Beginning with the killer B-side “Gimme the Car” (later a bonus cut on the self-titled debut album) and working its way through the highlights on their ensuing albums, Permanent Record is a concise look at Wisconsin’s finest alternative rock band. “Blister In the Sun,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” Kiss Off” and “Add It Up” are the highlights from the debut. (It could be argued that the entire first album could be included here.) “Black Girls” includes avant-jazz legend John Zorn’s horn section. T. Rex’s “Children of the Revolution” and “I Held Her In My Arms” show the band’s expanding pop appeal, which at first listen to singer Gordon Gano’s adenoidal vocals once seemed like an impossibility. The tracks from their latter-day albums, “Nightmares” from 3, “American Music” from Why Do Birds Sing?, “Color Me Once,” a rarity from the 1994 Machine EP, taken from the era of the New Times album, which featured the tortured “Breakin’ Up” and “I Danced,” and the title track from Freak Magnet, all prove the band still had its mojo, if in more limited doses.
Tracklisting
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| A1 | Gimme The Car |
| A2 | Blister In The Sun |
| A3 | Gone Daddy Gone / I Just Want To Make Love To You |
| A4 | Kiss Off |
| A5 | Add It Up |
| B1 | Black Girls |
| B2 | Jesus Walking On The Water |
| B3 | Children Of The Revolution |
| B4 | I Held Her In My Arms |
| C1 | Nightmares |
| C2 | American Music |
| C3 | Breakin’ Up |
| C4 | Color Me Once |
| D1 | I Danced |
| D2 | Country Death Song (Live, 1998) |
| D3 | Freak Magnet |
| D4 | Good Feeling (Live At Rhino) |
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Release Images
Release Information
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | 2× Vinyl (Coke Bottle Clear) LP, Record Store Day, Compilation, Reissue, Remastered |
| Label | Craft Recordings |
| Catalog Number | CR00140 |
| Notes | RSD Black Friday limited to 2500 copies, indie-retail exclusive. Gatefold sleeve. Printed inner sleeves. Good Feeling (Live at Rhino) recorded live at Rhino, Los Angeles, CA, June 14, 2002. ℗ & © 2005 Craft Recordings Made in U.S.A. |
| Discogs URL | Violent Femmes - Permanent Record: The Very Best Of Violent Femmes |