Free-for-All (Michael Penn album)

Free-for-All is the second album by the American singer-songwriter Michael Penn, released in 1992 on RCA Records.[1][2] It contains two songs that reached the Top 20 on the Modern Rock charts: "Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In)" peaked at number 14, while the second single, "Seen the Doctor", reached nine spots higher. The album led to a bitter battle between Penn and his record company, pushing a follow-up album to 1997.

Free-for-All
Studio album by
Michael Penn
Released15 September 1992
Recorded1991–1992
StudioZeitgeist Studios, Los Angeles; A&M Studios, Hollywood; Groove Masters, Santa Monica
GenreRock, Alternative rock, Folk rock
Length38:35
LabelRCA
ProducerTony Berg, Michael Penn
Michael Penn chronology
March
(1989)		 Free-for-All
(1992)		 Resigned
(1997)

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]

The Chicago Tribune stated: "Penn is again working with producer Tony Berg, but this time they provide a rich, subtle blending of instruments, harmonies and textures to create an album that doesn't so much pop out as seep in."[4]

In his review for AllMusic, Stewart Mason wrote that it was the record which proved to critics that Penn was no one-hit wonder, calling "Long Way Down" a "dark and pained opening to an album that was hardly pop-star material."[3]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Michael Penn.

  1. "Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In)" – 3:52
  2. "Free Time" – 4:12
  3. "Coal" – 3:33
  4. "Seen the Doctor" – 3:12
  5. "By the Book" – 3:46
  6. "Drained" – 3:59
  7. "Slipping My Mind" – 2:36
  8. "Strange Season" – 3:51
  9. "Bunker Hill" – 4:39
  10. "Now We're Even" – 4:55

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Arranged by Michael Penn
  • Produced by Michael Penn and Tony Berg
  • Engineered by Greg Goldman (also assistant engineer), Chris Lord-Alge & Susan Rogers, with assistance by Paul Dieter & Ken Jordan
  • Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
  • Mastered by Bob Ludwig

Charts
Chart performance for Free-for-All
Chart (1992) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[5] 160

References
  1. Boehm, Mike (8 September 1992). "'March' to a Blunter Beat". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  2. DeLuca, Dan (24 September 1992). "BIG BROTHER PENN IS BUILDING ON SUCCESS". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D3.
  3. Mason, Stewart (1 September 1992). "Free-for-All – Michael Penn". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. Caro, Mark (17 September 1992). "Rave recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  5. "Michael Penn Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
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