Veruca Salt: Discography

 

Veruca Salt is an American alternative rock band founded in Chicago in 1992 by vocalist-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louise Post, drummer Jim Shapiro, and bassist Steve Lack. They are best known for

their first single, "Seether", which was released on the 1994 album American Thighs. That success was followed up with 1997's Eight Arms to Hold You. By 1998, Post was the only original member still in the band and continued on with other musicians. Veruca Salt released the album Resolver in 2000 and the album IV in 2006. After a hiatus in 2012, the band reformed with its original lineup. Their fifth studio album, Ghost Notes, was released in 2015.
                           

Veruca Salt reshaped the jagged, abrasive punk-pop of the Pixies and Breeders into a more

accessible, riff-driven power pop formula that also borrowed from pop/hard rockers like Cheap Trick. It was a successful formula, both musically and commercially, yet it didn't ensure them indie rock credibility; in fact, they became one of the most harshly criticized bands of the post-Nirvana alternative rock era, despite being one of the first female-fronted outfits to achieve stardom in that genre.
          

Named after Veruca Salt, the spoiled rotten rich girl from the 1964 children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Veruca Salt was formed in Chicago in 1992 by Louise Post (guitar and vocals) and Nina Gordon (guitar and vocals). Post and Gordon were introduced through

mutual friend Lili Taylor, and began playing music together. They wrote songs for a year and a half before placing an ad in the Chicago Sun-Times for an all-female rhythm section. Instead the band was joined by Gordon's brother Jim Shapiro on drums and Steve Lack on bass.[3] Songwriting was shared between Gordon and Post, though the two seldom collaborated. Rather, each would typically submit a complete song to the group and sing the lead vocals on that song, while the other would record backing vocals.
               

While supporting Hole on their fall tour, Veruca Salt released the debut album American Thighs on the Minty Fresh label, yet they soon cut a major-label deal with Geffen, which then re-released the album.

"Seether" became an MTV hit as well, and soon the single was an across-the-board success. A stop-gap EP which was recorded by Steve Albini, Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt, was released in 1996.[3] In 1996, Veruca Salt appeared as Pavement's replacement band in their video "Painted Soldiers". Veruca Salt's second album, Eight Arms to Hold You, was produced by Bob Rock and released in 1997. Lead single "Volcano Girls" gained exposure as the opening theme to the teen comedy film Jawbreaker.
                  

Gordon and Post started working together on Veruca Salt's third album. However, after an argument between the two, Gordon left the band to pursue a solo career in 1998. (Gordon's first album, Tonight and the Rest of My Life, was released in 2000 and featured drumming by Stacy Jones, who had also left

Veruca Salt and was in a relationship with Gordon). The dispute between Gordon and Post has been described as "one of the greatest rock soap operas since Fleetwood Mac or Hüsker Dü." Post, as the only remaining band member, contributed the song "Somebody" to the Depeche Mode tribute album For the Masses before recruiting a new lineup. Guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick joined and went on to become one of Post's principal songwriting partners during the next decade.
            

Undeterred, Post regrouped Veruca Salt as her own project. Now boasting a revised lineup including

guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick, bassist Suzanne Sokol, and drummer Jimmy Madla, the band left Geffen Records (which had been swallowed by a corporate merger) and inked a new record deal with Beyond. They also entered the studio to record Resolver, a fiery album that dealt with Gordon's departure and Post's failed relationship with Dave Grohl.
               

With an ever-changing lineup (now featuring Post, Fitzpatrick, drummer Kelli Scott, and bassist Nicole Fiorentino), Veruca Salt then recorded another five-song EP, 2005's Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things. An additional full-length album, IV, was issued the following year. Following a lackluster public

response to the album, the band went on a lengthy hiatus. As unexpectedly as they'd parted ways, Gordon and Post announced in 2013 that they had "buried the hatchet" and were reuniting the band's original lineup. They jokingly referred to the era following Gordon's departure as "Veruca Starship" and readied new material, the first taste of which was 2014's Record Store Day EP MMXIV. The full-length Ghost Notes followed in July 2015.
                 

DISCOGRAPHY STUDIO ALBUMS

                   

American Thighs 1994
Eight Arms to Hold You 1997
Resolver 2000
IV 2006
Ghost Notes 2015

EPs

Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt 1996
MMXIV 2014

01.  VERUCA SALT - AMERICAN THINGS 1994

                          

Nina Gordon and Louise Post try hard to inject meaning into the sweet, distorted rush of "Seether," but

all that sticks is the infectious melody and crushing guitars. That also applies to the slower songs, from the enchanting lust of "Spiderman '79" to "Forsythia," which is too close to the Breeders' Pod for comfort. But musically, American Thighs is surprisingly satisfying; it's a pure pop album masquerading as the next big thing.
                        

Veruca Salt – American Thighs
Label: Minty Fresh – mf-7
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Sep 1994
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

                    

01. Get Back    3:13
02. All Hail Me    3:05
03. Seether    3:16
04. Spiderman '79   5:16
05. Forsythia    4:44
06. Wolf    4:19
07. Celebrate You    4:20
08. Fly    3:38
09. Number One Blind    3:44
10. Victrola    2:18
11. Twinstar    3:16
12. 25    7:56
13. Sleeping Where I Want    3:19

LINE - UP

Nina Gordon – guitar, vocals
Louise Post – guitar, vocals
Steve Lack – bass guitar
Jim Shapiro – drums, background vocals

Additional musicians

Christian Lane – additional vocals (on "Spiderman")

Flac Size: 349 MB

02.  VERUCA SALT - BLOW IT OUT YOUR ASS IT'S VERUCA SALT (7" EP) 1996

                 

Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt is an EP by Veruca Salt released in 1996. It followed the band's

hit album American Thighs (1994). The EP contains four songs, two by Nina Gordon and two by Louise Post. The album art shows the band dressed in toilet paper. In the liner notes, bassist Steve Lack is credited under his actual name, Stephen J. Lackiewicz.
                 

Veruca Salt – Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt
Label: DGC – DGCDM-22212
Format: CD, EP
Country: US
Released: Apr 16, 1996
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

                

01. Shimmer Like A Girl    4:03
02. I'm Taking Europe With Me    3:45
03. New York Mining Disaster 1996    4:56
04. Disinherit    6:25

LINE - UP

                    

Bass – Stephen J Lachawicx
Drums, Vocals – Jim Shapiro
Guitar, Vocals - Nina Gordon
Guitar, Vocals – Louise Post

Flac Size: 127 MB

03.  EIGHT ARMS TO HOLD YOU 1997

                        

Eight Arms to Hold You is the second studio album by alternative rock band Veruca Salt. It was released on February 11, 1997, through Outpost/Geffen Records. The album was produced by Bob Rock. The title is a reference to the working title for The Beatles' film eventually titled Help!. Eight

Arms to Hold You peaked at number 55 on the Billboard 200. The single "Volcano Girls", written by Nina Gordon, was a rock radio hit. Veruca Salt performed "Shutterbug", written by Louise Post, on Saturday Night Live. Besides those two, there were three other singles released from the album: "Benjamin", "The Morning Sad", and "Straight". This was the last album to feature all of the original band members—Gordon, Post, Steve Lack, and Jim Shapiro—until the 2015 album Ghost Notes.
                     

Veruca Salt – Eight Arms To Hold You
Label: Outpost Recordings – OPRSD-30001, Minty Fresh – none
Format: CD, Album
Country: Canada
Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

            

01. Straight    2:32
02. Volcano Girls    3:18
03. Don't Make Me Prove It    2:29
04. Awesome    3:32
05. One Last Time    4:45
06. With David Bowie    2:25
07. Benjamin    4:05
08. Shutterbug    4:16
09. The Morning Sad    3:08
10. Sound Of The Bell    3:59
11. Loneliness Is Worse    5:00
12. Stoneface    2:44
13. Venus Man Trap    3:29
14. Earthcrosser    5:28

LINE - UP

Bass – Steve Lack
Drums, Backing Vocals – Jim Shapiro
Guitar – Louise Post, Nina Gordon, Steve Lack
Percussion [Additional] – Jim McGillveray
Vocals – Louise Post, Nina Gordon
Written-By – Post (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 13), Gordon (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14)

Flac Size: 372 MB

04.  VERUCA SALT - RESOLVER 2000

                   

Resolver is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Veruca Salt. It was released on

May 16, 2000, on Beyond Records, followed by an Australian release on December 6, 2002. The album was the first for the band after the departure of all the founding members but Louise Post, who became the band's sole frontwoman. Like their previous album, Eight Arms to Hold You, the title is inspired by The Beatles; in this case, a play on the title of their 1966 album Revolver.
                         

Veruca Salt – Resolver
Label: Velveteen Records – 63985-78103-2, Beyond – 63985-78103-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

                   

01. The Same Person    1:03
02. Born Entertainer    2:40
03. Best You Can Get    2:45
04. Wet Suit    4:23
05. Yeah Man    3:29
06. Imperfectly    4:14
07. Officially Dead    2:49
08. Only You Know    4:07
09. Disconnected    4:46
10. All Dressed Up    5:53
11. Used To Know Her    4:34
12. Pretty Boys    3:07
13. Hellraiser    3:53

LINE - UP

                

Bass, Guitar, Vocals – Kevin Tihista
Bass, Vocals – Brian Liesegang, Louise Post, Suzanne Sokol
Cello – Eric Remschneider
Drums – Jimmy Madla, Kellii Scott, Matt Walker
Guitar – Brian Liesegang, Louise Post, Stephen Fitzpatrick
Guitar [Additional] – Scott Pazera
Keyboards – Brian Liesegang, Louise Post
Percussion – Jimmy Madla, Matt Walker
Written-By – Brian Liesegang (tracks: 3, 8), Kevin Tihista (tracks: 6, 7, 13), Louise Post

Flac Size: 320 MB

05.  VERUCA SALT - IV 2006

                 

IV is the fourth full-length studio album by alternative rock band Veruca Salt. It was released on

September 12, 2006 in the United States and on September 25, 2006 in Australia. This is the last album to feature Stephen Fitzpatrick on guitars and the only album to feature Kellii Scott on drums and Nicole Fiorentino on bass.
                

Veruca Salt – IV
Label: Sympathy For The Record Industry – SFTRI 780
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Sep 12, 2006
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

              

01. So Weird    3:35
02. Centipede    3:00
03. Innocent    2:53
04. Circular Trend    2:42
05. Perfect Love    3:42
06. Closer    3:27
07. Sick As Your Secrets    5:36
08. Wake Up Dead    3:34
09. Damage Done    4:10
10. Blissful Queen    3:44
11. The Sun    3:57
12. Comes And Goes    2:30
13. Save You    4:24
14. Salt Flat Epic    7:57

LINE - UP

Bass – Solomon Snyder
Cello – Paul Wianco
Drums, Percussion – Kellii Scott
Guitar, Mellotron – Stephen Fitzpatrick
Piano – Jonny Polonsky
Vocals, Bass – Nicole Fiorentino
Vocals, Guitar, Percussion – Louise Post
Written-By – Liesegang (tracks: 14), Post, Fitzpatrick (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 7, 11, 13)

Flac Size: 368 MB

06.  VERUCA SALT - MMXIV (7" EP) 2014

                    

MMXIV is a 2014 EP by Veruca Salt. This is their first release with the original lineup since Eight

Arms to Hold You in 1997. It was released on vinyl for Record Store Day 2014. "The Museum of Broken Relationships" was later included on the band's album Ghost Notes (2015).
                   

Veruca Salt – MMXIV
Label: Minty Fresh – mf-200
Format: Vinyl, 10", 45 RPM, Record Store Day
Country: USA & Canada
Released: Apr 19, 2014
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative

SIDE V.

                      

V1. The Museum Of Broken Relationships   2:34
Written-By – Veruca Salt
V2. It's Holy   3:25
Written-By – Veruca Salt

SIDE S.

                 

B. Seether   3:19
Written-By – Gordon

LINE - UP

Louise Post – Guitar/Vocals
Nina Gordon – Guitar/Vocals
Steve Lack – Bass
Jim Shapiro – Drums

Flac Size: 68.5 MB

07.  VERUCA SALT - GHOST NOTES 2015

                    

Ghost Notes is the fifth full-length studio album by American rock band Veruca Salt, released on July 10, 2015, through El Camino Records. It is the first to feature the band's original lineup since their

second album, Eight Arms to Hold You (1997). Following the band's 1997 release Eight Arms to Hold You, drummer Jim Shapiro quit. Shortly after, in 1998, Nina Gordon and bassist Steve Lack also left, leaving Louise Post to release two new Veruca Salt albums with other musicians, Resolver in 2000, and IV in 2006. Gordon told The Los Angeles Times that after seeing the reception from Mazzy Star's 2012 reunion she got the desire to make music with Post again. The two met up for the first time in 14 years and began writing music that would become Ghost Notes.
                

Veruca Salt – Ghost Notes
Label: El Camino Media – ECM040-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Jul 10, 2015
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock

TRACKS

                 

01. The Gospel According To Saint Me     3:50
02. Black And Blonde    4:07
03. Eyes On You    3:17
04. Prince Of Wales    5:36
05. The Sound Of Leaving    3:32
06. Love You Less    3:10
07. Laughing In The Sugar Bowl    2:16
08. Empty Bottle    5:54
09. Come Clean, Dark Thing    3:22
10. I'm Telling You Now   3:29
Backing Vocals – Christian Lane
Handclaps – Joel Mark (4), Sophie Mark
11. Triage    3:36
12. Lost To Me    4:11
13. The Museum Of Broken Relationships    2:35
14. Alternica   5:58
Backing Vocals – Kay Hanley, Michelle Lewis

LINE - UP

Louise Post – guitar, vocals
Nina Gordon – guitar, vocals
Steve Lack – bass guitar
Jim Shapiro – drums, vocals (backing)

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS

Kay Hanley – vocals
Michelle Lewis – vocals
Christian Lane – vocals (backing)
Joel Mark – handclapping
Sophie Mark – handclapping
Chick Wolverton – percussion

Flac Size: 410 MB