Bloodletting (Concrete Blonde album)

Bloodletting is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde. Released on May 15, 1990, the album marks a shift for the band toward gothic rock. It features guest appearances by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Wall of Voodoo's Andy Prieboy.

Bloodletting
Studio album by
Concrete Blonde
ReleasedMay 15, 1990
RecordedAugust 1989 – February 1990
at Battery Studios, London[1]
Additional Recording at
Cherokee Studios, Hollywood and
Can-Am Recording, Tarzana[2] and
John Keane Studio, Athens, GA[3]
Genre
Length
  • 42:11
  • 1:09:00 (20th anniversary edition)
Label
ProducerConcrete Blonde, Chris Tsangarides
Concrete Blonde chronology
Free
(1989)		 Bloodletting
(1990)		 Walking in London
(1992)
Singles from Bloodletting
  1. "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)"
    Released: 1990
  2. "Joey"
    Released: May 21, 1990
  3. "Caroline"
    Released: September 9, 1990
  4. "Tomorrow, Wendy"
    Released: 1991

Bloodletting peaked at number 8 on the Australian ARIA Charts and was certified gold in 1990.[4] It earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) the following year.

Background

Concrete Blonde lead vocalist Johnette Napolitano said of the album:

It was pretty miserable. It's not a happy little disc. We had a string of bad luck and [Bloodletting] was the tail end of it. A particularly bad relationship. It had never happened to me until I was 29 years old. I had a hard time getting over it. So, it's not a happy record, but I could do two things: I could make a self-indulgent record, which is what this is, or I could lock up all these songs in a closet and do something that wasn't sincere. This will never happen again, this record.[5]

Release

Bloodletting was released in May 15, 1990.

"Joey" was the band's biggest hit, reaching number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and the top 20 of the pop charts.[6] The song reached #2 in Australia while also spending 6 weeks at #3.[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Chicago Tribune[9]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
Record Collector[12]

Elizabeth Wurtzel, in her review of the album for New York magazine, called the album "not nearly as likable or far-ranging" as the band's preceding album, Free, "though it's deeper and more focused."[13]

2010 re-issue

On July 13, 2010, Shout! Factory released the 20th anniversary edition of Bloodletting,[14] featuring six bonus tracks: "I Want You", "Little Wing", the French extended version of "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" and live versions of "Roses Grow", "The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden" and "Tomorrow, Wendy".[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Johnette Napolitano, except as noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" 6:04
2."The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden"Napolitano, Bruce Moreland2:36
3."Caroline" 5:30
4."Darkening of the Light" 3:24
5."I Don't Need a Hero" 4:25
6."Days and Days" 3:12
7."The Beast" 3:52
8."Lullabye" 3:56
9."Joey" 4:07
10."Tomorrow, Wendy" 5:05
20th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."I Want You" (B-side of "Joey"[16]) 3:28
12."Little Wing" (from "Caroline" maxi-single[17])Jimi Hendrix4:15
13."Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" (French version from European maxi-single[18]) 7:06
14."Roses Grow" (Live at the Malibu Nightclub on Long Island for WDRE) (from "Caroline" maxi-single[19]) 3:05
15."The Sky Is a Poisonous Garden" (Live at the Malibu Nightclub on Long Island for WDRE) (from "Caroline" maxi-single[20])Napolitano, Bruce Moreland4:15
16."Tomorrow, Wendy" (Live at the Malibu Nightclub on Long Island for WDRE) (from "Caroline" maxi-single[21])Andy Prieboy4:26

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 8
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[26] 4
US Billboard 200[27] 49
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums[28] 44

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[29] Gold 35,000^
United States (RIAA)[30] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Discogs - Battery Studios, London - profile and discography
  2. Discogs - Can-Am Recorders - profile and discography
  3. Discogs - John Keane Studios - profile and discography
  4. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  5. Linden, Amy (September 1990). "Concrete Blonde's Ambition". Spin. p. 56. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  6. "Concrete Blonde". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  7. "australian-charts.com - Concrete Blonde - Joey". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  8. Raggett, Ned. "Bloodletting – Concrete Blonde". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  9. Kot, Greg (June 7, 1990). "Concrete Blonde: Bloodletting (IRS)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  10. Sandow, Greg (May 18, 1990). "Bloodletting". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  11. Willman, Chris (June 3, 1990). "Concrete Blonde 'Bloodletting' I.R.S." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  12. Pearlman, Mischa (September 2010). "Bloodletting | Concrete Blonde". Record Collector. No. 379. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  13. Wurtzel, Elizabeth (September 24, 1990). "Dark Roots". New York. Vol. 23, no. 37. p. 113. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  14. Discogs - Bloodletting (20th anniversary edition) - CD 2010-07-13th, Shout! Factory (826663-12086) US
  15. allMusic - Bloodletting (20th anniversary edition) - CD 2010-07-13th, Shout! Factory (12086) US
  16. Discogs - Joey - vinyl-7" German cover 1990, I.R.S. Records (006-24 1064 7) Europe
  17. Discogs - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, I.R.S. Records (X25G-13811) US
  18. Discogs - Bloodletting (the Vampire song) - maxi-single CD 1991, I.R.S. Records (1C (560) 2045972) Europe
  19. Discogs - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, I.R.S. Records (IRS 2041312) Europe
  20. Discogs - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, I.R.S. Records (X25G-13811) US
  21. allMusic - Caroline - maxi-single CD 1990, Capitol (13811) US
  22. Discogs - Hugh Brown - profile and discography
  23. Discogs - John Keane - profile
  24. Discogs - Ron Scarselli - profile and discography (layout artist, graphic designer, and painter)
  25. "Australiancharts.com – Concrete Blonde – Bloodletting". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  26. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1306". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  27. "Concrete Blonde Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  28. "Cash Box Top 200 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 54, no. 6. September 8, 1990. p. 16. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  29. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  30. "American album certifications – Concrete Blonde – Bloodletting". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 6, 2022.


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