…And Out Come the Wolves is an album by the American punk rock band Rancid, released in August 1995 (see 1995 in music).
Rancid's popularity and catchy songs made them the subject of a major label bidding war (hence the title, ...And Out Come the Wolves[citation needed] taken from a poem in Jim Carroll's Basketball Diaries) that ended with the band sticking with their indie label, Epitaph Records. With a sound heavily influenced by ska, which called to mind Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman's past...
…And Out Come the Wolves is an album by the American punk rock band Rancid, released in August 1995 (see 1995 in music).
Rancid's popularity and catchy songs made them the subject of a major label bidding war (hence the title, ...And Out Come the Wolves[citation needed] taken from a poem in Jim Carroll's Basketball Diaries) that ended with the band sticking with their indie label, Epitaph Records. With a sound heavily influenced by ska, which called to mind Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman's past in Operation Ivy, Rancid became one of the few bands of the mid- to late-1990s boom in punk to retain much of its original fanbase.
In terms of record sales and certifications, …And Out Come the Wolves is a popular album in the United States. It produced three hit singles – "Roots Radicals", "Time Bomb" and "Ruby Soho" – that earned Rancid its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date. All the singles charted on Modern Rock Tracks. …And Out Come the Wolves has continued to sell consistently well in the fourteen years since its release, and on January 22, 1996 was certified gold by the RIAA. It was also certified platinum on September 23, 2004.
In the mid-1990s, ...And Out Come the Wolves—along with Green Day's Dookie and The Offspring's Smash—helped revive mainstream popular interest in punk rock, and signaled the initial rise of mainstream punk and proved to be a massive success for the band.
Background
Rancid formed in Albany, California in 1991. They signed to Epitaph Records (founded by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz) in 1992 and released their first album, which is self-titled, a year later to rave reviews. While Rancid was already writing another album, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, one of the band's friends, joined them to co-write the song "Radio". This led to him playing a live show with the band, and Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong eventually asked him to become a member of the band, but he decided to continue playing in Green Day. Armstrong had previously asked Lars Frederiksen to be Rancid's second guitarist, but he turned down the request. After Billie Joe declined, Frederiksen changed his mind and decided to join the band. Rancid's second album, Let's Go, was released in 1994 to unexpected success and acclaim. After the release of Green Day's Dookie and The Offspring's Smash later that year, Rancid was pursued by several major labels, including Madonna's Maverick Records, but eventually turned them down. They decided to stay on Epitaph and soon began recording a follow-up album.
Recording and production
...And Out Come the Wolves was recorded mainly between February and May 1995. The recording took place at not only Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California (where Let's Go was recorded), but also at the famous Electric Lady Studios (built by the late Jimi Hendrix) in New York City. This is the first time Rancid recorded a record at more than one studio. Jerry Finn reprised his role as the album's producer.
Release and reception
...And Out Come the Wolves was released on August 22, 1995 and peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200 album chart.Five months after its release, the album was certified gold.
The album received positive reviews, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the album as having "classic moments of revivalist punk". Erlewine praised the music and claims the album "doesn't mark an isolationist retreat into didactic, defiantly underground punk rock". The album received a rating of four and a half out of five stars, while "Time Bomb", "Ruby Soho" and "Roots Radicals" earned Rancid its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date.
Legacy
The album is referenced in Stephen King's novel Desperation as an album that one of the characters was saving a stamp at Tower Records frequent shopper card for.
Artwork
The cover art is a tribute to Minor Threat, a landmark hardcore punk band, that originally used the image of Alec MacKaye (brother of the band's lead singer Ian MacKaye) with his head on his knees on steps of the "Dischord House" on the self-titled EP.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Tim Armstrong, Lars Frederiksen and Matt Freeman, except where noted.
# Title Length
1. "Maxwell Murder" 1:25
2. "The 11th Hour" (Erik Dinn) 2:28
3. "Roots Radicals" 2:47
4. "Time Bomb" 2:24
5. "Olympia WA." 3:30
6. "Lock, Step & Gone" 2:25
7. "Junkie Man" 3:04
8. "Listed M.I.A." 2:22
9. "Ruby Soho" 2:37
10. "Daly City Train" 3:21
11. "Journey to the End of the East Bay" 3:11
12. "She's Automatic" 1:35
13. "Old Friend" 2:53
14. "Disorder and Disarray" 2:49
15. "The Wars End" 1:53
16. "You Don't Care Nothin'" 2:28
17. "As Wicked" 2:40
18. "Avenues & Alleyways" 3:11
19. "The Way I Feel" 2:34
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