Boogadaboogadaboogada!
Boogadaboogadaboogada! is the second LP by Screeching Weasel, released in 1988 on their own Roadkill Records. It would be the only release to feature bassist Fish and the last release for original drummer Steve Cheese. This is also the first release on which Ben Weasel would be credited with playing guitar, although he later admitted to only playing on some of the songs. Ben and Jughead would point to Boogadaboogadaboogada! as the point where the band's own voice started to emerge and it would be the first time that some songs would feature the melodic "lead" guitar parts that later became a staple of their sound. The album is the first release to feature the iconic Weasel head logo (created by artist and band friend Paul Russel) and all reissues feature some variation on the original cover (except for the original European version which features an entirely different cover of a paperboy flipping off an angry old man). Boogadaboogadaboogada! has been reissued 3 times since it's release and, with over 100,000 copies sold, remains the band's biggest seller.
Details
- Format: LP (subsequently reissued on LP, CD, cassette, and digitally)
- Label: Roadkill Records and licensed to Westspots in Europe. Subsequently reissued by Lookout! Records, Asian Man Records, and Recess Records
- Studio: Solid Sound, Hoffman Estates
- Recording Dates: October 8, 9, 15 & 16, 1988
- Year: 1988. Subsequently reissued in 1992 (Lookout!), 2005 (Asian Man), and 2009 (Recess)
- Availability: In Print (CD and digital)
Tracks
Side A
1. Dingbat (Weasel)
2. Love (Weasel)
3. Zombie (Weasel/Jughead)
4. This Ain't Hawaii (Weasel)
5. We Skate (Weasel/Jughead)
6. Police Insanity (Weasel/Fish)
7. Stupid Over You (Weasel)
8. Runaway (Del Shannon/Max Crook)
9. I Hate Led Zeppelin (Weasel)
10. My Right (Weasel)
11. Nicaragua (Weasel)
12. Sunshine (Weasel)
13. I Wanna Be Naked (Weasel)
14. Boogada
Side B
1. Ashtray (Weasel)
3. American Suicide (Weasel)
3. Psychiatrist (Weasel)
4. Mad At The Paper Boy (Weasel)
5. I Love To Hate (Weasel)
6. More Problems (Fish)
7. Supermarket Fantasy (Weasel)
8. Holy Hardcore (Weasel/Jughead)
9. Professional Distribution (Weasel/Jughead)
10. Used Cars (Weasel)
11. Hunter (Fish)
12. I Believe In UFOs (Weasel)
13. Hey Suburbia (Weasel/Jughead)
Credits
- Vocals/Guitar - Ben Weasel
- Guitar/Backing Vocals - Jughead
- Bass - Fish
- Drums - Steve Cheese
- Engineer - Phil Bonnet
- Production - Screeching Weasel & Phil Bonnet (Ben & Jughead would be solely credited with production on all reissues)
- Artwork - Paul Russel
- Photography - Martin Sorrondeguy & Tim Carlson (on the original release only)
Notes
- According to Ben's notes in the Kill The Musicians compilation, the record's name came from the phrase that one of Ben & Jughead's friends would utter when he saw an attractive woman. In his video commentary on the record, however, Jughead comments that he does not remember this.
- The track "Boogada" is a collection of sound bites compiled by Jughead. It appears on the Roadkill and Wetspots releases but not on any of the reissues.
- The song "Hunter" was originally recorded by The Ozzfish Experience as "Hunted" for the unreleased Screeching Weasel/Ozzfish Experience split 7". Early versions of "I Hate led Zeppelin" and "American Suicide" were also recorded by Screeching Weasel for the same record.
- The song "Professional Distribution" was a knock at Walkthrufyre Records.
- The album was remixed for the Wetspots release and this mix has subsequently been used on all of the reissues.
- Lawrence Livermore of Lookout Records offered to release the album in 1988 but Ben was committed to Roadkill Records. In 1991, Lookout eventually joined forces Screeching Weasel with the release of the band's 3rd LP, My Brain Hurts. Lookout reissued "Boogadaboogadaboogada" the following year and it sold more copies than the previous record, eventually becoming the band's best-selling release. Lawrence credits the Weasel-head logo on the cover as the reason why "Boogada..." had so much success, even though he feels that "My Brain Hurts" was the band's best record.
- Roadkill's initial pressing was 2000 copies, 200 of which came with an insert which featured featured pictures of the band bowling in the nude. One of those pictures was later printed on the back cover of Lookout! Records' LP version.
- The original insert notes that Steve Cheese had decided to move on and was being replaced by Brian Vermin.
- The Asian Man reissue contains liner notes by Ben, Jughead, and Jim Testa of Jersey Beat.
- In 2008 & 2009, Recess Records pressed the album on grey, white, pink, and blue vinyl (500 copies each, pink pressed twice). The Recess version also contains the same liner notes as the Asian Man version.
- Jughead says that Fish did not want any royalties from this record so his share was split between him and Ben.
- Despite the credit, Ben and Jughead did not work on "Hey Suburbia" together. According to Jughead, when Ben wrote "Hey Suburbia", he had incorporated some music that Jughead had previously written and shown Ben without remembering it had come from him. In the liner notes for the reissue on Asian Man Records, Ben comments that despite the songwriting credits, he could never remember which parts Jughead wrote.
- Although "My Right" is one of the band's most popular songs, Ben has stated that he grew bored with it almost immediately and Jughead noted the irony that it doesn't actually sound like a typical Screeching Weasel song.
- Ben and engineer Phil Bonnet can be heard discussing the script for the spoken intro to "Mad at the Paper Boy". According to Jughead, Phil did such a lackluster job reading it that they thought it was funnier to leave the entire discussion tacked onto the song instead of just using the part they had intended Bonnet to say. The sound of paper being crumpled that is heard over the discussion is from Jughead.
- "I Wanna Be Naked" was said to inspire nudity at SW shows.
- Russ Forster loaned the band money for the recording of Boogadaboogadaboogada! In early 1991, the band, who had broken up at the end of 1989, played a reunion show to get the money to pay Russ back. Russ responded by writing articles for some local 'zines stating that the band only did the reunion for money without mentioning where the money went. This caused a rift between the two parties, although Jughead reports that he and Russ are now good friends.