Project 1950

Project 1950 is the sixth studio album by the American horror punk band the Misfits, released in 2003. It consists of cover versions of rock and roll songs from the 1950s and 1960s and marks bassist Jerry Only's debut as the Misfits' lead singer. Except for Only, no members of the band from their previous album returned for Project 1950. The album cover artwork was done by Pennsylvania artist Tony Squindo. The liner notes include explanations from the band members about why they chose each particular song.[1]

Project 1950
Studio album by
the Misfits
ReleasedJuly 29, 2003
GenrePunk rock
Length24:20
LabelMisfits Records
ProducerJesse Cannon, Anthony Esposito, Tim Hatfield
The Misfits chronology
Famous Monsters
(1999)		 Project 1950
(2003)		 Psycho in the Wax Museum
(2006)
Singles from Project 1950
  1. "This Magic Moment"
    Released: 2003

Receiving generally positive critical reviews from publications such as Allmusic, the album became a commercial success and hit the #2 slot on Billboard's 'Top Heatseekers' chart as well as #5 on its 'Top Independent Albums' chart.[2]

Recording

Ronnie Spector guest starred as a backing vocalist on two tracks. Other members of the band at that point had also previously been associated with famous groups, with a lineup including punk rockers Marky Ramone of the Ramones and Dez Cadena of Black Flag. Marky said in 2011 he was compelled to join out of pity for Jerry as he had recently bought the rights to the band name but only to have the original members walk off on him.[3]

In October 2014, the band released an expanded edition of the album, adding three new tracks with current drummer Eric "Chupacabra" Arce performing on the new tracks. A limited picture disc LP of the expanded album was also released with new artwork by Tom Whalen[4]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Punknews.org[5]

The album received positive reviews. AllMusic ran a supportive review by critic Johnny Loftus, who stated that "it's good to hear their excitement in the recordings, which crackle with enthusiasm" and called the album "really enjoyable in a nostalgia sort of way".[2] Reviewing the Expanded Edition of the album Ken Pierce, of Piercing Metal stated "Overall the tunes retain a large part of their original sound but with there being renditions by The Misfits they are faster and quicker to finish when it all comes down to it." rating the album 4 out of 5.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."This Magic Moment"Doc Pomus, Mort ShumanThe Drifters2:36
2."Dream Lover"Bobby DarinBobby Darin2:28
3."Diana"Paul AnkaPaul Anka2:09
4."Donna"Ritchie ValensRitchie Valens2:33
5."Great Balls of Fire"Otis Blackwell, Jack HammerJerry Lee Lewis1:50
6."Latest Flame"Pomus, ShumanElvis Presley2:17
7."Monster Mash"Bobby Pickett, Leonard L. CapizziBobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers2:37
8."Only Make Believe"Conway Twitty, Jack NanceConway Twitty2:16
9."Runaway"Del Shannon, Max CrookDel Shannon2:24
10."You Belong to Me"Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd StewartJo Stafford3:10
Total length:24:20
Expanded edition[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
11."Witchcraft"Cy Coleman, Carolyn LeighFrank Sinatra1:47
12."Daughter of Darkness"Les Reed, Geoff StephensTom Jones2:40
13."(You're the) Devil in Disguise"Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, Florence KayeElvis Presley2:43
Total length:31:30

Chart positions
ChartPeak position
Billboard 200 133
Heatseekers Albums 2
Independent Albums 5

Bonus DVD
  1. "This Magic Moment"
  2. "Dream Lover"
  3. "Diana"
  4. "Donna"
  5. "Runaway"
  • Tracks 1-4, recorded at the Phillips US Open Snowboarding Championships
  • Track 5, recorded live, at The World in NYC

Bonus material

  • Day the Earth Caught Fire: Live in NYC- Misfits with Balzac
  • The Haunting/Don't Open 'Till Doomsday: Live in Japan- Balzac with Misfits
  • Day the Earth Caught Fire: Live in Japan- Balzac with Misfits
  • The Haunting/Don't Open 'Till Doomsday- Balzac
  • Out of the Blue- Balzac

Personnel
  • Jerry Only – bass, lead vocals
  • Marky Ramone – drums, percussion
  • Dez Cadena – guitars
  • John Cafiero – background vocals on "Dream Lover", "Monster Mash" and "Runaway"
  • Ronnie Spector – background vocals on "This Magic Moment" and "You Belong to Me"
  • Jimmy Destri – keyboards on "Runaway" and "Great Balls of Fire"
  • Ed Manion – saxophone on "Diana" and "Runaway"
  • Eric "Chupacabra" Arce – drums, percussion on "Witchcraft", "Daughter of Darkness" and "(You're the) Devil in Disguise"[4]

References
  1. "Home". Kaffeinebuzz.com. January 25, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  2. Loftus, Johnny. Project 1950 at AllMusic. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  3. Modern Drummer. "Marky Ramone: Punk Legend". Modern Drummer. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  4. "MISFITS – Project 1950 To Be Reissued With Bonus Tracks". Bravewords.com. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. "The Misfits – Project 1950". Punknews.org. November 4, 2003. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  6. ""Project 1950" (expanded) by The Misfits". PiercingMetal.com. October 23, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
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