8 Femmes

Import-only five CD set from the Alt-Rock trio contains a quintet of their original non-remastered albums packaged in replica cardboard sleeves. Box set includes: "Violent Femmes" (1983); "Hallowed Ground" (1984); "The Blind Leading the Naked" (1986); "3" (1989); "Why Do Birds Sing?" (1991).

Violent Femmes is the debut album by Violent Femmes. Mostly recorded in July 1982, the album was released by Slash Records on vinyl and on cassette in April 1983, and on CD in 1987 with two extra tracks "Ugly" and "Gimme the Car". Violent Femmes is the band's most successful album to date and went platinum eight years after its release. The album achieved what is believed to be a unique feat by going gold, four years after its release, without having yet made an appearance on Billboard's Top 200 album chart. Slant Magazine listed the album at #21 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s".

This goes beyond the usual "deluxe edition." You get the Femme's 1983 debut LP ( Blister in the Sun; Kiss Off; Please Do Not Go; Add It Up , etc.) plus demos of all of the above and more. That's disc one; disc two has unissued live recordings of Gone Daddy Gone; Promise; Country Death Song; To the Kill; Never Tell , and more by Milwaukee's indie-rock heroes!
Emerging, literally, from the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they gained notoriety through busking, this strange trio led by guitarist-vocalist Gordon Gano became a cult favorite with their self-titled debut album in 1983. Influenced greatly by Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers, the Femmes' minimalist sound pitted Gano's low-volume electric guitar against Brian Ritchie's acoustic bass guitar and Victor De Lorenzo's ashcanlike homemade drum kit–all of which only served to make Gano's angst-ridden adolescent tirades more arresting. Highlights here are the rockabillyish "Gone Daddy Gone," the snotty "Kiss Off," and the emblematically nervous "Blister in the Sun." All in all, a fond reminder of the innocent days of alt-rock. Note: this deluxe, 20th anniversary version of the album includes an additional 26 demos and live tunes, 22 of them never before released.–Billy Altman

Teeming with teenage angst, punk sensibilities, and Violent Femmes’ own special brand of jittery folk-rock, the trio’s self-titled debut Violent Femmes became a cult favourite. Features the anthems “Blister in the Sun,” “Please Do Not Go,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” and “Add It Up.” This expanded 40th anniversary 2-CD edition includes the remastered album, plus B-sides, live sessions, and rare demos. The package also includes liner notes by journalist David Fricke, featuring interviews with the band.