Suicidal Tendencies (album)

Infobox Album |
Name = Suicidal Tendencies
Type = studio
Artist = Suicidal Tendencies


Released = July 5, 1983
Recorded = 1983
Genre = Hardcore punk
Length = 28:17
Label = Frontier
Producer = Glen E. Friedman
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:nl5g8qftbtc4 link]
* "Q" Rating|4|5 [http://www.buy.com/prod/Suicidal_Tendencies/q/loc/109/60465580.html#prorev July 2001 (pp. 141, 143)]
Last album =
This album = "Suicidal Tendencies"
(1983)
Next album = "Join the Army"
(1987)
Misc = Singles
Name = Suicidal Tendencies
Type = studio
single 1 = Institutionalized
single 1 date = 1983

"Suicidal Tendencies" is the eponymous debut album by the band Suicidal Tendencies, released in 1983 on Frontier Records. It became one of the best-selling hardcore punk albums at the time and launched the band into its future success.

Included on the album is "Institutionalized", possibly the band's most popular song after two decades. In the song, the narrator describes how, despite his claims to the contrary, his overbearing parents suspect he is using drugs and verging on a nervous breakdown. The song ends with them finally deciding to send him to a mental institution.

Critic Ira Robbins writes that "Half-sung, half-recited and built on repeated sudden tempo changes, 'Institutionalized' is a unique, devastating centerpiece. One of the era's quintessential expressions of teen dislocation, it converts generation gap misunderstandings into a complete communications breakdown, encapsulating all the punk sociology of such films as "Repo Man" and "Suburbia" in four minutes." [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=suicidal_tendencies]

The music video for "Institutionalized" was one of the first hardcore punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and the single was also used in the Emilio Estevez cult classic movie "Repo Man" and an episode for the hit TV show "Miami Vice" (which included a cameo appearance by the group). Slayer vocalist Tom Araya makes a guest appearance in the video.Fact|date=July 2008

"Institutionalized" is referenced in the Sage Francis song "Slow Down Gandhi" in the line "It's death penalty vs. suicidal tendencies / All I wanted was a fucking Pepsi / Institution / Making you think you're crazy is a billion dollar industry." Limp Bizkit also referenced it in the song "Stuck" with the lines "All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi. So far from suicidal but still I get them tendencies bringing back the memories that I really miss."Fact|date=July 2008

"Institutionalized" is featured in the game Guitar Hero II for the Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 as a playable song; a member of the most difficult tier, "Face Melters." It was also featured in the 2008 motion picture film "Iron Man".

"I Shot The Devil" was originally titled "I Shot Reagan". Some rumors suggest the band was persuaded by the FBI to change the name of the song.Fact|date=July 2008

The song "Memories of Tomorrow" was covered by Slayer for their "Undisputed Attitude" album, but was not added to the final release. The song "Institutionalized" was also covered by Senses Fail for the soundtrack to the video game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

The song "I Saw Your Mommy..." is featured on the soundtrack for the game for the Playstation 2, Xbox, and PC.

In 1993, Muir and the later incarnation of the band re-recorded the entire album and released it as "Still Cyco After All These Years", with (mostly) faithful recreations of the originals, plus 3 songs from the also then-unavailable "Join the Army".Fact|date=July 2008

The song "Two Sided Politics" was covered by Bones Brigade on their "Older Than Shit, Heavier Than Time" album. Fact|date=July 2008

Track listing

All songs composed by Mike Muir except as indicated.

ide A

# "Suicide's an Alternative / You'll Be Sorry" – 2:44
# "Two Sided Politics" (Muir, Louiche Mayorga) – 1:03
# "I Shot the Devil" – 1:51
# "Subliminal" – 3:08
# "Won't Fall in Love Today" (Muir, Mayorga) – 0:59
# "Institutionalized" (Muir, Mayorga) – 3:49

ide B

# "Memories of Tomorrow" (Muir, Mayorga) – 0:59
# "Possessed" – 2:07
# "I Saw Your Mommy..." (Muir, Mayorga) – 4:52
# "Fascist Pig" – 1:17
# "I Want More" - 2:28
# "Suicidal Failure" - 2:53

Credits

*Mike Muir – Vocals
*Grant Estes – Guitar
*Louiche Mayorga – Bass, Vocals
*Amery Smith – Drums

*Glen E. Friedman – Album Photography & Design, Producer
*Randy Burns – Engineer
*Dee Zee – Art Mechanicals
*Marc Lewis & Dave Flynn – Roadies
*Mark Stern – Lyric Sheet Typesetting

Reissues

"Suicidal Tendencies" was reissued several times, with formats in different countries (see the table below).