Alcatraz (album)
Alcatraz is an album by the Berkeley punk rock band the Mr. T Experience, released in 1999 by Lookout! Records.[2][3] It was the band's last album to include bassist Joel Reader, who left the group after its release.[4]
| Alcatraz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Recorded | March–April 1999 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, pop punk | |||
| Label | Lookout! | |||
| Producer | Kevin Army | |||
| The Mr. T Experience chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork Media | 6.7/10 |
Production
The album was produced by Kevin Army.[5] It was recorded at multiple studios around the Bay Area, to ensure that the songs were sonically distinct.[5] The album's sound differed from the band's previous two efforts, incorporating organ, keyboards, and acoustic instrumentation.[6][7]
Critical reception
The Dallas Observer deemed Alcatraz "a good, old-fashioned rock album."[8] SF Weekly wrote: "Deliberately seeking out the sonically claustrophobic atmosphere of such '80s favorites as Elvis Costello's Armed Forces and Joe Jackson's I'm the Man, the album achieves a level of nearly paranoid musicianship, rife with extemporaneous fills and exceedingly tight instrumental interplay."[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Dr. Frank
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wrote a Book About Rock and Roll" | |
| 2. | "Naomi" | |
| 3. | "Self-Pity" | |
| 4. | "Hey Emily" | |
| 5. | "Tomorrow is a Harsh Mistress" | |
| 6. | "Two of Us" | |
| 7. | "Our Days Are Numbered" | |
| 8. | "We're Not No One" | |
| 9. | "Re-Activate Your Heart" | |
| 10. | "Perhaps" | |
| 11. | "She's My Alcatraz" | |
| 12. | "I Feel for You" | |
| 13. | "We'll Get By" |
Personnel
- Dr. Frank – vocals, guitar
- Joel Reader – bass
- Jim "Jym" Pittman – drums
- Eric Noyes – hammond organ on tracks 1, 3, 8, & 10, piano on tracks 1 & 4
- Gabe Meline – hammond organ on track 13, piano on track 10, ARP on track 5
- Kevin Army – piano solo on track 4
- Paige O'Donoghue – backwards laughing on track 9
- Todd Grady – trumpet on track 2
Album information
- Produced, engineered, and mixed by Kevin Army in March and April 1999
- Recorded at Foxhound Sound Studios, Roof Brothers Studios, Sharkbite Studios, and Studio 880 in Oakland, California, and at Laughing Tiger Studios in Marin County, California
- Tracks 1-12 mixed at Foxhound Sound, track 13 mixed at Roof Brothers
- Assistant engineers: Matthew Farina, Dave Simon-Baker
- Mastered by John Golden
- Photography by Jennifer Juniper Stratford
- Art by Chris Appelgren
References
- "Alcatraz - The Mr. T Experience | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- "Mr. T Experience". Trouser Press. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- "Sixpence None the Richer, Mr. T Experience ..." MTV News.
- "The Mr. T Experience | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- "Growing Pains". SF Weekly. September 1, 1999.
- Masley, Ed (October 15, 1999). "ARE YOU MR. T EXPERIENCED?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT. p. 32.
- "Show Business Is My Life". East Bay Express. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- Crain, Zac (March 9, 2000). "The Mr. T Experience". Dallas Observer.