Scream, Dracula, Scream!
Encyclopedia
Scream, Dracula, Scream! is an album by the San Diego, California
rock
band Rocket from the Crypt
, released in 1995 by Interscope Records
. It was the band's first major-label release. Music videos were filmed for the singles "On a Rope
," "Born in '69
" and "Young Livers
," and the band embarked on extensive tours of the US
, UK
and Europe
. They experienced a surge of popularity in the UK, where "On a Rope" entered music charts at #12 and was a hit on MTV Europe
, earning them rave reviews in New Musical Express and allowing them to play Top of the Pops
.
The album also made the band an alternative rock
hit in the US, where their videos were featured on MTV
and the album received many positive reviews in both mainstream and underground music presses. A large headlining tour in support of the album ensued in 1996, as well as supporting tours with Rancid
and Soundgarden
. During these tours the band gained a reputation for a series of interesting and, at times, seemingly ludicrous gimmicks and stage antics which included holding raffles during live performances, spinning a large game show wheel to determine set lists, onstage fire breathing, annual Halloween
and New Year's shows, and the wearing of coordinated and progressively more ornate stage costumes. In Europe the band also hosted a German variety show, played children's shows and morning shows, and did interviews with fashion magazines. While unorthodox, these antics increased the band's reputation as an energetic live act and helped to increased album sales.
Scream, Dracula, Scream! was the last of three releases by Rocket from the Crypt in 1995. The EP
The State of Art is on Fire
and LP
Hot Charity
had preceded the album that year, and singer/guitarist John Reis
would later refer to these three records as a "trilogy".
song.
The album's liner notes also state that the band intended Scream, Dracula, Scream! to consist of one cohesive body of music, with traditional silence between track separations replaced with string, woodwind, and brass passages. However, Interscope demanded a more standardized album so the master tapes were cut and edited into traditional-length tracks.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt was an American rock band led by John Reis, formed in 1989 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005.The band gained critical praise and the attention of major record labels after the release of their 1992 album Circa: Now!, leading to a recording contract with Interscope...
, released in 1995 by Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. It was the band's first major-label release. Music videos were filmed for the singles "On a Rope
On a Rope
"On a Rope" is a song by the American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the third single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as three separate CD singles by Elemental Records, which combined to form a single set containing three versions of "On a Rope",...
," "Born in '69
Born in '69
"Born in '69" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the first single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as both a 7" vinyl and CD single by Elemental Records and peaked at #68 on the UK Singles Chart...
" and "Young Livers
Young Livers
"Young Livers" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the second single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as both a 7" vinyl and CD single by Elemental Records and peaked at #67 on the UK Singles Chart...
," and the band embarked on extensive tours of the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. They experienced a surge of popularity in the UK, where "On a Rope" entered music charts at #12 and was a hit on MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...
, earning them rave reviews in New Musical Express and allowing them to play Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
The album also made the band an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
hit in the US, where their videos were featured on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and the album received many positive reviews in both mainstream and underground music presses. A large headlining tour in support of the album ensued in 1996, as well as supporting tours with Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. During these tours the band gained a reputation for a series of interesting and, at times, seemingly ludicrous gimmicks and stage antics which included holding raffles during live performances, spinning a large game show wheel to determine set lists, onstage fire breathing, annual Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
and New Year's shows, and the wearing of coordinated and progressively more ornate stage costumes. In Europe the band also hosted a German variety show, played children's shows and morning shows, and did interviews with fashion magazines. While unorthodox, these antics increased the band's reputation as an energetic live act and helped to increased album sales.
Scream, Dracula, Scream! was the last of three releases by Rocket from the Crypt in 1995. The EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
The State of Art is on Fire
The State of Art is on Fire
The State of Art is on Fire is an EP by the San Diego, California rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1995 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. It was the band's first release to include trumpet player JC 2000....
and LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Hot Charity
Hot Charity
Hot Charity is an LP by the San Diego, California rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1995 on the fictitious record label Perfect Sound Records...
had preceded the album that year, and singer/guitarist John Reis
John Reis
John Reis is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which he formed and fronted for the entirety of its career from 1990 to 2005...
would later refer to these three records as a "trilogy".
Recording the album
Scream, Dracula, Scream! was Rocket from the Crypt's most ambitious recording to date. Using the extensive recording budget granted them by Interscope, the band employed numerous guest musicians, a string section, additional engineers and mixing sessions, and experimented with several instruments they had not used before. According to the album's liner notes the album was rehearsed and recorded over a 2-month period, with the basic tracks recorded live on a 4 track machine and overdubs of the backing vocals and orchestra recorded later. The album's title was taken from the lyrics of a Wesley WillisWesley Willis
Wesley Willis was a musician and artist from Chicago. A diagnosed chronic schizophrenic, he gained an enormous cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and frequently obscene lyrics...
song.
The album's liner notes also state that the band intended Scream, Dracula, Scream! to consist of one cohesive body of music, with traditional silence between track separations replaced with string, woodwind, and brass passages. However, Interscope demanded a more standardized album so the master tapes were cut and edited into traditional-length tracks.
Track listing
- "Middle" - 1:00
- "Born in '69Born in '69"Born in '69" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the first single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as both a 7" vinyl and CD single by Elemental Records and peaked at #68 on the UK Singles Chart...
" - 2:16 - "On a RopeOn a Rope"On a Rope" is a song by the American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the third single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as three separate CD singles by Elemental Records, which combined to form a single set containing three versions of "On a Rope",...
" - 2:53 - "Young LiversYoung Livers"Young Livers" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the second single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as both a 7" vinyl and CD single by Elemental Records and peaked at #67 on the UK Singles Chart...
" - 2:54 - "Drop Out" - 3:00
- "Used" - 2:39
- "Ball Lightning" - 3:50
- "Fat Lip" 2:42
- "Suit City" - 2:34
- "Heater Hands" - 3:36
- "Misbeaten" - 4:02
- "Come See, Come Saw" - 3:39
- "Salt Future" - 3:51
- "Burnt Alive" - 4:37
Performers
- Speedo (John ReisJohn ReisJohn Reis is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which he formed and fronted for the entirety of its career from 1990 to 2005...
) - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocals - ND (Andy StametsAndy StametsAndy Stamets is an American guitarist notable as a member of Rocket from the Crypt, Beehive & the Barracudas, and the Sultans.-Musical career:...
) - guitar, backing vocals - Petey X (Pete Reichert) - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Apollo 9 (Paul O'BeirnePaul O'BeirnePaul O'Beirne is an American saxophonist notable as a member of Rocket from the Crypt.-Musical career:...
) - saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, backing vocals - JC 2000 (Jason CraneJason CraneJason Crane is an American drummer and trumpeter notable as a member of Rocket from the Crypt, The Black Heart Procession, and Beehive & the Barracudas.-Musical career:...
) - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, backing vocals - Atom (Adam Willard) - 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 ....
- John Reis, Sr. - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
on "Used" - Geoff Harrington - Hammond B3 organ on "Come See, Come Saw"
- Eric Christian - guitar solo on "Come See, Come Saw"
- Raymond Kelley - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Don Palmer - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Jay Rosen - violin
- James Ross - violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Mick CollinsMick CollinsMick Collins is a musician from Detroit, Michigan.- Biography :Collins first played in a band called the U-Boats in 1981 and then in the Floor Tasters from 1984 to 1985. In 1986, the 20-year old Collins helped form the seminal garage punk band, The Gories...
, Frank Daly - additional vocals - Diane Gordon, Natalie Burks, and Latina Webb - backing vocals on "Born in '69" and "Come See, Come Saw"
- Roger Freeland, Gene Miller, and Joseph PizzuloJoe PizzuloJoe Pizzulo is best known as one of the lead singers for Sérgio Mendes in the 1980s. He had hit singles with "Never Gonna Let You Go" and "Alibis"...
- backing vocals on "Used" and "Misbeaten"
Album information
- Record label:
- CD: Interscope RecordsInterscope RecordsInterscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
- LP: Cargo Records/Headhunter RecordsHeadhunter RecordsHeadhunter Records is a record label distributed by Cargo Music, Inc. Headhunter records is based out of San Diego, California. It was launched in 1989.-Other Notable Artists:*Creedle* Slap Of Reality*Inch*Deadbolt*Drive Like Jehu*Fishwife...
- UK release: Elemental RecordsElemental RecordsElemental Records is an American independent record label originally created in 1992. From its original inception, the label then headquartered in Eugene, Oregon. Original founders included Jonathan Boldt. In 1999, the label restructured under the new ownership of Cassandra and Aaron Thorpe and...
- CD: Interscope Records
- Conducted and produced by John Reis, Jr.John ReisJohn Reis is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which he formed and fronted for the entirety of its career from 1990 to 2005...
- Recorded and engineered by Donnell CameronDonnell CameronDonnell Cameron is a record producer, who is credited working with such artists as Sublime and Blink-182; as well as producing the Avenged Sevenfold album Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. He is also the owner of Westbeach Recorders recording studio in Hollywood, California.-References:...
at Gold Star Studios with assistance by Eddie Miller - Overdubbing of backing vocals and orchestra conducted at Ocean Way (Studio 1)
- Tracks 2-5, 7, 8, 10, 12 & 13 mixed by Andy Wallace with assistance by Steve Cisco
- Tracks 1, 6, 9, 11 & 14 mixed by Mark TrombinoMark TrombinoMark Trombino is a rock music producer. He started his career as the drummer of Night Soil Man, before playing for Drive Like Jehu. He also played in a Long Beach-based punk rock band called First Offense which released a seven inch on Mystic Records entitled "Broken Home."-Bands:*Alive in Wild...
at Lighthouse Recorders in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... - Additional engineering by Mark Trombino at Big Fish Studios in San Diego
- Production coordination by Kelle Musgrave
- Recording supervision by Henry Kadinski
- Photography by Miki Vukovich
- Layout, videograbs and type by Mike Nelson
- All songs published by Mr. Buttermaker Painting, BMIBroadcast Music IncorporatedBroadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...