Willis (album)

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]

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]

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. ^ a b "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. ISBN 978-0-271-09053-5 – 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. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018.
  9. ^ Healy, James (October 9, 1997). "ALBUM REVIEWS - SKA/R&B". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Entertainment. p. 12.
  10. ^ a b 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.