{"id":47772,"date":"2015-12-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-14T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/hallowed-ground\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T11:36:45","slug":"hallowed-ground","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/hallowed-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"Hallowed Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been a fan of the Violent Femmes since I was about 14, when I discovered Hallowed Ground<\/i> on cassette from my local library. Everyone knows they are one of the most significant and important bands of the entire \u201980s alternative wave. Songs like \u201cAdd It Up,\u201d \u201cPlease Do Not Go\u201d and the immortal \u201cBlister In The Sun\u201d helped many a teenager get through their awkward pubescent years. After a very long recording hiatus, the band is preparing to release a brand new full-length record in 2016. Until then, let\u2019s take a look at the catalogue of a band that have already cemented their name in alternative rock history.<\/p>\n

\"violentfemmes_freak_150\"8. Freak Magnet<\/i> (2000)<\/b><\/p>\n

The most boring of all their records. Originally due to be released by Interscope Records in 1998, the band got dropped, the tracklisting got shuffled, and it eventually was released by Beyond Music in the spring of 2000. Until 2016, this was their last full-length studio album. Among the dozen or so tracks here, only \u201cForbidden\u201d and \u201cAll I Want\u201d are the only ones to show any real life left. The band just plows through the songs with no real emotion or feeling, and you can sense it all over the disc.<\/p>\n

7. The Blind Leading the Naked<\/i> (1986)\"violentfemmes_blind_150\"<\/b><\/p>\n

This was during a time when the band got more experimental, adding in keyboards galore, horns and all sorts of different sounds not heard on the previous two records. Unfortunately, the record is just kind of flat and boring, asides from the cover of T. Rex\u2019s \u201cChildren Of The Revolution,\u201d which got them on MTV for the first time. The best song however, was a bonus track that was only available on the cassette version: \u201cWorld Without Mercy,\u201d written by drummer Victor DeLorenzo, is such a great and unexpected track it\u2019s a damn shame you could only buy the cassette to get it. An underwritten record that is a statement of its time.<\/p>\n

\"violentfemmes_newtimes_150\"6. New Times<\/i> (1994)<\/b><\/p>\n

Their first record with new drummer Guy Hoffman and their first (and last) album for Elektra Records. Trying to ride the wave of \u201880s nostalgia, the band recorded a decent amount of material for the record but twenty-one years later, it just doesn\u2019t hold up. The one track that stands above the rest as one of their best latter-day songs is \u201cWhen Everybody\u2019s Happy,\u201d which has the appeal of something from the very first record. A decent album, one that holds up better than the rest, but it could\u2019ve used a lot of improvement.<\/p>\n

5. Why Do Birds Sing<\/i> (1991)\"violentfemmes_birds_150\"<\/b><\/p>\n

The album best known for \u201cAmerican Music,\u201d one of their best latter day songs, but this is where all signs of creativity started going out the window. Some songs were written in the burst of creative frenzy that gave us the first two records. It was around this time that Gordon Gano started adapting whatever type of verse he could from other poets and putting it to music \u2013 witness \u201cHey Nonny Nonny.\u201d While there are some decent tracks, such as \u201cUse To Be,\u201d this is where the ship starts to leave the pier without anyone on board. Still good, but starting to slide off the rails. <\/p>\n

\"violentfemmes_3_150\"4. 3<\/i> (1989)<\/b><\/p>\n

The first record after their three-year hiatus found Gano and Co. writing shorter songs and trying to keep up with alternative rock radio. The band\u2019s first major hit on alt rock stations was \u201cNightmares,\u201d and while it doesn\u2019t hold up well, it\u2019s great for nostalgia. \u201cLies\u201d and \u201cFat\u201d have both become fan favorites, but they\u2019re less than two minutes apiece. If they were stretched a bit longer, they might have become official classics. While this is a good record, it\u2019s not quite as good as it could be. <\/p>\n

3. Viva Wisconsin<\/i> (1999)\"violentfemmes_viva\"<\/b><\/p>\n

Released to tide fans over while waiting for a studio album, this first official live record is quite a revelation. The band truly comes to life here, with tons of great songs performed before a rapturous audience. \u201cDon\u2019t Talk About My Music (Shut Your Mouth)\u201d is where bassist Brian Ritchie takes control and refuses to let go. Nevertheless, this disc can often be found in cutout and dollar bins all across this great country <\/p>\n

\"violentfemmes_st_150\"2. Violent Femmes<\/i> (1982)<\/b><\/p>\n

I know, I know. \u201cHow the hell does this rank #2?!\u201d you might ask. Well, the easy answer is that I discovered the second record first and just enjoy the hell out of every damn song. True, just about every song on the legendary self-titled debut is great, too, but you hear these songs played everywhere. While the songs are notable and great, they just don\u2019t seem to have the same type of power that the sophomore album\u2019s tracks did. Still, this self-titled album remains one of the greatest New Wave\/alternative albums of the \u201980s. <\/p>\n

1. Hallowed Ground<\/i> (1984)\"violentfemmes_hallowed_150\"<\/b><\/p>\n

This was the first album by the band that I really got into, and there\u2019s a good reason! I was in high school undergoing my own awkward phase when I found \u201cCountry Death Song,\u201d \u201cNever Tell\u201d and \u201cJesus Walking On The Water,\u201d among others, and these were the songs that really spoke to me. These were some of the first religious rock songs that I heard that I felt really belonged to me and they didn\u2019t feel overly preachy or that they were shoving religion down your throat. These songs still stand the test of time for me; I own the album on vinyl, CD and cassette for God\u2019s sake! Some people will probably say the first album is the best, but for me, the sophomore album is the place to start!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Violent Femmes Albums Ranked Worst To Best<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":49582,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"feature_type":[32],"class_list":["post-47772","feature","type-feature","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","feature_type-feature"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/feature"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"feature_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature_type?post=47772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}