Menace to Sobriety (Ugly Kid Joe album)

Menace to Sobriety
Studio album by Ugly Kid Joe
Released	June 13, 1995
Recorded	1994–1995
Length	44:14 49:49 (non-U.S.)
Label	Mercury
Producer	GGGarth
Ugly Kid Joe chronology
America's Least Wanted (1992) Menace to Sobriety (1995) Motel California (1996)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B [3]
Kerrang!	[4]
MusicHound Rock	[5]
Q	[ citation needed ]
Select	[6]

Menace to Sobriety is the second studio album by American rock band Ugly Kid Joe. ^[7] It was released in 1995 through Mercury Records. ^[5] The album title is an allusion to the movie Menace II Society . It peaked at No. 25 on the UK Albums Chart. ^[8] "Milkman's Son", "Tomorrow's World" and "Cloudy Skies" were released as singles and have music videos each. Menace to Sobriety is the first album to feature former Wrathchild America/Souls at Zero drummer Shannon Larkin on drums.

Despite critical acclaim, the album did not sell well in the United States compared to band's previous releases, placed 178th in Billboard Top 200. It was the band's final album with the label, dropping them later in the same year of its release.

Critical reception

Trouser Press noted that singer Whitfield Crane adopted "a new and nasty W. Axl Rose vocal affliction on some songs", and wrote that the band "reintroduce themselves as a growly, serious rock lot attempting to fill the gap left by the Gunners' silence". ^[9] The Washington Post called the album "more varied and tuneful than its predecessor". ^[10]

Track listing

1. "Intro" – 1:49
2. "God" (Whitfield Crane, Klaus Eichstadt, Dave Fortman) – 2:54
3. "Tomorrow's World" (Crane, Eichstadt, Fortman, Shannon Larkin) – 4:18
4. "Clover" (Crane, Eichstadt, Fortman) – 3:34
5. "C.U.S.T." (Crane, Fortman) – 2:59
6. "Milkman's Son" (Crane, Fortman) – 3:51
7. "Suckerpath" (Crockett) – 4:53
8. "Cloudy Skies" (Crane, Fortman) – 4:28
9. "Jesus Rode a Harley" (Crane, Fortman) – 3:15
10. "10/10" (Crockett) – 3:37
11. "V.I.P." (Crane, Eichstadt, Larkin) – 3:46
12. "Oompa" (Crane, Crockett) – 2:04 (this song is track 7 on side one on the cassette tape)
13. "Candle Song" (Crane, Fortman) – 2:56
14. "Slower Than Nowhere" (Crane, Tom Fletcher, Crockett)- 5:25 (non-U.S. releases only)

Personnel

• Whitfield Crane – lead vocals
• Klaus Eichstadt – guitar, backing vocals
• Dave Fortman – guitar, backing vocals
• Cordell Crockett – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Shannon Larkin – drums, percussion

Charts

Chart performance for Menace to Sobriety

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [11]	19
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [12]	24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [13]	28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [14]	86
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [15]	26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [16]	29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [17]	22
UK Albums (OCC) [18]	25
US Billboard 200 [19]	178

References

1. Mathew, Leslie. "Menace to Sobriety - Ugly Kid Joe". AllMusic .
2. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 335.
3. Eddy, Chuck (June 16, 1995). "Menace to Sobriety Review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on June 19, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
4. Peake, Mike (May 27, 1995). "Albumz". Kerrang! . No. 545. EMAP. p. 43.
5. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1179.
6. Upton, Sam. "Ugly Kid Joe: Menace To Sobriety > Review".
7. "Ugly Kid Joe | Biography & History". AllMusic.
8. "UGLY KID JOE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
9. "Ugly Kid Joe". Trouser Press. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
10. Jenkins, Mark (August 18, 1995). "CHILDISH UGLY KID" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
11. "Australiancharts.com – Ugly Kid Joe – Menace to Sobriety". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
12. "Austriancharts.at – Ugly Kid Joe – Menace to Sobriety" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
13. "Ultratop.be – Ugly Kid Joe – Menace to Sobriety" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Ugly Kid Joe – Menace to Sobriety" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
15. "Ugly Kid Joe: Menace to Sobriety" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Ugly Kid Joe – Menace to Sobriety" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
17. "Swisscharts.com – Ugly Kid Joe – Menace to Sobriety". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
18. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
19. "Ugly Kid Joe". Billboard.