Violent Femmes - Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes

When Slash/Reprise released Add It Up (1981-1993) in September of 1993, it was a bit of a slap in the face for die-hard Violent Femmes fans. Though the 23 tracks of "hits," rarities, and live cuts were more than appreciated, the group's supporters were once again forced to try explaining to the unconverted what the fuss was all about. Ever since their self-titled debut, which has become a right of passage for anyone embarking on puberty, fans have had to defend the group's forays into folk, country, jazz, pop, and rock, not to mention their protagonist's constant battle with spirituality both Christian and demonic, with equal parts passion and frustration. Permanent Record: The Very Best Of is a more coherent collection by far, providing both longtime fans and newbies with a solid hour of concise teen, artistic, and spiritual angst, most of which is just as cathartic now as it was in the '80s. The fact that such sexually charged and explicit songs as "Add It Up" and "Blister in the Sun" have found such a secure place in American pop culture is a testament not only to the group's raw talent, but its timeliness. In an era when punk sold out to corporate pop, the trio's bare-bones acoustic setup and melodic teen-rage sarcasm inspired a cultlike fervor among those who were willing to take the trip, and what a strange trip indeed. That the schoolyard simplicity of a track like "Kiss Off" would lead to a full John Zorn freak-out horn section on the subversive anthem "Black Girls," or that an old appalachian praise & worship number ("Jesus Walking On the Water") would share the same slab of vinyl as the murderous "Country Death Song," goes so far beyond the term "forward-thinking" -- or more appropriately, polarizing -- that it's a wonder anybody had the nerve to follow them at all. Permanent Record captures all of the schizophrenic bliss that fueled the group's long road to legend without all the filler that made Add It Up such a challenge for the uninitiated. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

Name Credits Arlene Holmes Vocals (Background) Brian Ritchie Didjeridu, Guitar (Electric), Jaw Harp, Xylophone, Soloist, Vocals, Reed Organ, Producer, Bass (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar Christina Houghton Autoharp Cory Frye Editorial Supervision Cynthia Gayneau Vocals Dan Hersch Remastering Daniel Chase Assistant Engineer Daniel Lazerus Mixing David Fricke Liner Notes David Vartanian Mixing, Producer, Engineer Drake Scott Cornetto Eric "ET" Thorngren Mixing Francis Ford Photography Fred Frith Guitar, Soloist Gladys Sanchez Project Assistant Gordon Gano Producer, Vocals, Guitar (Acoustic), Violin, Guitar, Fiddle Guy Hoffman Percussion, Tranceaphone, Vocals, Drums (Snare), Drums Jack Hargreaves Illustrations Jean Krikorian Art Direction, Design Jeff Most Executive Producer Jerry Harrison Guitar, Keyboards, Producer Jim Bartz Engineer Jim Herrington Photography John Tanner Mixing, Engineer John Zorn Sax (Alto), Voices, Clarinet Jolene Cherry Soundtrack Supervisor, Executive Producer Junior Brantley Keyboards Ken Feldman Assistant Larry Busacca Photography Laura Levine Photography Leslie Reed Soundtrack Supervisor Lisa Liese Project Assistant Lovelace Redmond Vocals (Background) Marc Salata Associate Producer Mark Mason Assistant Mark VanHecke Producer Martin Brass Engineer Mason Williams Compilation Producer Matt Lane Assistant Engineer Matthew Abels Project Assistant Michael Beinhorn Organ (Hammond), Producer Michael Blair Vocals, Drums Michael Ramos Keyboards Peter Balestrieri Sax (Tenor) Randy Perry Project Assistant Reggie Collins Discographical Annotation Rich Tapper Assistant Shirley Simms Vocals (Background) Sigmund Snopek III Organ Steve MacKay Saxophone Steve Scales Percussion Susan Rogers Engineer Tom Carolan Executive Producer Tommy Mandel Keyboards Victor de Lorenzo Drums (Bass), Tympani [Timpani], Tranceaphone, Drums, Tambourine, Vocals, Drums (Snare), Sleigh Bells Warren A. Bruleigh Assistant, Producer, Engineer