With the benefit of hindsight, it seems impossible that there was a time when Violent Femmes weren’t a well-known band with widely heard songs. While their 1983 debut self-titled album contained many of the folk punk hits that we know and love today, like “Kiss Off”, “Blister in the Sun,” and “Add it Up”, they were mostly being played on college stations and by 1987 the band had broken up. Regrouping in 1989, the band released the album 3 and followed it up with the ’91 release of Why Do Birds Sing? This would be the last album recorded with the original lineup as drummer Victor DeLorenzo would depart two years later. Craft Recordings is reissuing the cult classic album, Why Do Birds Sing? on both red and smoke vinyl as well as in a deluxe 2-CD featuring unreleased songs and a complete concert from 1991.
Why Do Birds Sing? opens with the fan favorite tune “American Music,” which has become a live show staple for the Violent Femmes with its call and response style. The stripped down acoustic songs let fans know that they were returning to the classic style that began on the album Violent Femmes back in ’83. The album also contains a beautifully stripped down version of Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”. When a cover version is done right, like Ryan Adams covering Oasis’ “Wonderwall” it can bring out new meaning in the song, and that is exactly what Violent Femmes manage to do with Boy George’s song. They even pull lyrics from unlikely places like on “Hey Nonny Nonny,” which is essentially a musical take on a poem from the 15th century. On more “plugged in” tracks the band also shines, as on “More Money Tonight,” where lead singer Gordon Gano sings of being picked on in high school and then reveling in the fact ‘”I’ll make more money tonight than you ever dreamed” as a message to those that made him feel small in high school.
The bonus material on the 2-CD edition of the reissue is jam packed. An alternate mix of “American Music” is included as well as the B-side “Dance M.F., Dance!” Early versions of “4 Seasons” and “Breaking Up” which would make on their next album, New Times, join an early version of “Color Me Once” which is a stripped down version of the song that would later be on The Crow soundtrack. The crown jewel on this reissue is the second disc, which is a full concert recorded at The Boathouse in Norfolk, Virginia in 1991. In addition to songs like “Look Like That” and “More Money Tonight” the Femmes also play hits like “Blister in the Sun” and “Add it Up”. Ultimately, this reissue does it right with all the extra tracks. However, the addition of the live show on the 2-CD edition definitely make the version to pick up.
