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Scream, Dracula, Scream! is an album by American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1995 by Interscope Records.[11] It was the band's first major-label release. Music videos were filmed for the singles "On a Rope," "Born in '69" and "Young Livers," and the band embarked on extensive tours of the US, UK and Europe. They experienced a surge of popularity in the UK, where "On a Rope" entered the music charts at #12 and was a hit on MTV Europe, earning them rave reviews in New Musical Express and allowing them to play Top of the Pops.
| Scream, Dracula, Scream! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 10, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:44 | |||
| Label | Interscope (CD), Cargo/Headhunter (LP), Elemental (UK) | |||
| Producer | John Reis | |||
| Rocket from the Crypt chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 8/10[5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [1] |
| MusicHound Rock | 3/5[7] |
| NME | 8/10[8] |
| Q | [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
| Spin | 7/10[10] |
The album also made the band an alternative rock radio hit in the US, where their videos were featured on MTV and the album received many positive reviews in both mainstream and underground music presses. A large headlining tour in support of the album ensued in 1996, and there were supporting tours with Rancid and Soundgarden. During these tours the band gained a reputation for a series of interesting and, at times, seemingly ludicrous gimmicks and stage antics which included holding raffles during live performances, spinning a large game show wheel to determine set lists, onstage fire breathing, annual Halloween and New Year's shows, and the wearing of coordinated and progressively more ornate stage costumes. In Europe the band also hosted a German variety show, played children's shows and morning shows, and did interviews with fashion magazines. While unorthodox, these antics increased the band's reputation as an energetic live act and helped to increase album sales.
Scream, Dracula, Scream! was the last of three releases by Rocket from the Crypt in 1995. The EP The State of Art is on Fire and LP Hot Charity had preceded the album that year, and singer/guitarist John Reis would later refer to these three records as a "trilogy".
"Scream, Dracula, Scream!" also had different copies for Japan and Australia. Both of them had songs from the 'Hot Charity' recording. The Japan release just had the songs put on the CD, but the "Australian Bonus CD Tour Edition" had a bonus CD. The Australian copy had "Pushed", "My Arrow's Aim", "Lorna Doom", "Shucks", "Cloud Over Branson", and "Feathered Friends". The Japanese copy also had "Pushed", "My Arrow's Aim", and "Lorna Doom". But instead of "Shucks", "Cloud Over Branson", and "Feathered Friends", they had "Guilt Free", "Poison Eye", and "Pity Yr Paws". All together, the whole 'Hot Charity' recording was released on the two versions.
Recording
editScream, Dracula, Scream! was Rocket from the Crypt's most ambitious recording to date. Using the extensive recording budget granted them by Interscope, the band employed numerous guest musicians, a string section, additional engineers and mixing sessions, and experimented with several instruments they had not used before. According to the album's liner notes the album was rehearsed and recorded over a 2-month period, with the basic tracks recorded live on a 4-track machine and overdubs of the backing vocals and orchestra recorded later. The album's title was taken from the lyrics of a Wesley Willis song.
The album's liner notes also state that the band intended Scream, Dracula, Scream! to consist of one cohesive body of music, with traditional silence between track separations replaced with string, woodwind, and brass passages. However, Interscope demanded a more standardized album so the master tapes were cut and edited into traditional-length tracks.
Legacy
editThe album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Middle" | 1:00 |
| 2. | "Born in '69" | 2:16 |
| 3. | "On a Rope" | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Young Livers" | 2:54 |
| 5. | "Drop Out" | 3:00 |
| 6. | "Used" | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Ball Lightning" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Fat Lip" | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Suit City" | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Heater Hands" | 3:36 |
| 11. | "Misbeaten" | 4:02 |
| 12. | "Come See, Come Saw" | 3:39 |
| 13. | "Salt Future" | 3:51 |
| 14. | "Burnt Alive" | 4:37 |
| Total length: | 43:44 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Pushed" | 2:25 |
| 16. | "My Arrows Aim" | 3:18 |
| 17. | "Lorna Doom" | 2:16 |
| 18. | "Guilt Free" | 3:41 |
| 19. | "Poison Eye" | 2:43 |
| 20. | "Pity Yr Paws" | 3:30 |
Personnel
edit- Speedo (John Reis) - guitar, lead vocals
- ND (Andy Stamets) - guitar, backing vocals
- Petey X (Pete Reichert) - bass, backing vocals
- Apollo 9 (Paul O'Beirne) - saxophone, percussion, backing vocals
- JC 2000 (Jason Crane) - trumpet, percussion, backing vocals
- Atom (Adam Willard) - drums
- John Reis, Sr. - accordion on "Used"
- Geoff Harrington - Hammond B3 organ on "Come See, Come Saw"
- Eric Christian - guitar solo on "Come See, Come Saw"
- Raymond Kelley - cello
- Don Palmer - violin
- Jay Rosen - violin
- James Ross - viola
- Mick Collins, Frank Daly - additional vocals
- Diane Gordon, Natalie Burks, and Latina Webb - backing vocals on "Born in '69" and "Come See, Come Saw"
- Roger Freeland, Gene Miller, and Joseph Pizzulo - backing vocals on "Used" and "Misbeaten"
Technical
edit- John Reis, Jr. - producer, conductor
- Donnell Cameron - recording, engineer
- Eddie Miller - recording, engineer
- Andy Wallace - mixing (tracks: 2-5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13)
- Steve Cisco - mixing assistant
- Mark Trombino - engineer, mixing (tracks: 1, 6, 9, 11, 14)
- Kelle Musgrave - production coordination
- Henry Kadinski - recording supervisor
- Miki Vukovich - photography
- Mike Nelson - layout, videograbs, type
References
edit- ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (October 8, 1995). "Rocket from the Crypt 'Scream, Dracula, Scream!' Interscope". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ali, Lorraine (November 16, 1995). "Rocket from the Crypt: Scream, Dracula, Scream!". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ DaRonco, Mike. "Scream, Dracula, Scream! – Rocket from the Crypt". AllMusic. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Martin C. Strong (1998). The Great Rock Discography (1st ed.). Canongate Books. ISBN 978-0-86241-827-4.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (February 2, 1996). "Rocket from the Crypt: Scream, Dracula, Scream! (Elemental)". The Guardian.
- ^ Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.
- ^ Sutherland, Steve (January 27, 1996). "Rocket from the Crypt – Scream, Dracula, Scream!". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "Rocket from the Crypt: Scream, Dracula, Scream!". Q. No. 113. February 1996. p. 99.
- ^ Stovall, Natasha (December 1995). "Rocket from the Crypt: Scream, Dracula, Scream! / Rocket from the Crypt: Hot Charity". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 9. pp. 120–22. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ^ "Scream, Dracula, Scream! - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.