Project 1950

Last updated

Project 1950
Misfits - Project 1950 cover.jpg
Studio album by
the Misfits
ReleasedJuly 29, 2003
Genre Punk rock
Length24:20
Label Misfits Records
Producer Jesse Cannon, Anthony Esposito, Tim Hatfield
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 #2 slot on Billboard's 'Top Heatseekers' chart as well as #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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misfits (band)</span> American horror punk band

The Misfits are an American punk rock band often recognized as the pioneers of the horror punk subgenre, blending punk and other musical influences with horror film themes and imagery. The group was founded in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey, by vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist Glenn Danzig. Over the next six years, Danzig and bassist Jerry Only were the group's main members through numerous personnel changes. During this period, they released several EPs and singles, and with Only's brother Doyle as guitarist, the albums Walk Among Us (1982) and Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood (1983), both considered touchstones of the early-1980s hardcore punk movement. The band has gone through many lineup changes over the years, with bassist Jerry Only being the only constant member in the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dez Cadena</span> American punk rock singer and guitarist

Dez Cadena is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1980 to 1983. Cadena played guitar with Misfits from 2001 to 2015, initially joining the band alongside Doyle, Jerry Only, and Robo for their 25th Anniversary Tour; he has served as the band's longest tenured guitarist.

<i>End of the Century</i> 1980 studio album by the Ramones

End of the Century is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on February 4, 1980, through Sire Records. The album was the band's first to be produced by Phil Spector, though he had offered the band his assistance earlier in their career. With Spector fully producing the album, it was the first release that excluded original member Tommy Ramone, who had left the band in 1978 but had produced their previous album Road to Ruin. Spector used more advanced standards of engineering, such as high-quality overdubbing and echo chambers. These painstaking methods caused conflict between the band and Spector since the Ramones were accustomed to a quicker recording process. Spector emphasized the production value as well, working with a budget of around $200,000, far exceeding their earlier album sessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marky Ramone</span> American drummer (born 1952)

Marc Steven Bell is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He replaced drummer Tommy Ramone in the Ramones in 1978, and went by the stage name Marky Ramone from then on. He has also played drums for other punk rock and heavy metal bands, including his own band Marky Ramone and the Intruders. He continues to keep the Ramones legacy alive around the world with his band Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Only</span> Musical artist

Gerald Caiafa Jr., better known by his stage name Jerry Only, is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the Misfits and later the vocalist as well. He is the only member to appear in every Misfits lineup.

<i>Road to Ruin</i> (Ramones album) 1978 studio album by the Ramones

Road to Ruin is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on September 22, 1978, through Sire Records as LP record, 8 track cartridge & audio cassette. It was the first Ramones album to feature new drummer Marky Ramone, who replaced Tommy Ramone. Tommy left the band due to low sales of previous albums as well as stress he experienced while touring; however, he stayed with the band to produce the album with Ed Stasium. The artwork's concept was designed by Ramones fan Gus MacDonald and later modified by John Holmstrom to include Marky instead of Tommy.

<i>Subterranean Jungle</i> 1983 studio album by the Ramones

Subterranean Jungle is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released by Sire Records on February 23, 1983. Overall, the album featured a return to a somewhat more hard punk rock style compared to the band's previous two albums End of the Century in 1980, and Pleasant Dreams in 1981, which were the most pop-focused of the band's career. This direction was encouraged by guitarist Johnny Ramone. The recording sessions saw disputes between band members, mainly due to struggles with alcohol addiction by Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone, and the drug addiction of Dee Dee Ramone.

<i>Brain Drain</i> (album) 1989 studio album by the Ramones

Brain Drain is the eleventh studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on May 23, 1989. It is the last Ramones release to feature bassist/songwriter/vocalist Dee Dee Ramone, the first to feature Marky Ramone since his initial firing from the band after 1983's Subterranean Jungle and the band's last studio album on Sire Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster Mash</span> 1962 novelty song

"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes. The "Monster Mash" single was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 20–27 of that year, just before Halloween. It has been a perennial Halloween favorite ever since. In 2021, nearly 60 years after its release, "Monster Mash" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 37.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Day the Earth Caught Fire</span> 2002 single by the Misfits and Balzac

"Day the Earth Caught Fire" is a song by the Japanese horror punk band Balzac from their 1995 album The Last Men on Earth. In 2002 it was covered by the Misfits for a split single celebrating Balzac's signing to the newly formed Misfits Records, with Balzac covering a medley of the Misfits songs "The Haunting" and "Don't Open 'Til Doomsday" from the 1997 album American Psycho. Balzac also filmed a music video for their version. The international version of the single was titled "Day the Earth Caught Fire" and had the Misfits as track 1 and Balzac as track 2, while the Japanese release was titled "Don't Open 'Til Doomsday" and had the tracks in reverse order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet Sematary (song)</span> 1989 single by Ramones

"Pet Sematary" is a single by American punk rock band Ramones, from their 1989 album Brain Drain. The song, originally written for the Stephen King 1989 film adaptation of the same name, became one of the Ramones' biggest radio hits and was a staple of their concerts during the 1990s. The song plays over the film’s credits.

Osaka Popstar is a punk rock supergroup formed in 2006 by New Yorker John Cafiero. In 2006, Cafiero teamed up with several well known punk rock artists to create the anime based punk group, Osaka Popstar. They released their debut album/DVD on May 23, 2006. Their lyrics consist of topics such as characters in Japanese anime like Astroboy and Sailor Moon. The first single off the album was a cover of singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston, entitled "Wicked World."

<i>Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk</i> 2006 studio album by Osaka Popstar

Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk is the first, and so far only, album released by Osaka Popstar. The title references the fact that the band includes members of legendary punk bands such as The Misfits, Ramones, Black Flag and The Voidoids.

Marky Ramone and the Intruders were an American punk rock band formed by drummer Marky Ramone after the retirement of the Ramones. The band is similar in sound to the Ramones but with a more powerful bass. The band released only two albums in its short existence. Todd Youth of Murphy's Law was the frontman for a short time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misfits discography</span>

The discography of Misfits, a horror punk band formed in Lodi, New Jersey, in 1977, consists of seven studio albums, three live albums, four compilation albums, four EPs, nineteen singles, one video album, five music videos, one box set, one demo, and one cancelled album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land of the Dead (Misfits song)</span> 2009 single by the Misfits

"Land of the Dead" is a single by the horror punk band the Misfits, released October 27, 2009 through Misfits Records. It is the first release of new studio material from the band since the 2003 covers album Project 1950, and their first release of new, original material since 1999's Famous Monsters. It is also the only release by the band's 2005–2010 lineup of Jerry Only, Dez Cadena, and Robo.

<i>The Devils Rain</i> (album) 2011 studio album by the Misfits

The Devil's Rain is the seventh and most recent studio album by horror punk band Misfits, released October 4, 2011, through the label that the Misfits own, Misfits Records. It is the band's first album in eight years, following 2003's covers record Project 1950, and the first of original material since 1999's Famous Monsters. It is also the only release by the band's lineup of Jerry Only, Dez Cadena, and Eric "Chupacabra" Arce. The Devil's Rain was produced by Ed Stasium, who previously worked with the band on Famous Monsters.

<i>Dead Alive!</i> 2013 live album by the Misfits

Dead Alive! is a live album by the Misfits. It was released on February 5, 2013 by Misfits Records. Album artwork was provided by Jason Edmiston.

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. "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. 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.