...And Out Come the Wolves

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…And Out Come the Wolves
Studio album by Rancid
Released	August 22, 1995
Recorded	February - May 1995 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California and Electric Lady Studios in New York City
Genre	Punk rock, ska punk
Length	49:39
Label	Epitaph
Producer	Jerry Finn
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Punknews.org link Robert Christgau (A−) link
Rancid chronology
Let's Go (1994) …And Out Come the Wolves (1995) Life Won't Wait (1998)
Singles from …And Out Come the Wolves
"Roots Radicals" Released: 1995 "Time Bomb" Released: 1995 "Ruby Soho" Released: 1996

…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.^[1]

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.^[2] Five months after its release, the album was certified gold.^[1]

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.^[3]

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. 

Personnel

• Tim Armstrong - Guitar, Vocals
• Lars Frederiksen - Guitar, Vocals
• Matt Freeman - Bass, Background Vocals
• Brett Reed - Drums
• Bashiri Johnson - Percussion
• DJ Disk - Scratching
• Paul Jackson - Organ, Organ (Hammond)
• Vic Ruggiero - Organ on "Time Bomb"
• Brett Gurewitz - Engineer
• Joe Pirrera - Assistant Engineer
• Michael Rosen - Engineer
• Steve Sisco - Assistant Engineer
• Andy Wallace - Mixing
• Howie Weinberg - Mastering
• Jerry Finn - Producer, Mixing
• Jesse Fischer - Artwork, Photography
• Frank Rinella - Assistant Engineer
• Mike Fasano - Technician

Chart positions

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "RIAA Certification (type in "Rancid" in the artist box)". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH. Retrieved June 23, 2007. 
2. ^ "...And Out Come the Wolves' entry at Billboard.com". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=33491&aid=171843. Retrieved 2008-01-09. 
3. ^ "...And Out Come the Wolves". Allmusic.com. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Aelf1zfo8ehok. Retrieved 2008-01-09.