Hole Album: “Pretty on the Inside”

Description :

Hole: Courtney Love (vocals, guitar); Eric Erlandson (guitar); Jill Emery (bass); Caroline Rue (drums). <p>Recorded at Musicbox Studios, Los Angeles, California. <p>Although Hole would eventually score major hits with more pop-accessible material (1994's LIVE THROUGH THIS and 1998's CELEBRITY SKIN), the band's early work, such as its 1991 debut, PRETTY ON THE INSIDE, was more raw and punk- and hardcore-based. Along with L7, Babes in Toyland, and Bikini Kill, Hole was part of the early-'90s "riot grrrl" movement, which merged abrasive music with feminist lyrics and served as a much-needed antidote to the party-hearty late-'80s glam metal scene. Co-produced by Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon and alternative knob twirler Don Fleming, PRETTY ON THE INSIDE was a venomous and cacophonous debut. <p>Although Courtney Love would eventually pen some of alternative rock's best-known songs of the '90s ("Doll Parts," "Celebrity Skin," etc.), she was still honing her craft on PRETTY ON THE INSIDE. Songs such as "Teenage Whore" were snarling confrontational rants, while such other frenzy-filled compositions as "Garbage Man," "Good Sister/Bad Sister," and the title track easily kept the rage at a boiling point. PRETTY ON THE INSIDE would be the one and only album to feature Hole's original lineup, which consisted of Love on vocals/guitar, Eric Erlandson on guitar, Jill Emery on bass, and Caroline Rue on drums.

Considering the fact that 've been a fan of Hole since I was maybe..mmm,circa 1996(my sister puchased LTT a little later than release date)and being I was only 6 at the time,I fell in LOVE with the album.My first taste was Violet,I thought it was a great song and I sang the chorus at school(not the smartest idea in catholic school)but back to POTI.This is by far ranked as a creative masterpiece I say.With the gritty anthem to girls who lived life as prostitutes,Teenage Whore is your savior.Courtney then goes into thrashing Kat Bjelland for taking authorship of Courtney's 'kinder-whore' look in the song 'BabyDoll' as the album progresses,you WON'T get bored.It's a punk rock gem,with the slef titled song,it's a prophetic song about how the ugly girls get the anthem of inner beauty.It wraps up with a cover of Joni Mitchell's 'Clouds' which is simply breathtaking.Courtney's vocals are unlike anyone elses,and I definatly give her 10 stars for being a poetic genius and for being the symbol of female sexuality as not just mens toys.No Madonna here! Courtney is crowned "Miss World"

Wether you like this album or not is the way you know hole. If you know them from Celebrity Skin and like those top 40 countdown, you'll hate it. If you know hole from Live Thru this theres a 50/50 chance you'll like it/hate it. I suggest you download their first single and listen to it once a day for a week. I dunno... Garbage man or Teenage Whore. Listen to it again and again. If youre addicted, buy the album. If you hate them, repeat. You have to remember rock is not easy listening, the album is incredibly catchy if you listen to it again and again. One way to start liking the album isby playing it on guitar coz those are fast entertaining songs to play. When i heard it for the first time, i swore i said: "Im gonna stay away from this cd". I started listening to Garbage Man, god is it catchy. You'll either love it or hate it. Good Luck.

Even though she is tailed by an endless string of allegations that she is not a good musician in her own right, Asking For It proves that Hole can and does rock, Blissfuly unpolished, the selections take us through rejection, acceptance, life and death. As with all other albuns, concepts and ideas of what modern womanhood really means is woven through out the tracks.

The fact that it is not top 40 and/or mass media friendly is the whole point of this album and people who continue to gripe about the so-called sloppy work are missing the point entirely. Courtney and Hole were stars of their own right even before the world was caught up in Nirvana mania. No grrrl should be without this CD

Loud. Raw. Powerful. This is Hole in it's former original glory days before the overproduction and callifornication of "Celebrity Skin" (no i didn't like it thankyou.) Songs that rock - "Good Sister/Bad Sister", "Teenager Whore" and "Babydoll" are all some of the finest angry-grunge songs that i've ever listened to. It hasnt been overproduced so it still remains real like a live version. Courtney is truly in her element when she is allowed to let go like this. The guitar riffs and bass really rip through each song, and i can guarantee not everyone's going to like this style of raw, but sucks to be them to miss out on such emotion. I also recommend "Live through this".

This album really shows the raw side of Hole. You really have to love Hole to enjoy this album. It's extreme and loud. Not to mention angry. Deep and powerful, this recording is like the evil twin of 'Live Through This'. Love's vocals really are what make this album so intense. REAL Hole fans, invest in this one. It's a truly extraordinary album.