Pocket Full of Kryptonite
| Pocket Full of Kryptonite | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Spin Doctors | ||||
| Released |
August 20, 1991 August 29, 2011 (Anniversary edition) | |||
| Recorded | July–December 1990 at Power Station, NYC; RPM Studios, NYC and ACME Recording Studios Inc., Mamaroneck, NY | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:30 | |||
| Label |
Epic ZK-47461 | |||
| Producer |
Frank Aversa, Peter Denenberg, Frankie La Rocka, Spin Doctors | |||
| Spin Doctors chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Pocket Full of Kryptonite | ||||
|
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Q | [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [3] |
Pocket Full of Kryptonite is the first studio album (and second release) by the American rock band Spin Doctors, released in August 1991. It peaked at #1 and #3 on Billboard's Heatseekers and Billboard 200 albums charts, respectively. It was the band's best selling album, and was certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA.[4]
It was remastered and reissued in 2011 as a twenty-year anniversary edition, with a bonus track added to the original album and a second disc of demos previously released only on cassette, plus two live tracks.
The album's title is a reference to Kryptonite, a fictional substance from the Superman comic book series. The title is taken from the album's opening track, "Jimmy Olsen's Blues", a reference to Superman supporting character Jimmy Olsen, who is attracted to Lois Lane and jealous of her romantic feelings for Superman. The cover, showing a phone booth, refers to Clark Kent frequently ducking into a nearby phone booth to change into his Superman attire.
Track listing
Original Album
All tracks written by Spin Doctors except as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" | 4:38 | |
| 2. | "What Time Is It?" | 4:50 | |
| 3. | "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" | 3:54 | |
| 4. | "Forty or Fifty" | 4:23 | |
| 5. | "Refrigerator Car" | 4:46 | |
| 6. | "More Than She Knows" | Schenkman, Simon Lambert, Graham Clark, J.P. Fitting | 2:12 |
| 7. | "Two Princes" | 4:18 | |
| 8. | "Off My Line" | John David Bell, Spin Doctors | 3:58 |
| 9. | "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" | 4:59 | |
| 10. | "Shinbone Alley/Hard to Exist" | Spin Doctors, Popper | 12:42 |
| Total length: | 50:30 | ||
| Bonus tracks for European edition (Epic 468250 9)[5] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Yo Mamas a Pajama" (live) | 4:02 |
| 12. | "Sweet Widow" (live) | 11:38 |
| 13. | "Stepped On A Crack" (live) | 4:02 |
| 2011 Anniversary Edition Disc 1 Bonus track | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 11. | "Hard to Exist" (B-side of "How Could You Want Him" single) | Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Comess | 4:29 |
The live tracks on the European release also appear on the live album Homebelly Groove...Live (1992), and were recorded September 27, 1990, at Wetlands Preserve in New York.
Note: The track listing for the cassette release can be found inside the tape's inlay. Unlike the CD release of Pocket Full of Kryptonite, the cassettes did not feature a track listing on the back cover—only the black & white photography (as seen on the vinyl and CD releases) is depicted. The digital cassette release of Pocket Full of Kryptonite, however, featured a black & white photograph of the band instead (sans the track listing).
2011 Anniversary Edition Disc 2
All tracks written by Spin Doctors except as noted.
| 1989 "Can't Say No" Demo, recorded Aug 1989 Greene Street Studios, New York City | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" | 5:13 | |
| 2. | "Can't Say No" | Schenkman | 2:20 |
| 3. | "Hard to Exist" | Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Comess | 4:30 |
| 4. | "At This Hour" | 5:37 | |
| 5. | "40 or 50" | 4:39 | |
| 6. | "Big Fat Funky Booty" | 4:00 | |
| 1990 "Piece of Glass" Demo, recorded March 1990 RPM Studios, New York City | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 7. | "What Time Is It?" | 4:08 | |
| 8. | "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" | 5:44 | |
| 9. | "Hungry Hamed's" | 4:39 | |
| 10. | "House" | 4:19 | |
| 11. | "Two Princes" | 4:41 | |
| 12. | "Refrigerator Car" | 4:05 | |
| 13. | "Rosetta Stone" | 6:10 | |
| 14. | "Freeway of the Plains" | Gregg Buscaglia, Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Fogel | 5:48 |
| Live tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 15. | "Turn it Upside Down" (Live July 19, 1993, Kingswood Music Theater, Toronto, Canada) | 4:41 |
| 16. | "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" (Live September 25, 1990, Continental Divide, New York City) | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 75:15 | |
Members
- Chris Barron - lead vocals (all but 8)
- Eric Schenkman - guitar, lead vocals (8), piano
- Mark White - bass
- Aaron Comess - drums, backing vocals, percussion, congas, Hammond organ
Additional musicians
- John Bush - conga, tambourine
- John Popper - harmonica, background vocals
Production
- Producers: Frank Aversa, Peter Denenberg, Frankie La Rocka, Spin Doctors
- Engineers: Frank Aversa, Peter Denenberg, Marc Schwartz, Spin Doctors
- Assistant engineers: Jeff Lippay, Motley
- Mixing: Peter Denenberg, Frankie La Rocka, Spin Doctors
- Mastering: Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
- Production Coordination: Jason J. Richardson
- Guitar technician: Joseph Miselis
- Equipment Manager: John Darren Greene
- Art direction: Francesca Restrepo
- Photography: Paul Aresu, Paul LaRaia
- Cover art: Darren Greene, Chris Gross, Nicky Lindeman
- Liner notes: Cree McCree
Charts
Album
| Year | Peak position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US HS | UK | NOR | AUS | |
| 1992 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 1993 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak position | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US MR | US | US AC | UK | IRE | NOR | ||
| 1992 | "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" | 2 | 17 | — | 23 | 27 | — | |
| 1993 | "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" | 28 | 102 | — | — | — | — |
| 1993 | "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" | 34 | 78 | — | 40 | — | 2 |
| 1993 | "Two Princes" | 1 | 7 | 24 | 3 | 5 | — |
| 1993 | "What Time Is It?" | 26 | — | — | 56 | — | — |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[12] | 95 |
References in popular culture
- The song "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" was featured in the movies Beethoven's 2nd and Bye Bye Love.
- The song "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" was featured in the movie Son In Law.
- The song "Two Princes" featured prominently in the episode "Maid to Border" of The Sarah Silverman Program, as the only song her friend and neighbor has on his iPod.
- The song "Two Princes" was also featured in the animated sci-fi sitcom Futurama, in the episode "Love and Rocket", with the character Bender referring to it as "college rock".
- During the "Death of Superman" event in Superman comics in 1992, the character Jimmy Olsen was drawn wearing a Spin Doctors shirt in several issues.
References
- ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Pocket Full of Kryptonite - Spin Doctors". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ↑ "Spin Doctors - Pocket Full of Kryptonite CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ↑ Robert Christgau. "CG: The Spin Doctors". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
- ↑ "RIAA searchable certification database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ↑ "Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Discogs. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- 1 2 "Spin Doctors' Billboard albums history". All Media Guide / Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- 1 2 "UK charts archive". Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ↑ "Norwegian charts archive". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ↑ "Australian charts archive". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Spin Doctors' Billboard singles history". All Media Guide / Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ↑ "Norwegian singles chart archive". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ↑ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
| Preceded by Breathless by Kenny G |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album June 6–19, 1993 |
Succeeded by janet. by Janet Jackson |