Let's Face It
Encyclopedia
Let's Face It is an album by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
. It was released on March 11, 1997 by Mercury Records
. This album sold very well due to the success of its single "The Impression That I Get", which reached #1 on the Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks
chart. Also faring well were the album's other two singles, "Royal Oil" (#22) and "The Rascal King" (#7). The album itself reached #27 on the Billboard 200 (the only Bosstones' album to crack the Top 50). The album has been certified platinum.
.
's Adam Thomas called the album "a quintessential piece of 90's ska." Thomas continued "Let's Face It shows The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the top of their game and is one of the greatest ska-punk albums to come out of the nineties." Allmusic's Steve Huey also gave the album a positive review, writing "Even if the production is a tiny bit slick, and the playing time is rather short..., it's still difficult to view Let's Face It as anything but a rousing success and easily one of the band's best albums." Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club
wrote "... for every misfire like the preachy title track, there's an infectious anthem that begs to be blared from every window in the city. Play 'The Rascal Song' or 'The Impression That I Get' as loud as you can get away with, and ask yourself if the Bosstones aren't back."
In 2004, Let's Face It was ranked #36 in a Kerrang!
reader poll of the 50 Greatest Punk Albums.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
. It was released on March 11, 1997 by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. This album sold very well due to the success of its single "The Impression That I Get", which reached #1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart. Also faring well were the album's other two singles, "Royal Oil" (#22) and "The Rascal King" (#7). The album itself reached #27 on the Billboard 200 (the only Bosstones' album to crack the Top 50). The album has been certified platinum.
Track listing
The track "Wrong Thing Right Then" was previously available on the soundtrack to Meet the DeedlesMeet the Deedles
Meet the Deedles is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Steve Boyum and starring Paul Walker and Steve Van Wormer. It was the first theatrically released film to be produced by DIC Entertainment since 1986 . Its name is a play on the Beatles album Meet The Beatles...
.
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- Dicky BarrettDicky BarrettRichard Michael Barrett , better known as Dicky Barrett, is the frontman of Ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and the announcer for Jimmy Kimmel Live...
– lead vocals, artwork - Nate AlbertNate AlbertNathan Albert is an American musician best known as a guitarist for ska-core band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He left them to go to Brown University in 2000. Soon he started a new band, The Kickovers, that released one album, Osaka, and disbanded in 2003.On July 15, 2008 he was named the Vice...
– guitar, backing vocals - Joe GittlemanJoe GittlemanJoe Gittleman is an American musician, best known as the bass guitar player for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones...
– bass guitar, backing vocals - Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton – saxophone, backing vocals
- Kevin Lenear – saxophone, backing vocals
- Dennis BrockenboroughDennis BrockenboroughDennis Brockenborough is an African-American musician from Delaware. He played trombone in the Mighty Mighty Bosstones for ten years and was an important contributor to that's band's brass instrument-driven skacore sound....
– trombone, backing vocals - Joe SiroisJoe SiroisJoe Sirois is an American drummer who played with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones from 1991 until their hiatus in 2003. He also played drums for the Boston based band Street Dogs from 2004 to 2007 when he reunited with the Bosstones....
– drums - Ben Carr – Bosstone
Additional personnel
- Paul Q. KolderiePaul Q. KolderiePaul Q. Kolderie is a record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with Pixies, Radiohead, Orangutang, Hole, Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield, Wax, Warren Zevon, Uncle Tupelo, Throwing Muses, Morphine, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Abandoned Pools, and The Go-Go's...
– producer, engineer - Sean SladeSean SladeSean Slade is a record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with artists including Hole, Radiohead, Warren Zevon, Juliana Hatfield, Dinosaur Jr., Uncle Tupelo, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Boo Radleys, Sebadoh, Lush, the Go-Go's, and The Dictators among others. In 2005 he produced The...
– producer, engineer - Brian Dewyer – musician
- Dan McLaughlin – musician
- John Rosenberg – musician
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
– mastering
Reception
Let's Face It has received positive reviews. SputnikmusicSputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
's Adam Thomas called the album "a quintessential piece of 90's ska." Thomas continued "Let's Face It shows The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the top of their game and is one of the greatest ska-punk albums to come out of the nineties." Allmusic's Steve Huey also gave the album a positive review, writing "Even if the production is a tiny bit slick, and the playing time is rather short..., it's still difficult to view Let's Face It as anything but a rousing success and easily one of the band's best albums." Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
wrote "... for every misfire like the preachy title track, there's an infectious anthem that begs to be blared from every window in the city. Play 'The Rascal Song' or 'The Impression That I Get' as loud as you can get away with, and ask yourself if the Bosstones aren't back."
In 2004, Let's Face It was ranked #36 in a Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
reader poll of the 50 Greatest Punk Albums.
Album
| Chart (1997/1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
27 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
40 |
| Austrian Album Charts | 27 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARIA Charts ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
US Alt |
US Radio Songs |
|||||||||
| 1997 | "The Impression That I Get The Impression That I Get "The Impression That I Get" is a song by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the lead single from their 1997 studio album Let's Face It. It is the band's most successful and popular song. The track reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. In... " |
11 | 12 | 1 | 34 | |||||||
| 1997 | "The Rascal King" | 40 | 63 | 7 | — | |||||||
| 1997 | "Royal Oil" | — | — | 22 | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||||||