As Good as Dead (album)

Last updated
As Good as Dead
As Good as Dead Album cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 16, 1996
Recorded1996
Genre
Length49:14
Label Island
Producer
Local H chronology
Ham Fisted
(1995)
As Good as Dead
(1996)
Pack Up the Cats
(1998)
Singles from As Good as Dead
  1. "High-Fiving MF"
    Released: March 25, 1996 [3]
  2. "Bound for the Floor"
    Released: July 15, 1996 [3]
  3. "Fritz's Corner"
    Released: March 1997 [4]
  4. "Eddie Vedder"
    Released: July 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Metal Hammer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
New Noise Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
SputnikmusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The Village Voice A− [10]

As Good as Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Local H. Following lackluster sales of their debut, Ham Fisted , and under pressure from their label Island Records, the band quickly returned to the studio to record their follow-up. Released on April 16, 1996, [3] As Good as Dead is a concept album about dead-end, small-town life based on the band's origins in Zion, Illinois. [11] The album was positively received by critics and became an unexpected success behind its second single, "Bound for the Floor", and it ultimately sold over 320,000 copies. As Good as Dead produced three other singles: "High-Fiving MF", "Eddie Vedder", and "Fritz's Corner". It remains Local H's best-selling album to date.

Contents

Background

In 1994, with record labels trying to capitalize on the popularity of grunge and alternative rock bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, Local H caught the attention of Polydor Records, which was then in the process of merging with Island Records. [12] Island released the band's debut studio album, Ham Fisted , the following year, but it sold below expectations and Island pressured the band's A&R rep, Joe Bosso, to drop them. Instead, Bosso pushed them into quickly recording a follow-up before Island could cancel their contract. Ahead of the release of As Good as Dead, frontman Scott Lucas was informed by Island that the album needed to sell at least 100,000 copies for the band to remain with the label. [12]

Release

As Good as Dead was released on April 16, 1996, following the lead single "High-Fiving MF", which failed to chart. The band, however, found greater success with the album's second single, "Bound for the Floor", which rose to No. 5 on the US Alternative Billboard Chart and No. 10 on the US Hot Mainstream Rock Billboard Chart, and propelled the album into selling over 320,000 copies and a peak of No. 147 on the Billboard 200 . The songs "Eddie Vedder" and "Fritz's Corner" additionally made the Top 40 on the Alternative and Mainstream Rock Billboard Charts. Encouraged by the unexpected success of As Good as Dead, Island Records greenlit a third album, Pack Up the Cats . [12]

Critical reception

Upon its release, critics greeted As Good as Dead with generally positive reviews. In a four-star review, AllMusic stated that with As Good as Dead Local H stood apart from other rock bands signed in the wake of Nirvana, noting that in exploring the album's "litany of bitterness over a life that's being wasted before your very eyes," frontman Scott Lucas was one of only a few artists who could approach the "emotional resonance" of Kurt Cobain. [2] Similarly, New Noise Magazine stated in a five-star review that it was a mistake to lump Local H in with other bands signed in the wake of grunge, writing, "As Good As Dead matches the sentiment of the era, but comes from a much more sincere place." [8] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice awarded the album an A- rating and complimented the band for their "isometric power—that sense of tremendous force bravely exerted against implacable reality." [10] Sputnikmusic deemed the album a "wonderful slice of apathy and cynicism that's just as punk-oriented as it is grunge-oriented." [1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Local H

No.TitleLength
1."Manifest Density Pt. 1"0:51
2."High-Fiving MF"4:50
3."Bound for the Floor"3:42
4."Lovey Dovey"2:57
5."I Saw What You Did and I Know Who You Are"3:16
6."No Problem"4:14
7."Nothing Special"3:59
8."Eddie Vedder"3:29
9."Back in the Day"3:35
10."Freeze-Dried (F)lies"4:00
11."Fritz's Corner"2:51
12."O.K."6:53
13."Manifest Density Pt. 2"4:37

Personnel

Local H

Production

Charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [13] 147
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [14] 6

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
United StatesApril 16, 1996 Island [15]
April 15, 2016 LP srcvinyl [15]

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