Hole was a Grammy-nominated American
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s...
band that formed in
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
in 1989 and disbanded in 2002. The band was fronted by vocalist/
rhythm guitarRhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the acoustic, country, blues, rock or metal genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the...
ist
Courtney LoveCourtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician and actress. Love is known as lead singer and lyricist for the alternative rock band Hole and for her marriage to the late Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain...
, who co-founded Hole with
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
/
lead guitarA lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, and guitar solos within a song structure.In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays...
ist
Eric ErlandsonEric Erlandson is the co-founder, former songwriter and lead guitarist of '90s alternative rock band Hole. Erlandson grew up in San Pedro, where he was picked on for being lanky and pale. During his college years he worked for the now defunct Licorice Pizza record store chain, alongside many...
. Hole achieved considerable commercial success. Their second album,
Live Through ThisLive Through This is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Hole. It was released on April 12, 1994, just four days after the body of Kurt Cobain, lead singer Courtney Love's late husband, was found in his house....
, was critically acclaimed and regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, as well as their most notable work.
Hole's style of alternative rock was initially influenced heavily by
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
,
no waveNo Wave was a short-lived but influential popular music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City...
and
noise rockNoise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.- Visual and...
, though as they progressed they began to incorporate elements of
grungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and
pop rockPop rock is a mix of pop music and rock music utilizing a catchy pop style with light lyrics, and guitar-based songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
into their sound. Hole were reported to have been reforming in 2009, however, due to a contract signed in 2002 by Love and Erlandson, no reunion can take place without mutual involvement. An acrimonious argument between Love and Erlandson about the use of the name has been reported.
Overview
Hole released three official albums before their split,
Pretty on the InsidePretty on the Inside is Hole's first studio album, released in September 1991 by Caroline Records.The album was recorded at Music Box Studios in Los Angeles in March 1991, with Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon and Gumball frontman Don Fleming in charge of production...
,
Live Through ThisLive Through This is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Hole. It was released on April 12, 1994, just four days after the body of Kurt Cobain, lead singer Courtney Love's late husband, was found in his house....
and
Celebrity SkinCelebrity Skin is Hole's third and final studio album, released worldwide on September 7, 1998, and a day later in the United States.The songs were written by the band, some with the help of Billy Corgan; Courtney Love penned all of the lyrics...
, each of which reflect a distinctive and progressive sound and approach. The band's first release, "Pretty on the Inside" was a
no waveNo Wave was a short-lived but influential popular music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City...
,
noise rockNoise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.- Visual and...
and
punkPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-influenced record, experimenting with alternate tunings. The band's second release, the critically-acclaimed, "Live Through This" showcased a more power-pop, and grunge-influenced approach, still infused with a punk rock sound. The band's third and final release, "Celebrity Skin" was prominently powerpop and pop-influenced. Hole also released a number of EP's during their career.
Hole also experienced a number of line-up changes for each album. Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson were the only constant members throughout the group's career. "Pretty on the Inside" was recorded with original drummer Caroline Rue and bassist
Jill EmeryJill Emery is an artist and musician currently based in Los Angeles. She is best known as the bassist for the alternative rock band Hole from 1989-1992; she left the band after the release of Hole's debut album Pretty on the Inside and was briefly replaced by Leslie Hardy and ultimately replaced...
, both of which left the band in 1992, to be replaced by
Patty SchemelPatricia Theresa Schemel is an American drummer, most notably known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998...
and
Kristen PfaffKristen Marie Pfaff was an American bass guitarist, best known for her work with Hole.-Early life and career:...
, respectively. This new line-up recorded "Live Through This". Seattle musician Leslie Hardy was also a touring member for a short time, however did not contribute to any studio work, despite some reports. After Pfaff's death in 1994,
Melissa Auf der MaurMelissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician of Swiss-German ancestry from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist with the band Hole and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour...
was recruited as bassist. Prior to the recording of "Celebrity Skin", Schemel left the group for reasons which remain disputed, and was replaced by
Samantha MaloneySamantha Maloney is an American musician born in New York City on December 11 1975, best known for playing in the bands Hole, Mötley Crüe, Eagles of Death Metal and in Peaches' live band "The Herms".-Early career:...
, who left the group after the band's tour in 1999. Auf der Maur also left in late 1999, leaving Love and Erlandson the only two remaining members. After attempts at a fourth album, Love and Erlandson announced the split of Hole less than three years later.
Formation and early years (1989-1994)
Love has joked that she took the name for the band from "my husband's favorite drinking spot", but this claim is dubious since she met
Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana....
, her husband, the year after Hole was formed. Love later said that the name came from a conversation she had with her mother, yet has also claimed on numerous occasions that the name was inspired by a quote from
EuripidesEuripides was the lastof the three great tragedians of classical Athens . Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias...
' "
MedeaMedea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres. In Euripides's play Medea, Jason leaves Medea when Creon, king of...
".
Hole formed in Los Angeles in August 1989, after Eric Erlandson replied to an advertisement, placed by Courtney Love, in punk rock fanzine,
FlipsideFlipside was a punk rock fanzine published in Los Angeles, California from 1977 - 2001.As one of the first and longest running US punk rock fanzines, this publication extensively chronicled the world of independent and underground music during this era. Known for its highly opinionated cast of...
. The band's first rehearsal took place in Fortress Studios in Hollywood, where Love, Erlandson and original bassist Lisa Roberts "played something noisy" while "they [Courtney and Lisa] started screaming at the top of their lungs for two or three hours". After this, the band would recruit drummer Caroline Rue, and a third guitarist, Mike Geisbrecht. Hole's first show took place at
Raji'sRaji's was a rock and roll nightclub in central Hollywood, in the 1980s and early 1990s: one of the great affectionate sweaty smoke filled 'dives' of rock, which featured among others performances by bands such as Guns N' Roses, Redd Kross, Jane's Addiction, The Dream Syndicate, Tex and the...
- a small club in Hollywood in September 1989. The band played another three shows in California in 1989 before they began to develop a fanbase. Geisbrecht left in 1989 and was replaced by Errol Stewart, who left a few weeks later. Roberts left the group at some point in early 1990.
After Geisbrecht and Roberts' departure, Hole recruited Jill Emery on bass and began recording studio material, as well as touring frequently. After releasing the singles,
Retard GirlRetard Girl is the debut single of the grunge band Hole. These were some of the very first songs written and performed by Hole and can also be heard on The First Session EP. These tracks were later included on My Body, the Hand Grenade in their single form. It was released by Sympathy for the...
and
Dicknail"Dicknail" is the second single of punk rock band Hole, with the b-side "Burn Black". It was released in March 1991 on the Sub Pop label as a 7" vinyl record. 1st pressings were part of Sub Pop's single of the month series with grey, light green or pink marble vinyl and wraparound p/s. Later copies...
on
Sympathy for the Record IndustryFormed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John, Sympathy for the Record Industry is mainly an independent garage rock and punk label...
and
Sub PopSub Pop is a record label founded by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington in 1986. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
respectively, Hole released their first full-length album
Pretty on the InsidePretty on the Inside is Hole's first studio album, released in September 1991 by Caroline Records.The album was recorded at Music Box Studios in Los Angeles in March 1991, with Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon and Gumball frontman Don Fleming in charge of production...
- produced by
Sonic YouthSonic Youth is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Mark Ibold and Steve Shelley ....
member
Kim GordonKim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, and artist. She sings, plays bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
and
GumballGumball was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Don Fleming , Eric Vermillion , and Jay Spiegel...
musician, Don Fleming - on Caroline Records, which received praise from underground critics, especially in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, where the band later done an extensive tour with
Daisy ChainsawDaisy Chainsaw were an English band, that were active between 1989 and 1995.-Career:The band formed in 1989 after KatieJane Garside answered an advertisement placed by guitarist Crispin Gray in the music press...
and
MudhoneyMudhoney is an American grunge band. Formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Matt Lukin and drummer Dan Peters...
. Hole also toured North America and the rest of Europe in support of the record. After the tour, Rue left the band, followed by Jill Emery in March 1992.
As a result of the album's success and the furious press coverage around
Courtney LoveCourtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician and actress. Love is known as lead singer and lyricist for the alternative rock band Hole and for her marriage to the late Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain...
and her husband
Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana....
of the band Nirvana, Hole was signed to
Geffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
with an eight-album contract in late 1992, around the time they recruited
Janitor JoeJanitor Joe, a Minneapolis noise-rock band, formed in 1992. Founder members were guitarist/vocalist Joachim Breuer , bassist/vocalist Kristen Pfaff and drummer Matt Entsminger, though bass duties were later assumed by Wayne Davis following Pfaff's departure in 1993 to join Courtney Love's band,...
bassist,
Kristen PfaffKristen Marie Pfaff was an American bass guitarist, best known for her work with Hole.-Early life and career:...
. After another well-praised tour of Europe and the United States in 1993 - the first leg of which was for promotion of their single,
Beautiful Son"Beautiful Son" is Hole's only single released in 1993, this collection of three songs reveals an interesting progression between Hole's first and second albums....
- Hole began work on their major label debut, "Live Though This" in Triclops Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. The final result included the singles
Doll Parts"Doll Parts" is a song by the rock band Hole. It was the second single to be released from their second album, Live Through This, following "Miss World" which was released in the fall of 1994...
,
Violet"Violet" is a song by the American rock band Hole, fronted by Courtney Love. It was the third single to be released from their second album, Live Through This, following "Doll Parts" which was released in 1994...
,
Miss WorldMiss World is the first single by the band Hole from their album Live Through This. Apart from the cover version of Echo & the Bunnymen's "Do It Clean", the songwriting credits goes collectively to Hole, although according to BMI's website, both Miss World and Rock Star were written only by leader...
and
Softer, Softest"Softer, Softest" is the last single by Hole from their album Live Through This. It is said to be R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe's favorite Hole song. Courtney Love's husband Kurt Cobain can be heard on background vocals towards the end of the song...
. The album went multi-platinum and was hailed "Album of the Year" by Spin magazine. Kurt Cobain is also known to have minorly contributed to the album, however his only audible work is found on the tracks,
Asking for ItAsking for it is the fourth track from Hole's major label debut,Live Through This. The song is a notable track from the band as it was not released as a single, yet it made a brief, four week appearance on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in early 1995, peaking at number 36...
, and "Softer, Softest", however he is known to have contributed backing vocals to a number of songs, including "Doll Parts". Incidentally, Love has reveleaed that the alternate mix of
Asking for ItAsking for it is the fourth track from Hole's major label debut,Live Through This. The song is a notable track from the band as it was not released as a single, yet it made a brief, four week appearance on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in early 1995, peaking at number 36...
featuring Cobain, was planned to be released as a single, however after Cobain's death the idea was scrapped. The extent of Cobain's involvement is unconfirmed.
Almost immediately prior to the album's release, the final song, "Rock Star", was removed from the album and replaced by the outtake "Olympia". It was widely believed at the time that this was because its lyrics, which included the lyrics, "how'd you like to be Nirvana?/so much fun to be Nirvana/barrel of laughs to be Nirvana/say you'd rather die", and appeared inappropriate in the wake of Cobain's suicide in April 1994. However, it was later revealed that the band and the Geffen label had already deemed the track unfitting of a major label debut for Hole, as the song had a very "non-artistic" character which fit poorly with the rest of the album. By the time the decision to remove "Rock Star" was made, the album artwork and various other inserts had already been printed, and since "Olympia" was put in its place, "Olympia" is labelled as "Rock Star" on "Live Through This", and serves as its official title.
Live Through ThisLive Through This is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Hole. It was released on April 12, 1994, just four days after the body of Kurt Cobain, lead singer Courtney Love's late husband, was found in his house....
was released on April 12 1994, four days after
Cobain's suicideKurt Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle, Washington, United States on April 8, 1994. Cobain, the lead singer of the American grunge band Nirvana, had checked out of a drug rehab facility and been reported suicidal by his wife Courtney Love...
, and two months prior to Kristen Pfaff's death on June 16th, of an apparent overdose. Hole pulled out of the upcoming
LollapaloozaLollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring alternative rock, hip hop, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups...
festival, which was also going to include Cobain's band,
NirvanaNirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
.
On September 1, 1994, Hole played their first headlining show since the album's release at the Phoenix Theatre in Toronto, and dedicated it to Kristen, however the band's first show after Cobain and Pfaff's was at the 1994 Reading Festival. The band, now with
Melissa Auf der MaurMelissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician of Swiss-German ancestry from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist with the band Hole and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour...
on bass, toured extensively throughout 1994 and 1995, including appearances at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas,
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
, the
Big Day OutThe Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
festival,
MTV UnpluggedMTV Unplugged was a TV series showcasing popular musical artists playing acoustic instruments. The show received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
, Lollapalooza 1995 and the 1995
MTV Video Music AwardsThe MTV Video Music Awards, also called the VMAs, were established at the end of the summer of 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year...
, at which Hole performed "Violet" and were nominated for awards.
Hiatus, and My Body, the Hand Grenade (1995-1997)
Hole were thought to be on hiatus in 1996, due to Love's rising movie career. The band released their first EP,
Ask for ItAsk for It is an EP by the alternative rock band Hole, containing tracks from a November 19, 1991 John Peel session, a March 1992 home session and a live performance at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles on February 11, 1992.-Track listing:...
in September 1995. After the band's tours in 1995, Hole entered the studio to record a follow-up to "Live Through This". There were multiple attempts to record Hole's third album, and one such attempt was in New Orleans in winter 1995. Interviews with Erlandson have confirmed the authenticity of this session, and the style is thought to have been a transition between the alternative style of "Live Through This" and the band's later pop-influenced sound, however no material from the sessions have surface. It is believed that one result of these sessions was an extremely early version of "Awful". Erlandson has also denied a rumor that what was to be the band's third album had been completed only to have the masters stolen on an airplane.
Despite the reported hiatus and Love's movie career, the band recorded and released a cover of
Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British/American rock band formed in 1967 in London, England.The only member present in the band from the very beginning is its namesake drummer Mick Fleetwood...
's "Gold Dust Woman" for
The Crow: City of AngelsThe Crow: City of Angels is a 1996 action film and a sequel to the cult film The Crow. The film was directed by Tim Pope.-Plot:The setting is Los Angeles, where drug kingpin Judah Earl controls all...
. This served as the first studio recording with Auf der Maur as bassist. During their supposed hiatus, Hole also released a second EP,
The First SessionThe First Session is an EP by alternative rock band, Hole, released in 1997. The EP features the entire recording of the band's first ever studio session on March 17th, 1990. It was produced by the band and Falling James Moreland for the label Sympathy for the Record Industry...
in August 1997, which includes a complete version of the band's first recording session at Rudy's Rising Star in Los Angeles in March 1990, some of which had been bootlegged widely years prior. The band's final release before 1998's "Celebrity Skin" was the compilation album,
My Body, the Hand GrenadeMy Body, the Hand Grenade is a compilation album by Hole that includes b-sides, demo recordings, live songs, and other rarities and unreleased tracks by the band...
, which was comprised of early singles, mid-period
b-sidesB-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
and recent live tracks. One outtake from the "Live Through This" recording sessions which was included on this release was the controversial song, "Old Age". The history and writer of this song was the subject of controversy among
Courtney LoveCourtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician and actress. Love is known as lead singer and lyricist for the alternative rock band Hole and for her marriage to the late Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain...
detractors who believed
Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana....
had written Hole's second album, an allegation for which no evidence has ever surfaced. It was eventually learned "Old Age" had been written by Kurt Cobain for the
NevermindNevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
sessions in 1991, then given to Hole, whereupon its lyrics were rewritten by Love.
NirvanaNirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
bassist
Krist NovoselicKrist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian American rock musician , best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. In addition to Nirvana, Novoselic has played for Sweet 75, Eyes Adrift, and most recently in Flipper...
confirmed that "Old Age" was indeed "a Nirvana song" in an interview with UK music newspaper
Melody Maker in 1997. The unfinished Nirvana version was released on the Nirvana box-set
With The Lights OutWith the Lights Out is a box set, containing 3 CDs and 1 DVD, from the American grunge band Nirvana. It was released in November 2004. The title refers to the line "with the lights out, it's less dangerous" from the successful "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single.-History:Rumors of a posthumous Nirvana...
in 2004. Another song on the
My Body the Hand Grenade collection was "20 Years in the Dakota", which touches on
Yoko Ono, , is a Japanese-American artist and musician. She is known for her marriage to John Lennon and for her work as an avant-garde artist and musician.-Early life:...
's struggles in life as
John LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon, MBE was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter, author, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles...
's wife, a position which Love herself has been frequently compared to, due to the perception that Ono drew Lennon away from
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...
and that Love drew Cobain away from Nirvana.
Although Hole as a band did not perform during 1996 and 1997, members of Hole performed separately, including Love's guest appearance at a Smashing Pumpkins' show in February 1996, at which she performed "Silverfuck" and "Farewell and Goodnight", with Smashing Pumpkins' frontman, and former boyfriend,
Billy CorganWilliam Patrick Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet. Corgan is the vocalist and lead guitarist for alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. When the band broke up in 2000, Corgan went on to form the short-lived Zwan with former Pumpkins drummer Jimmy...
. Auf der Maur and Schemel also performed a show in Toronto in July 1996. Erlandson also collaborated with
Thurston MooreThurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running Ecstatic Peace! records.-Early years:Moore was born in Coral Gables, Florida, but was...
of Sonic Youth and director
Dave MarkeyDave Markey is an American film director.David Joseph Markey has sustained a truly independent career in the shadow of Hollywood and against the backdrop of corporate America for over two and a half decades...
in the short-lived project, Rodney & The Tube Tops, with whom he released two singles with.
Celebrity Skin and breakup (1997-2002)
Hole's third and final studio album,
Celebrity SkinCelebrity Skin is Hole's third and final studio album, released worldwide on September 7, 1998, and a day later in the United States.The songs were written by the band, some with the help of Billy Corgan; Courtney Love penned all of the lyrics...
adopted a complete new sound for the band. Featuring a more pop-orienated sound, the album was a critical success with strong sales and successful singles, including the title track,
Celebrity Skin"Celebrity Skin" is a song by the American rock band Hole from the Celebrity Skin album. The song was also used in the film American Pie, but it did not appear on the soundtrack. It is Hole's most commercially successful single, being the only one to reach #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart...
,
Malibu"Malibu" is the second single by Hole from the Celebrity Skin LP and was written about Kurt Cobain's stay at a rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, California...
, and
Awful. Eric Erlandson told
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
, "I still think a lot of
Celebrity Skin is my
Johnny ThundersJohnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an Italian American rock and roll/protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter....
influence coming up – which Courtney just fucking hates."
The album was recorded in Conway Studios in Los Angeles throughout 1997, after many "fruitless attempts" in Miami, London and New York. Although Patty Schemel is listed as drummer in the liner notes of the record, she did not actually appear on the record as she had left the band prior to the main recording sessions and was in turn replaced by a session drummer. The studio work took almost a year and a half. According to Erlandson, Courtney was more focused on song-writing and singing and "did not care about her instrument". Eric also noted that Billy Corgan, who co-wrote a large portion of the album, played bass on "Hit So Hard". In reaction to public speculation that
Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana....
had written the band's second album, Celebrity Skin's liner notes listed explicitly every musician's contribution to the record, specifying authorship for every song. Love wrote a comprehensive amount of the lyrics, while Erlandson, assistant-producing alongside Michael Beinhorn, had a hand in every song. Co-songwriters on the album also included Melissa Auf der Maur, Patty Schemel,
Jordon ZadoroznyJordon Zadorozny is a Canadian rock musician. He is the singer and songwriter for indie rock band Blinker the Star. He is best known for cowriting songs with Courtney Love in the late 1990s...
of
Blinker the StarBlinker the Star is a Canadian indie rock band, originally from Pembroke, Ontario. After their first release, they moved to Montreal. Band leader Jordon Zadorozny is known for having cowritten songs with Courtney Love...
, and
Charlotte CaffeyCharlotte Irene Caffey is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter, best known for her work in the Go-Go's in the 1980s, including writing "We Got the Beat"....
of
The Go-Go'sThe Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made rock history as the first all-woman band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
, each contributing pieces to a number of songs, however the most notable contributer was Billy Corgan, who co-wrote five of the twelve songs on the album. After the album's release, Hole recruited Samantha Maloney as a touring drummer, who left in 1999.
After a winter tour in 1998 to promote Celebrity Skin, Hole made further appearances at festivals throughout 1999 after an extensive American and European tour. Tragically, on June 18th, 1999 during Hole's set at the
Hultsfred FestivalThe Hultsfred Festival is an annual music festival held in Hultsfred, Sweden. It takes place at the lake Hulingen during three days in the middle of June, from Thursday to Saturday...
in Sweden, a 19-year old girl named Sara died after being crushed by the mosh pit behind the mixing board. The band did not comment on her death. Hole played their final show at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver on July 14th, 1999. A few months later, Auf der Maur quit Hole and went on to become a touring bassist for the Smashing Pumpkins. Despite being the only two remaining members of the group, Love and Erlandson still continuted Hole. The band's final release was a single for the movie
Any Given SundayAny Given Sunday is a 1999 film directed by Oliver Stone featuring an ensemble cast, consisting of Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, John C...
.
Be A Man"Be a Man", the last official Hole single, was a co-written by Hole members Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson and frequent guest Billy Corgan...
- released in March 2000 - was an outtake from the "Celebrity Skin" sessions, and was another song co-written and included bass-work by Corgan.
Love and Erlandson officially disbanded Hole via a message posted on the band's website in 2002. Their more than decade-long run as a band produced three studio albums that generated sales of 8 million in total. After the split, the four musicians each took on projects of their own. Erlandson continued to work as a producer and session musician, eventually forming the experimental group
RRIICCEERRIICCEE is a band founded by controversial artist legend Vincent Gallo and Hole co-founder Eric Erlandson. RRIICCEE's members have included Vincent Gallo , Eric Erlandson , Cory Lee Grant , Rebecca Casabian , Simon Haas , and Nikolas Haas...
with controversial artist,
Vincent GalloVincent Gallo is an American film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer-songwriter, and painter. Although he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies...
and Love began a solo career, releasing her debut, "
America's SweetheartAmerica's Sweetheart is the 2004 solo debut from Courtney Love. The release of this album was delayed for three years and preceded by much negative publicity over Courtney's legal problems and drug issues.-Production and history:...
" in 2004, and is currently recording her second solo album with first solo album collaborator
Linda PerryLinda Perry, born April 15, 1965, in Springfield, Massachusetts, to parents of Portuguese and Brazilian descent, is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer...
. Auf der Maur also embarked on a solo career, and released her
self-titledAuf der Maur is the debut album from former Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.Formed following her successful stints as bassist for both Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur's solo project Auf der Maur released their self-titled debut album after Melissa's...
debut album in 2004, which also included Erlandson on lead guitar on the track, "Would If I Could". She is currently working on her second studio album, "Out of Our Minds".
Hole's final body of work includes thirteen singles, six Grammy nominations, three LPs, three EPs, one compilation album and 10 music videos.
Apparent reunion (2009-present)
On June 17, 2009,
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
posted two in-depth blogs, and links to two interviews, of Courtney Love announcing the reunion of Hole. The article was primarily focused on Love's upcoming solo release,
Nobody's DaughterNobody's Daughter is an upcoming studio album by Courtney Love, tentatively set for release on January 1, 2010. Since its original planned release of February 2007, it has been delayed numerous times...
, yet it claimed with the "rock Courtney back in action, this music could only come out under one name, HOLE". According to the blog post, Melissa Auf der Maur would once again be bassist, with
Micko LarkinMichael Joseph Larkin is an English musician of Irish background, most famous for being the guitarist of the band Larrikin Love....
replacing Eric Erlandson, and a drummer was not mentioned. There was also mention of "tours next year". However, days later, Auf der Maur, interviewed in Toronto where she was appearing at the
North by NortheastNorth by Northeast is an annual five-day live music and film festival and music conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, held each June....
music festival, said she had "no clue" about the band's reported reunion and denied the NME claim she had, or was asked to, contribute vocals to the album or had been asked to tour with the purportedly reunited band saying, "I actually don't know [about the reunion]...I arrived at [the music festival in Toronto] and I heard that Hole were getting back together from people sending me links," she said. Auf Der Maur was essentially unclear about her interest in the reunion. Eric Erlandson has also stated in Spin magazine that contractually no reunion can take place without his involvement, therefore "Nobody's Daughter" would remain Love's solo record, as opposed to a "Hole" record. Love then responded to Erlandson's comments in a
TwitterTwitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers...
post, claiming that "he's out of his MIND, Hole is MY band, MY name, and MY Trademark". Neither Love or Erlandson have since commented on the apparent reunion.
Members
- Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician and actress. Love is known as lead singer and lyricist for the alternative rock band Hole and for her marriage to the late Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain...
- lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1989-2002)
- Eric Erlandson
Eric Erlandson is the co-founder, former songwriter and lead guitarist of '90s alternative rock band Hole. Erlandson grew up in San Pedro, where he was picked on for being lanky and pale. During his college years he worked for the now defunct Licorice Pizza record store chain, alongside many...
- lead guitar (1989-2002)
- Samantha Maloney
Samantha Maloney is an American musician born in New York City on December 11 1975, best known for playing in the bands Hole, Mötley Crüe, Eagles of Death Metal and in Peaches' live band "The Herms".-Early career:...
– drums (1998-2000)
- Melissa Auf der Maur
Melissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician of Swiss-German ancestry from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist with the band Hole and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour...
- bass, backing vocals (1994-1999)
- Patty Schemel
Patricia Theresa Schemel is an American drummer, most notably known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998...
- drums (1993-1998)
- Kristen Pfaff
Kristen Marie Pfaff was an American bass guitarist, best known for her work with Hole.-Early life and career:...
- bass, backing vocals, piano (1993-1994)
- Leslie Hardy
Leslie Hardy plays keyboard in the rock and roll band The Murder City Devils. Hardy was also briefly the bassist for the band Hole. She left Hole after recording only one single with the band, 1993's Beautiful Son, and was replaced by Kristen Pfaff....
- bass (1992)
- Jill Emery
Jill Emery is an artist and musician currently based in Los Angeles. She is best known as the bassist for the alternative rock band Hole from 1989-1992; she left the band after the release of Hole's debut album Pretty on the Inside and was briefly replaced by Leslie Hardy and ultimately replaced...
- bass (1990-1992)
- Caroline Rue - drums (1989-1992)
- Lisa Roberts - bass (1989)
- Errol Stewart - rhythm guitar (1989)
- Mike Geisbrecht - rhythm guitar (1989)
Discography
| Date of release |
Title |
Record label |
| September 17, 1991 |
Pretty on the Inside Pretty on the Inside is Hole's first studio album, released in September 1991 by Caroline Records.The album was recorded at Music Box Studios in Los Angeles in March 1991, with Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon and Gumball frontman Don Fleming in charge of production...
|
Caroline Records |
| April 12, 1994 |
Live Through This Live Through This is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Hole. It was released on April 12, 1994, just four days after the body of Kurt Cobain, lead singer Courtney Love's late husband, was found in his house....
|
DGC Records DGC Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and currently operates as an auxiliary label of Interscope Records.-Company history:...
|
| September 8, 1995 |
Ask for It Ask for It is an EP by the alternative rock band Hole, containing tracks from a November 19, 1991 John Peel session, a March 1992 home session and a live performance at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles on February 11, 1992.-Track listing:...
|
Caroline Records |
| August 26, 1997 |
The First Session The First Session is an EP by alternative rock band, Hole, released in 1997. The EP features the entire recording of the band's first ever studio session on March 17th, 1990. It was produced by the band and Falling James Moreland for the label Sympathy for the Record Industry...
|
Sympathy for the Record Industry Formed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John, Sympathy for the Record Industry is mainly an independent garage rock and punk label...
|
| October 28, 1997 |
My Body, the Hand Grenade My Body, the Hand Grenade is a compilation album by Hole that includes b-sides, demo recordings, live songs, and other rarities and unreleased tracks by the band...
|
City Slang |
| September 8, 1998 |
Celebrity Skin Celebrity Skin is Hole's third and final studio album, released worldwide on September 7, 1998, and a day later in the United States.The songs were written by the band, some with the help of Billy Corgan; Courtney Love penned all of the lyrics...
|
Geffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
|
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
|-
| ||
Celebrity SkinCelebrity Skin is Hole's third and final studio album, released worldwide on September 7, 1998, and a day later in the United States.The songs were written by the band, some with the help of Billy Corgan; Courtney Love penned all of the lyrics...
|| Best Rock Album ||
|-
| ||
Celebrity Skin"Celebrity Skin" is a song by the American rock band Hole from the Celebrity Skin album. The song was also used in the film American Pie, but it did not appear on the soundtrack. It is Hole's most commercially successful single, being the only one to reach #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart...
|| Best Rock Song ||
|-
| ||
Celebrity SkinCelebrity Skin is Hole's third and final studio album, released worldwide on September 7, 1998, and a day later in the United States.The songs were written by the band, some with the help of Billy Corgan; Courtney Love penned all of the lyrics...
|| Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ||
|-
| ||
Malibu"Malibu" is the second single by Hole from the Celebrity Skin LP and was written about Kurt Cobain's stay at a rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, California...
|| Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ||
|-
| ||
Malibu"Malibu" is the second single by Hole from the Celebrity Skin LP and was written about Kurt Cobain's stay at a rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, California...
|| Best Short-Form Video ||
MTV Video Music AwardsThe MTV Video Music Awards, also called the VMAs, were established at the end of the summer of 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year...
|-
| ||
Doll Parts"Doll Parts" is a song by the rock band Hole. It was the second single to be released from their second album, Live Through This, following "Miss World" which was released in the fall of 1994...
|| Best Alternative Video ||
|-
| ||
Malibu"Malibu" is the second single by Hole from the Celebrity Skin LP and was written about Kurt Cobain's stay at a rehabilitation clinic in Malibu, California...
|| Best Cinematography in a Video ||