Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich

Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
Original album artwork by Mark Ryden
Studio album by Warrant
Released	January 31, 1989
Recorded	April–November 1988
Genre	Hard rock, glam metal
Length	37:08
Label	Columbia
Producer	Beau Hill
Warrant chronology
Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989) Cherry Pie (1990)
Singles from Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
"Down Boys" Released: 1989 "Heaven" Released: July 22, 1989 "Big Talk" Released: November 1989 "Sometimes She Cries" Released: January 6, 1990

Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich is the debut studio album by American rock band Warrant, released in 1989.

The album was highly successful, spawning the hit singles "Heaven" (No. 2, 1989), "Down Boys" (No. 27, 1989) and "Sometimes She Cries" (No. 20, 1990).^[1] The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200.^[2]

The unique cover art features "Fugazi", an overpaid, amoral infrastructure manager and archetypal business psychopath.^[3]

The first four words of the album's title ("Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinkin'...!") were mentioned in the intro to the title track of their 1990 follow-up album Cherry Pie.

Musical style

The album's sound is typical of the Sunset Strip glam metal scene of the 1980s, featuring heavy guitars and melodic, catchy choruses.

Production and marketing

The album was released amidst some controversy. It was widely rumored that guitarists Erik Turner and Joey Allen had not played a note on the album and that all guitar work had been performed by ex Streets guitarist and session musician Mike Slamer.^[4] While the rumor has never been verified, Slamer's wife confirmed in 1998 that her husband played guitar on the record.^[5] Mike Slamer has stated in interviews that he played guitar and the lead solos on the album. Producer Beau Hill stated in a 2012 interview that Slamer did in fact play on the album. Beau had said to the band that the "songs are really great, but I think we’re a little weak in the solo department and so I like to bring somebody in". Beau also stated that "everybody in the band signed off on it and everything was done above ground".^[6]

During the recording of the album, vocalist Jani Lane walked in on his best friend in bed with his girlfriend, leading to his nervous breakdown, and its release was delayed by several months while Lane recovered. These events would later be recounted in the single "I Saw Red" on the band's following album, Cherry Pie.^[7]

The record was produced and engineered by Beau Hill, who also contributed keyboards and backing vocals. It was recorded at The Enterprise in Burbank, California.

Songs

The album's themes, which include materialism ("32 Pennies", "D.R.F.S.R"), sex ("Down Boys", "So Damn Pretty", "Cold Sweat"), heartbreak ("Heaven") and loneliness ("Sometimes She Cries"), would be echoed on later Warrant releases.

The debut single from the band was "Down Boys", the song has been described as "one of the toughest, heaviest songs in [Warrant's] catalog, and certainly at the top of both categories in terms of their hit singles."^[8]

The second single was the smash hit "Heaven" which took Warrant's record company by surprise. Indeed, once the widespread appeal of the song became apparent, the band were instructed to re-record the track to lend it a "bigger radio sound". The first 250,000 copies of the record featured the original version while later pressings featured a new version.^[9] "Heaven" had previously been recorded by Jani Lane and Steven Sweet's old band Plain Jane.

"Big Talk" was released as the third single followed by the popular "Sometimes She Cries" as the fourth single. All the singles featured music videos.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[10]
Kerrang!	[11]

Allmusic gave Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich a rating of four out of five stars, saying that the album was "sleek and clean, built on processed guitars and cavernous drums" and that it "sounds exactly like that year [1989], both for better and worse."^[10] Dave Reynolds of Kerrang! considers the album "hardly outstanding", with only "a bunch of distinctly average songs matched to a brace of worthwhile moments".^[11]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jani Lane.

1. "32 Pennies" – 3:09
2. "Down Boys" – 4:04
3. "Big Talk" – 3:43
4. "Sometimes She Cries" – 4:44
5. "So Damn Pretty (Should Be Against the Law)" – 3:33
6. "D.R.F.S.R." – 3:17
7. "In the Sticks" – 4:06
8. "Heaven" – 3:57
9. "Ridin' High" – 3:06
10. "Cold Sweat" – 3:32

Bonus tracks

1. "Only a Man (demo)" - 4:22
2. "All Night Long (demo)" - 2:42

Personnel

Warrant

• Jani Lane – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
• Joey Allen – guitar
• Erik Turner – guitar
• Jerry Dixon – bass
• Steven Sweet – drums

Additional personnel

• Mike Slamer - guitar
• Beau Hill - keyboards, backing vocals
• Bekka Bramlett - backing vocals

Production

• Beau Hill - producer, engineer, mixing
• Joel Stoner - engineer
• John Jansen - mixing

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)^[2]

Singles - Billboard (United States)^[1]

Video Album

Warrant: Live - Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich is the first Warrant video album released in 1990 on VHS and Laserdisc, featuring the band performing live in concert on the D.R.F.S.R tour in 1989. The video features the album cover character watching Warrant in concert. The video was certified Platinum ^[12]

Track listing

1. "So Damn Pretty"
2. "Ridin' High"
3. "32 Pennies"
4. "Heaven" (music video)
5. "Down Boys"
6. "Cold Sweat"
7. "D.R.F.S.R."
8. "Sometimes She Cries"
9. "Big Talk" (music video)

References

External links

• Warrant: What could have been ?