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Violent Femmes

Real Name:Brian Ritchie, Victor De Lorenzo & Gordon Gano
Profile:Violent Femmes were founded in 1980 by bassist/multi-instrumentalist Brian Ritchie and drummer Victor De Lorenzo. The name is a contradiction in terms, “Violent” being self-explanatory and “Femmes” being Milwaukee slang for wimp.
The rhythm section added high school singer/songwriter Gordon Gano in 1981. Gano and Ritchie had previously performed together at Gano’s National Honor Society induction ceremony, where they caused a near riot. Gano was expelled from the Society and suspended from high school for this outrage.
One of the only stable aspects of the band is their aversion to rehearsal. Due to this they would take the music to the streets in an attempt to hone it and earn some spare change. It was on one of these occasions that they were spotted by the Pretenders. Chrissie Hynde and the gang were so amused by the Violent Femmes antics that they invited the band to open the show for them. The hometown Milwaukee audience received the Femmes with unanimous booing. However by the end of the set the Femmes had converted approximately 50% of the audience to their cause. Many years later Brian Ritchie encountered Hynde when the Femmes and Pretenders shared the bill at a radio concert. She said, “Oh, you’re still around.”
The Femmes borrowed $10,000 from Victor De Lorenzo’s dad to record their legendary first album in 1982. Slash Records in Los Angeles was the only label to offer them a deal with the amazing advance of $0. The band accepted the deal and started on the predictable round of world tours, recording, more world tours, nervous breakdowns, band members quitting, solo albums, regrouping, more touring, divorces, more crackups, dropped from record deals, new deals, more touring, record company going bankrupt, lawsuits, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum.
Fast forward to the present. Many things have changed. One thing that hasn’t is the sound of the band. Their loose, improvisational, acoustic sound is timeless.
URLs:http://www.vfemmes.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pleasedonotgo
Members:Brian Ritchie, Gordon Gano, Guy Hoffman, Steven Mackay, Victor DeLorenzo
Name Variations: All | Violent Femmes | Femmes, The | VF
  138 for sale in the Discogs Marketplace

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Releases:
Gone Daddy Gone (Single) ◄ (3 versions)   Slash Records ... 1983
Ugly ◄ (2 versions)   Rough Trade Germany ... 1983
Violent Femmes (Album) ◄ (18 versions)   Slash Records ... 1983
Hallowed Ground (Album) ◄ (12 versions)   PolyGram Iberica ... 1984
It's Gonna Rain (Single) ◄ (2 versions)   Slash Records ... 1984
Children Of The Revolution (Single) ◄ (2 versions)   Slash Records ... 1986
The Blind Leading The Naked (Album) ◄ (9 versions)   Slash Records ... 1986
3 (Album) ◄ (9 versions)   PolyGram Iberica ... 1988
Nightmares / World We're Living In (12", Promo, Cle)   Slash Records 1989
American Music (Maxi, Single) ◄ (2 versions)   Slash Records ... 1991
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? (CD, Single)   Slash Records, London Records 1991
Reflex Flexi #19 (Flexi)   Reflex Magazine 1991
Used To Be (CD, EP)   Liberation Records 1991
Why Do Birds Sing? (Album) ◄ (4 versions)   Slash Records ... 1991
Add It Up (1981-1993) (Comp, Album) ◄ (4 versions)   Slash Records ... 1993
Machine (Maxi, Single) ◄ (2 versions)   Elektra 1994
New Times (CD)   Elektra 1994
Rock!!!!! (CD)   Liberation Records, Mushroom Records 1995
Freak Magnet (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   Cooking Vinyl ... 1998
Viva Wisconsin (Live) (CD)   Cooking Vinyl 1999
Sleepwalkin' (CD, Maxi)   Cooking Vinyl 2000
Permanent Record: Live & Otherwise (DVD)   Rhino Home Video 2005
Permanent Record: The Very Best Of Violent Femmes (CD)   Rhino Entertainment Company 2005
BBC Live (CD, Album)   Hux Records 2006
Live In Iceland: According To Tradition (CD, Album)   Add It Up Productions 2006
Crazy (12", Single, Ltd + CDr, Single, Ltd)   The Secret Life Of Records 2008
Production:
Collision II (CD, Comp) I Held Her In My Arms White Records (5) 1994
The Crow - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Color Me Once Atlantic 1994
Mystery Men (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (CD) No More Heroes Interscope Records 1999
Appears On:
Inamorata (CD, Album) Country Death Song (Live) March Records 1992
Tracks Appear On:
George Washington & The Cherry Trees (LP) Ugly, Gimme The Car Tokuma Japan Communications 1985
Slash Cuts (LP, Smplr) Faith, Gimme The Car London Records 1985
I Was A Teenage Zombie (LP, Comp) Good Feeling Enigma Records (3) 1987
A Different Sound (CD) Do You Really Want To ... Warner Music (Canada) 1991
Never Mind The Mainstream...The Best Of MTV's 120 Minutes Vol. 2 (CD, RM) Gone Daddy Gone Warner Special Products, Rhino Entertainment Company 1991
Powerhaus Classix (CD, Comp) American Music RPM Records (3) 1993
Collision II (CD, Comp) I Held Her In My Arms White Records (5) 1994
Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The '80s, Vol. 9 (CD, Comp) Blister In The Sun Rhino Entertainment Company 1994
Powerhaus Classix Volume 2 (CD) Add It Up RPM Records (3) 1994
Sedated In The Eighties No. 2 (CD, Comp) Kiss Off The Right Stuff 1994
The Crow - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Comp) ◄ (3 versions) Color Me Once Atlantic ... 1994
Triple J Hottest 100 - 1 (2xCD, Comp) I Held Her In My Arms Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC Music) 1994
Woodstock '94 (Comp) ◄ (4 versions) Dance, M.F., Dance! - ... A&M Records ... 1994
Saturday Morning - Cartoons' Greatest Hits (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Mea... MCA Records 1995
Step Right Up: The Songs Of Tom Waits (CD, Comp) Step Right Up Manifesto (2) 1995
Chadbourne Barber Shop (CD) Why Kids Go To School Airline 61 1996
Choose 80's (CD) Blister In The Sun Mercury 1997
Grosse Pointe Blank Soundtrack (CD, Album, Comp) Blister In The Sun, Bl... London Records 1997
Frosh (CD) Blister In The Sun PolyGram 1998
MTV's 120 Minutes Live (CD, Comp) Kiss Off (Live) Atlantic 1998
Collected (4xCD, Comp, Promo + Box, Ltd) Blister In The Sun London Records 90 1999
Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (CD, Album) I Swear It (I Can Change) Atlantic 1999
Mystery Men (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (CD) No More Heroes Interscope Records 1999
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (Album) ◄ (4 versions) I Swear It (I Can Change) Warner Music (Australia) ... 1999
Cooking Vinyl In Rockdelux (CD, Promo) Requiem For Nico Sinedín Music 2000
Delicatessen Two - Cooking Vinyl Sampler 2000 (CD, Album, Smplr) Sleepwalkin' Cooking Vinyl 2000
Delicatessen 3 ● Cooking Vinyl Sampler 2001 (CD, Comp, Smplr) Tonight Cooking Vinyl 2001
Big Day Out Discrespective 1992-1997 / 1999-2002 The Best Of The Main Stages (2xCD, Comp) Girl Trouble Shock (2) 2002
The Best ALTERNATIV3 Album... Ever! (2xCD) Kiss Off EMI Music (South Africa) 2002
The World's Absolute Best Ever Beer Songs (2xCD) Blister In The Sun EMI Music (Australia) 2002
Future Vintage (CD, Comp) Blister In The Sun Warner Music UK Ltd. 2003
Herr Lehmann (OST) ◄ (3 versions) Blister In The Sun Mute Tonträger (Germany) 2003
Triple J's Hottest 100 - Hottest Box (9xCD + Box) I Held Her In My Arms Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC Music) 2003
Chelsea presents... DJ Ant's 80's (CD) Blister In The Sun Universal Music (Austria) 2004
Crash! Indie Anthems (2xCD) Blister In The Sun Telstar TV 2004
Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80s Underground (4xCD, RM + Box, Comp) Blister In The Sun Rhino Entertainment Company 2004
Sex (CD, Comp) Blister In The Sun Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) 2004
Office Party (2xCD) Blister In The Sun Warner Music (New Zealand) 2005
Sound Of The Underground: 18 Alternative Hits (CD, Comp) Blister In The Sun Time Life Music, Warner Special Products 2005
The Absolute Very Best Of The World's Beer Songs (3xCD, Comp) Blister In The Sun EMI Music (Australia) 2005
Sweet Fifteen - Rough Trade Publishing 1991 To 2006 (2xCD) Blister In The Sun Rough Trade (UK) 2006
Live At The Wireless From The Vaults 1 (CD) Blister In The Sun Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC Music) 2007
The Smack! Down 2007 (CD, Smplr) Gone Daddy Gone WEA International Inc. 2007
FabricLive.39 (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Blister In The Sun Fabric (London) 2008
Mannen Som Elsket Yngve (2xCD, Comp) Blister In The Sun Oh No! 2008
Musikexpress 33 - Bungalow / City Slang (CD) Gone Daddy Gone Musikexpress  
Unofficial Releases:
Bizarre Love Triangle 2004 Remixes / Blister In The Sun (12")   Not On Label (New Order), Not On Label (Violent Femmes) 2004
Kiss Of (CD)   Mind The Magic  
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