#26: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (1983)

Hey music fans, James Campion here, and on this week's episode of 300 Favorite Albums, we are dissecting the raw, acoustic fury of the ultimate 1983 folk-punk masterpiece: the Violent Femmes’ self-titled debut. Man, did I play this record to death in college!

To help me pull back the curtain on this iconic album, I’m joined by none other than the band’s unsung hero and founding drummer, Victor DeLorenzo. Have you ever wondered how three kids busking on a Milwaukee sidewalk accidentally invented a genre and got discovered by a massive rock legend entirely on a whim? Or how a metal bushel basket rescued from an attic was transformed into the "Trance-a-phone," one of the most wildly unique percussion instruments in alternative rock history?

Victor and I dive deep into the gritty, off-hours recording sessions hidden inside a Playboy Club, the desperate, unfiltered teenage angst behind anthems like "Blister in the Sun" and "Add It Up," and the miraculous $10,000 family loan that made the whole thing possible.

It is easily one of the most unlikely success stories in rock music history, and to uncover the wild secrets behind how this underground sensation became a permanent fixture of our youth, you’ll just have to hit play and hear it straight from the man who lived it!
Songs played:
"Blister in the Sun"
"Kiss Off"
"Please Do Not Go"
"Add It Up"
"Confessions"
"Prove My Love"
"Promise"
"To The Kill"
"Gone Daddy Gone"
"Good Feeling"
Additional Selections
"Girl Trouble" - Violent Femmes (demo)
"Breakin' Up" - Violent Femmes (demo)
"I Just Wanna Make Love to You" from Catalyst
"Outside the Palace" - Violent Femmes from 3

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