Rubbing Doesn't Help
Encyclopedia
Recording
The sessions for Rubbing Doesn't Help were produced by Geza XGeza X
Geza Gedeon, professionally known as Geza X was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. Geza produced records for a number of early California punk bands including the Dead Kennedys, The Germs, Black Flag, The Avengers and The Weirdos...
at City Lab Studios in Hollywood, California in late 1995. Drummer David McNair left the group prior to recording, so they hired session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
to fill in on drums. This would be the band's final album for almost a decade; their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
folded while promoting Rubbing Doesn't Help and they were contractually barred from recording under that name. The band (along with Freese) also went to Plus Four Recordings Studios, in Sherman Oaks, California with engineers
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Sandy Solomon and Bernie Zwass in June 1995 to record their cover of Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
' "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
"Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" is a song written and performed by Tom Waits, and released on his 1978 album, Blue Valentine. The song also appeared on Waits' compilation album, Used Songs 1973–1980 .-Lyrics:...
" for the compilation album Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits
Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits is the title of a tribute album to Tom Waits, released in 1995 by Manifesto Records. The songs are performed by various artists.-Track listing:All songs written by Tom Waits.#"Old Shoes" – [06:29] Drugstore...
. The title of the album comes from a Ben-Gay
Ben-Gay
Bengay, spelled Ben-Gay prior to 1995, is an analgesic heat rub used to relieve muscle and joint pain. It was developed in France by Dr. Jules Bengué, and brought to America in 1898. The name Bengué was anglicized to Bengay...
slogan.
Reception
The album received mostly positive reviews, with some mixed responses. Positive critics noted the album's emotionally powerful lyrics in addition to its aggressive instrumentation—particularly the guitar. Ambivalent reviewers criticized the lack of variety between this album and Magnapop's previous efforts, as well as a lack of focus in the production.Track listing
All songs written by Linda HopperLinda Hopper
Linda Elizabeth Hopper is the vocalist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop vocal style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door"...
and Ruthie Morris
Ruthie Morris
Ruth Mary "Ruthie" Morris is the guitarist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop guitar style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door".-History:Morris is originally from West Palm...
, except where noted.
- "This FamilyThis Family"This Family" is a 1996 single by Magnapop by Play It Again Sam Records on Compact Disc -Track listing:All songs written by Linda Hopper and Ruthie Morris#"This Family" – 3:28...
" – 3:28 - "I Don't Care" – 2:40
- "Open the DoorOpen the Door (Magnapop song)"Open the Door" is a 1996 single by Magnapop released by Play It Again Sam Records as a Compact Disc maxi-single , two-track Compact Disc and 7" on red vinyl . A promotional Compact Disc and 10" were released by Priority Records...
" – 3:37 - "Come on Inside" – 2:43
- "Down on Me" – 3:24
- "An Apology" – 3:04
- "My Best Friend" – 3:26
- "Juicy Fruit" – 2:18
- "Firebrand" – 2:29
- "Cherry Bomb" – 2:15
- "Radio Waves" – 2:32
- "Snake" (Hopper, Morris, and Shannon Mulvaney) – 5:00
- "Dead Letter" – 10:32
- Also includes the hidden trackHidden trackIn the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
"Suck It Up"
Japanese edition bonus tracks:
- "Hold You Down" (New Mix) – 2:43
- "Voice Without a Sound" – 2:41
The Dutch edition of the album has a slightly different track listing, with "Hold You Down" (3:29) as the fourth track and omitting "Cherry Bomb".
Tracks from Rubbing Doesn't Help
A promotional EPExtended 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...
entitled Tracks from Rubbing Doesn't Help was released by Play It Again Sam in the United States in 1996 (catalogue number PROMOBIAS 033 CD) with the following track listing:
- "This Family" – 3:28
- "An Apology" – 3:04
- "Open the Door" – 3:37
- "My Best Friend" – 3:26
- "Juicy Fruit" – 2:18
- "Snake" – 5:00
Personnel
Magnapop- Linda HopperLinda HopperLinda Elizabeth Hopper is the vocalist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop vocal style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door"...
– leadLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, art direction, photography - Ruthie MorrisRuthie MorrisRuth Mary "Ruthie" Morris is the guitarist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop guitar style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles "Slowly, Slowly" and "Open the Door".-History:Morris is originally from West Palm...
– leadLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
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...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, lead vocals on "Hold You Down" and "Suck It Up", dobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
on "Dead Letter", art direction, photography - Shannon Mulvaney – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Additional personnel
- Jerry FinnJerry FinnJerry Finn was an American record producer. He was perhaps best known for his work with Blink-182, as well as Morrissey, AFI, Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, MxPx, Rancid, Green Day, Sum 41 and The Offspring.-Death:...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
on "Come on Inside" - Sherry Rae Etheredge – photography
- Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– 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 .... - Geza XGeza XGeza Gedeon, professionally known as Geza X was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. Geza produced records for a number of early California punk bands including the Dead Kennedys, The Germs, Black Flag, The Avengers and The Weirdos...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Maggie Magarian – design
- Nancy Ogami – letteringTypographyTypography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
- Eddie Shryer of Future Disc – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Art Shoji – design
- Steve Snow – sound designSound designSound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
on "Come On Inside" - Thom WilsonThom Wilson-Thom Wilson:Thom Wilson is a now-retired American punk rock record producer and engineer.-Career:Wilson began his musical career in the mid-1970s, engineering recordings by soft rock artits Burton Cummings and Seals & Crofts. He began working on punk rock albums in the early 1980s while producing...
– mixing
Release history
The album was initially released on Priority RecordsPriority Records
Priority Records is an American record label, owned and operated by EMI, which has made a name for itself dealing primarily in hip hop, pop and world...
in the United States and Play It Again Sam in Europe, with the Japanese edition published by King.
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Priority Priority Records Priority Records is an American record label, owned and operated by EMI, which has made a name for itself dealing primarily in hip hop, pop and world... |
Compact Disc Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
P2 53992 | |
| cassette tape | P4 53992 | |||
| Europe | Play It Again Sam | Compact Disc | 450.0321.20 - BIAS 321 CD | |
| LP Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... (red vinyl) |
450.0321.10 - BIAS 321 LP | |||
| Australia | Cortex | Compact Disc | CTX058CD | |
| Japan | King | Compact Disc | KICP 507† | |
| The Netherlands | Play It Again Sam | Compact Disc | 450.0321.26 - BIAS 321 CDX | |
†Special edition with bonus tracks
Sales chart performance
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
22 |
External links
- Official site (Dutch edition)
- Rubbing Doesn't Help at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Tracks from Rubbing Doesn't Help at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...