Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities
Encyclopedia
Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities is the sixth studio album
by the Circle Jerks
, which was released in 1995.
Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities was the band's only full-length studio recording since their 1989 disbandment and 1994 reformation, and also their only release on a major label. The reunion of the Circle Jerks did not last; after several in-band problems and guitarist Greg Hetson
's involvement with Bad Religion
, they split up again and would not reform again until 2001. As of 2008, there are no plans for a follow-up to this album.
Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities is currently the most recent album released by the Circle Jerks. As of now, the album is out of print.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks
The Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. It was formed by Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris, and future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.The band...
, which was released in 1995.
Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities was the band's only full-length studio recording since their 1989 disbandment and 1994 reformation, and also their only release on a major label. The reunion of the Circle Jerks did not last; after several in-band problems and guitarist Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
's involvement with Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
, they split up again and would not reform again until 2001. As of 2008, there are no plans for a follow-up to this album.
Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities is currently the most recent album released by the Circle Jerks. As of now, the album is out of print.
Track listing
- "Teenage Electric" – 2:44
- "Anxious Boy" – 2:06
- "22" – 2:42
- "Shining Through the Door" – 3:01
- "I Wanna Destroy You" – 3:05
- "Sinking Ship" – 3:45
- "Brick" – 2:14
- "Fable" – 3:37
- "Dog" – 2:53
- "Grey Life" – 2:48
- "Exhaust Breath" – 3:00
- "Career Day" – 2:23
Personnel
- Keith MorrisKeith MorrisKeith Morris is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and Off! Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the age of 21 with guitarist Greg Ginn and performed on the band's 1978 debut EP...
- lead vocals - Greg HetsonGreg HetsonGreg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
- guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Zander SchlossZander SchlossZander Schloss is a Los Angeles, California based musician, actor and composer. He is perhaps best known as bass player for The Circle Jerks and The Weirdos and for his contributions to a number of independent feature films. His first screen appearance was as "Kevin the Nerd" in Repo Man...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitar, sitar - Keith Clark - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals
- Dix Denney - guitar
- Suzi GardnerSuzi GardnerSuzanne "Suzi" Gardner is an American musician most notable for being a guitarist and vocalist of L7, an all-female grunge band in the 1990s. Before playing with L7, Suzi wrote for LA Weekly. She co-founded the group together with Donita Sparks...
- backing vocals - Debbie Gibson - backing vocals (on "I Wanna Destroy You")
- Niko BolasNiko BolasNiko Bolas is an American music producer, sound engineer, and consultant and business developer in the fields of virtual reality and Internet radio...
- producer, engineer, mixing - John Paterno - engineer
- Brian Soucy - assistant engineer
- Paul Q. KolderiePaul Q. KolderiePaul Q. Kolderie is a record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with Pixies, Radiohead, Orangutang, Hole, Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield, Wax, Warren Zevon, Uncle Tupelo, Throwing Muses, Morphine, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Abandoned Pools, and The Go-Go's...
- remixing - Sean SladeSean SladeSean Slade is a record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with artists including Hole, Radiohead, Warren Zevon, Juliana Hatfield, Dinosaur Jr., Uncle Tupelo, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Boo Radleys, Sebadoh, Lush, the Go-Go's, and The Dictators among others. In 2005 he produced The...
- remixing - Mary Hogan - production coordination
- Darrin Ehardt - art direction, design
Miscellanea
- Track 5, "I Wanna Destroy You," a cover of a song by The Soft BoysThe Soft BoysThe Soft Boys were a pop band during the punk era led by Robyn Hitchcock, whose initially old fashioned music style of psychedelic/folk-rock became part of the neo-psychedelia scene with the release of Underwater Moonlight...
, features backing vocals from pop singer/songwriter Deborah GibsonDeborah GibsonDeborah Ann "Debbie" Gibson is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. In 1987 she was pronounced the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, with her song "Foolish Beat" and she remains the youngest female to write, record, and...
, who had just wrapped up a solo album with the same producer the Circle Jerks were using, at the time they were recording the album. Gibson later made a surprise appearance at the Circle Jerks' performance at punk mecca CBGB's to perform the song with the band. - The song Dogs lyrics are taken directly from the opening monologue of the film My Life as a DogMy Life as a DogMy Life as a Dog is a 1985 Swedish drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on a novel by Reidar Jönsson. It tells the story of Ingemar, a young boy sent to live with relatives...
(hence, the track's title). The song and movie both reference Laika, the "Russian space dog," having starved to death after several months in space. This is commonly believed, but one of the Russian scientists responsible for the mission claimed Laika died after only 5 to 7 hours in space.