdirect. Retrieved March 7, 2015.