Willis (album)

Willis is an album by the ska/soul band the Pietasters, released in 1997.[3][4] It was released during the mid- to late-1990s ska explosion, and reached No. 44 on the Heatseekers chart.[5]

Willis
Studio album by
The Pietasters
ReleasedOctober 7, 1997
RecordedCherokee Recording Studio
West Beach Recorders
GenreSka/soul
Length45:58
LabelHellcat[1]
ProducerBrett Gurewitz
The Pietasters chronology
Strapped Live!
(1996)		 Willis
(1997)		 Awesome Mix Tape vol. 6
(1999)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

The album's first single was "Out All Night".[6] The band supported the album by touring with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.[7]

Production

The album was produced and engineered by Brett Gurewitz.[8][9] It contains covers of the Outsiders' "Time Won't Let Me" and Martha and the Vandellas' "Quicksand".[10][11]

Critical reception

The Washington Post wrote that "the Pietasters mix soul and garage-rock just like any frat-party band of the last four decades ... It's a venerable party-rock formula, but rendered fresh by not only the ska-derived musical accents but also the band's solid songwriting and sheer verve."[12] The Hartford Courant thought that "the playing throughout is gloriously sloppy; the tone, pointedly ironic ... This is ska without regrets."[10]

AllMusic wrote that the band returns "to their roots of '60s pop, soul, and Motown R&B, all fueled by a syncopated beat."[2]

Track listing
  1. "Crazy Monkey Woman" (Eckhardt/Goodin/Jackson) – 2:38
  2. "Out All Night" (Eckhardt/Gurewitz/Linares) – 3:16
  3. "Ocean" (Eckhardt/Goodin/Jackson) – 3:38
  4. "Fat Sack" (Eckhardt/Goodin/Jackson) – 2:40
  5. "Stone Feeling" (Eckhardt/Linares) – 4:06
  6. "Higher" (Eckhardt/Goodin/Jackson) – 4:45
  7. "Time Won't Let Me" (Tom King/Chet Kelly) – 3:06
  8. "Without You" (The Pietasters) – 3:23
  9. "Crime" (Eckhardt) – 5:02
  10. "Quicksand" (H. Lewis/K. Lewis) – 2:46
  11. "Bitter" (Eckhardt/Goodin/Jackson) – 3:53
  12. "New Breed" (Jimmy Easter) – 2:59
  13. "Moment" (Eckhardt/Goodin/Jackson) – 3:45

Personnel
  • Stephen Jackson - vocals
  • Tom Goodin - guitar
  • Todd Eckhardt - bass guitar
  • Rob Steward - drums
  • Alan Makranczy - saxophone, backing vocals
  • Jeremy Roberts - trombone, backing vocals
  • Toby Hansen - trumpet
  • DJ Selah - additional vocals on track 4
  • Caroline Boutwell - farfisa
  • Dave Pinkert - Hammond, B-3, Wurlitzer electric piano
  • Andy Kaulkin - piano
  • Carlos Linares - additional trumpet on track 7, creative consultant
  • Brett Gurewitz - producer, engineer
  • Don Cameron - assistant producer
  • Paul Dugre - assistant producer
  • Joe Breuer - assistant producer
  • Paul Naguua - assistant producer
  • Maurice Iragorri - assistant producer
  • Milton Chan - assistant producer

References
  1. Porter, Christopher (November 21, 1997). "The Pietasters". Washington City Paper.
  2. "Willis - The Pietasters | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. "The Pietasters Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  4. Partridge, Kenneth (September 14, 2021). "Hell of a Hat: The Rise of '90s Ska and Swing". Penn State Press – via Google Books.
  5. "Heatseekers". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 25, 1997 – via Google Books.
  6. Warminsky III, Joe (22 Nov 1997). "D.C. AREA BAND THE PIETASTERS OFFER MORE THAN SLICE OF WARMED-OVER SKA". The Morning Call. p. A43.
  7. Lindquist, David (24 Oct 1998). "Sub teacher grades ska life high". The Indianapolis Star. p. E4.
  8. "Bosstones Singer Sweetens Pietasters Future". MTV News.
  9. Healy, James (October 9, 1997). "ALBUM REVIEWS - SKA/R&B". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Entertainment. p. 12.
  10. Brown, Matthew (12 Feb 1998). "WILLIS -- THE PIETASTERS". Hartford Courant. Calendar. p. 7.
  11. Lustig, Jay (August 14, 1998). "Beltway band blends ska with soul". The Star-Ledger. Ticket. p. 4.
  12. "D.C. POP: BOUNCY, TRANCEY AND MOODY". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
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