| Kissingsohard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Label | Forward/Rhino [1] | |||
| Producer | Don Gilmore, John Doe | |||
| John Doe chronology | ||||
| ||||
Kissingsohard is an album by the American musician John Doe, credited to the John Doe Thing. [2] [3] It was released in 1995. [4] Doe promoted the album by touring with Juliana Hatfield, and then with Shane MacGowan. [5] [6]
The album was produced by Don Gilmore and Doe. [7] [8] Doe desired to make an album in an alternative rock style, in contrast to country sound of his solo debut. [9] He considered many of the songs to be of a more personal nature, compared to the ones he wrote in X. [10]
"My Goodness" and "Love Knows" were cowritten with Exene Cervenka. [11] Brad Houser, Chalo Quintana, Smokey Hormel, and Joey Waronker played on Kissingsohard; Sandra Bernhard and Cervenka contributed vocals. [12] [13] [14] "Willamette" was inspired by the lives of homeless people in Portland, Oregon. [15] Doe considered adding a cover of "Vigilante Man" to the album. [16]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [17] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [18] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− [19] |
| Los Angeles Times | [14] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [20] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [8] |
No Depression wrote that "crash and burn guitars, string arrangements, and tape loops overwhelm some of the songs, and leave enough space for others to breathe." [11] Entertainment Weekly thought that Doe's "bracing, sinewy vocals provide the perfect complement for these unsettling vignettes." [19]
Trouser Press stated: "Avoiding the kind of sweeping statements that tend to bring such proceedings to a screeching halt, Doe zeroes in on the details of lives under extreme stress." [21] The Los Angeles Times determined that "the full-bodied songs, stained with tragic tears and sloshed beers, feature fine fretwork from Blasters guitarist Smokey Hormel and a distinct country twang." [14] Newsday concluded that, "by filtering the downbeat ethos of hard country through a continually evolving post-punk consciousness, Doe has come up with rare album that reaches across the alternative and adventuresome adult markets." [22]
AllMusic wrote that "no one seems to understand Doe's music like his old bandmates in X, and his strong vocals and lyrics just can't carry the record on their own." [17]
All tracks are written by John Doe; except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fallen Tears" | 2:39 | |
| 2. | "Safety" | 3:10 | |
| 3. | "Love Knows" | Doe, Exene Cervenka | 3:38 |
| 4. | "My Goodness" | Doe, Cervenka | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Tragedy by Definition" | 3:31 | |
| 6. | "Kissing" | 4:08 | |
| 7. | "Hits the Ground" | 4:30 | |
| 8. | "Going Down the Fast" | 4:00 | |
| 9. | "T.V. Set" | 4:49 | |
| 10. | "Beer. Gas. Ride Forever" | 2:46 | |
| 11. | "Field of Dirt" | 4:11 | |
| 12. | "Willamette" | 3:21 | |
| 13. | "Liar's Market" | 5:09 |
X is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles. The original members are vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist-bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D. J. Bonebrake. The band released seven studio albums from 1980 to 1993. After a period of inactivity during the mid-to-late 1990s, X reunited in the early 2000s and continues to tour as of 2023.
John Nommensen Duchac, known professionally as John Doe, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet, guitarist and bass player. Doe co-founded LA punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span rock, punk, country and folk music genres. As an actor, he has dozens of television appearances and several movies to his credit, including the role of Jeff Parker in the television series Roswell.
The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described "American Music" is a blend of rockabilly, early rock and roll, punk rock, mountain music, and rhythm and blues and country.
Wild Gift is the second studio album by American rock band X, released on May 6, 1981, by Slash Records. It was very well received critically, and was voted the year's second best album in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll. Wild Gift was later ranked at number 334 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
See How We Are is the sixth studio album by American rock band X, released in 1987 by Elektra Records. It was their first album without founding guitarist Billy Zoom, who was replaced by ex-Blasters guitarist Dave Alvin for the album's recording sessions and some live shows. Alvin left X on good terms and was replaced by Tony Gilkyson.
Smokey Hormel is an American guitarist known for his blues-influenced Americana style and working as a session musician with a wide array of performers.
Strangers from the Universe is an album by the American band Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, released in 1994 through Matador Records. The band supported the album by touring with Live. Strangers from the Universe was a moderate commercial success. Mark Davies used an Optigan keyboard on some of the tracks.
Museum of Heart is an album by the American musician Dave Alvin, released in 1993. Alvin considered the album to be mainly in the soul blues style. He promoted Museum of Heart by touring with his band, the Guilty Men.
For the Best of Us is an album by John Doe, the co-founder of the Los Angeles-based punk rock band X. It was released on Yep Roc Records on July 25, 2006. The album is a repackaging of an EP Doe originally released in 1998 on the Kill Rock Stars label, entitled For the Rest of Us. Doe is billed as "The John Doe Thing" on the album.
Lived to Tell is an album by the American alternative rock band Eleventh Dream Day, released in 1991. Like the band's other two Atlantic Records albums, Lived to Tell was a commercial disappointment. The band supported the album with a North American tour.
Are You Going to Eat That is an album by the American band Hazel, released in 1995. The band supported the album by touring with Veruca Salt. "Blank Florida" was released as a single.
Loud & Lonesome is an album by the American musician Eric Ambel. The album is credited to Eric Ambel and Roscoe's Gang, with Ambel adopting his Roscoe persona. It was first released by Belgium's Survival Europe record label.
Un "Sung Stories" is the first solo album by the American musician Phil Alvin, released in 1986. Alvin supported the album with a North American tour. He then returned to his graduate studies in mathematics.
Lucky Dumpling is an album by the Filipino American band Moonpools & Caterpillars, released in 1995. The album's first single was "Hear". The band supported the album with a North American tour.
Massive Blur is the debut album by the American musician Melissa Ferrick, released in 1993. Ferrick supported the album by opening for Marc Cohn on a North American tour.
Adequate Desire is an album by the American musician Michael Hall, released in 1994. The album title comes from a line in an Emily Dickinson poem. Hall supported the album with a North American tour.
Old Wives' Tales is an album by the American musician Exene Cervenka, released in 1989. Cervenka told the Los Angeles Times that she considered the album to be "for and about women."
Wrapped in Sky is an album by the American band Drivin N Cryin, released in 1995. The album marked a return to the band's earlier, folkier sound.
Surprise is the debut solo album by the American musician Syd Straw, released in 1989. The first single was "Future 40's ". Straw supported the album with a North American tour, backed by a band that included D.J. Bonebrake and Dave Alvin. Surprise was a commercial disappointment.
Fair & Square is the debut solo album by the American musician Jimmie Dale Gilmore, released in 1988. Gilmore supported the album with several live dates. The first single was "Trying to Get to You".
