Project 1950

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Project 1950
Misfits - Project 1950 cover.jpg
Studio album by
the Misfits
ReleasedJuly 29, 2003
Genre Punk rock
Length24:20
Label Misfits Records
Producer John Cafiero
The Misfits chronology
Famous Monsters
(1999)
Project 1950
(2003)
Psycho in the Wax Museum
(2006)
Singles from Project 1950
  1. "This Magic Moment"
    Released: 2003

Project 1950 is the sixth studio album by the American horror punk band the Misfits, released in 2003. It consists of cover versions of rock and roll songs from the 1950s and 60's and marks bassist Jerry Only's debut as the Misfits' lead singer. Except for Only, no members of the band from their previous album returned for Project 1950.

Contents

The album cover artwork was done by Pennsylvania artist Tony Squindo. The liner notes include explanations from the band members about why they chose each particular song. [1]

Receiving generally positive critical reviews from publications such as Allmusic, the album became a commercial success and hit the No.2 slot on Billboard's 'Top Heatseekers' chart as well as No.5 on its 'Top Independent Albums' chart. [2]

Recording

Ronnie Spector guest starred as a backing vocalist on two tracks. Other members of the band at that point had also previously been associated with famous groups, with a lineup including punk rockers Marky Ramone of the Ramones and Dez Cadena of Black Flag. Marky said in 2011 he was compelled to join out of pity for Jerry as he had recently bought the rights to the band name but only to have the original members walk off on him. [3]

In October 2014, the band released an expanded edition of the album, adding three new tracks with current drummer Eric "Chupacabra" Arce performing on the new tracks. A limited picture disc LP of the expanded album was also released with new artwork by Tom Whalen [4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Punknews.orgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]

The album received positive reviews. AllMusic ran a supportive review by critic Johnny Loftus, who stated that "it's good to hear their excitement in the recordings, which crackle with enthusiasm" and called the album "really enjoyable in a nostalgia sort of way". [2] Reviewing the Expanded Edition of the album Ken Pierce, of Piercing Metal stated "Overall the tunes retain a large part of their original sound but with there being renditions by The Misfits they are faster and quicker to finish when it all comes down to it." rating the album 4 out of 5. [6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."This Magic Moment" Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman The Drifters 2:36
2."Dream Lover" Bobby Darin Bobby Darin2:28
3."Diana" Paul Anka Paul Anka2:09
4."Donna" Ritchie Valens Ritchie Valens2:33
5."Great Balls of Fire" Otis Blackwell, Jack Hammer Jerry Lee Lewis 1:50
6."Latest Flame"Pomus, Shuman Elvis Presley 2:17
7."Monster Mash" Bobby Pickett, Leonard L. CapizziBobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers2:37
8."Only Make Believe" Conway Twitty, Jack NanceConway Twitty2:16
9."Runaway" Del Shannon, Max Crook Del Shannon2:24
10."You Belong to Me" Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd Stewart Jo Stafford 3:10
Total length:24:20
Expanded edition [4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
11."Witchcraft" Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh Frank Sinatra 1:47
12."Daughter of Darkness" Les Reed, Geoff Stephens Tom Jones 2:40
13."(You're the) Devil in Disguise" Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, Florence Kaye Elvis Presley 2:43
Total length:31:30

Charts

Chart (2003)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [7] 133
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [8] 5
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [9] 2


Bonus DVD

  1. "This Magic Moment"
  2. "Dream Lover"
  3. "Diana"
  4. "Donna"
  5. "Runaway"

Bonus material

Personnel

References

  1. "Home". Kaffeinebuzz.com. January 25, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Loftus, Johnny. Project 1950 at AllMusic. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  3. Modern Drummer (December 28, 2011). "Marky Ramone: Punk Legend". Modern Drummer. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "MISFITS – Project 1950 To Be Reissued With Bonus Tracks". Bravewords.com. October 7, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. "The Misfits – Project 1950". Punknews.org. November 4, 2003. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  6. ""Project 1950" (expanded) by The Misfits". PiercingMetal.com. October 23, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  7. "Misfits Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  8. "Misfits Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  9. "Misfits Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2023.