Porno for Pyros
Studio album by
Porno for Pyros
ReleasedApril 27, 1993
RecordedSummer, 1992
StudioCrystal Sound, Hollywood
GenreAlternative rock, Psychedelic rock, Funk metal[1]
Length39:17
LabelWarner Bros. Records
ProducerPerry Farrell, Matt Hyde
Porno for Pyros chronology
Porno for Pyros
(1993)		 Good God's Urge
(1996)
Singles from Porno for Pyros
  1. "Cursed Female / Cursed Male"
    Released: 1993
  2. "Pets"
    Released: June 1993
  3. "Meija"
    Released: 1993
  4. "Sadness"
    Released: March 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Q[5]
Robert Christgau(dud)[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]

Porno for Pyros is the debut album by Porno for Pyros, released on April 27, 1993, on the same label as Jane's Addiction, Warner Bros. Records.[9] Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Eric Avery, battling substance abuse issues, had left the band in 1991 in an attempt to stay clean, though the other half of the band wished to continue creating music. The remaining members of Jane's Addiction, Perry Farrell and Stephen Perkins, were joined by guitarist Peter DiStefano and future Jane's Addiction bassist Martyn LeNoble, and continued under the new band name Porno for Pyros.[10] The band (and album) name is a reference to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which are mentioned throughout the songs on the album as a recurring theme.

The album was certified Gold in the U.S. by the RIAA and contained the No. 1 Modern Rock single "Pets".

Music

Before the album's release, the musical direction and focus of the band and album were said to be "laid-back", "ethnic-influenced" and "edgy and experimental".[3][4] Critics often compared the sound of Porno for Pyros to that of Jane's Addiction upon its release, noting many parallels in song structure and overall sound.[4][7] Many of the songs on the album were written in Jane’s Addiction.

Such comparisons may be unavoidable; three of Porno for Pyros' founding four members (Farrell, Perkins and LeNoble) have either been past or are current members of Jane's Addiction. In addition, a number of songs on Porno for Pyros, namely "Blood Rag" and "Bad Shit", were written during the pre-1992 Jane's Addiction period,[11][12] although they would remain unfinished and unrecorded until the Porno for Pyros album.

The songs "Cursed Female" and "Cursed Male" were released as the album's first single.[13] The songs appear on the album as two separate tracks. In addition to the two respective album versions, the single also included the two songs together in medley form as a single track.[13] This medley was also released on the album's second (and highest charting) single, "Pets".

Another non-album B-side, "A Little Sadness", was released as a track on Porno for Pyros' fourth and final single, "Sadness".[14] Recorded during the album sessions but left off in favor of its namesake, the song was a complete reworking and rerecording of "Sadness". "A Little Sadness" featured primarily acoustic guitars, subdued vocals, bongos and saxophone, a sharp contrast to its electric progenitor. In an unusual move, a video was created for the B-side rather than the album track.[15]

"Porno for Pyros", "Packin' .25" and "Black Girlfriend" all referenced or were inspired by the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Porno for Pyros (Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins, Peter DiStefano and Martyn LeNoble)

No.TitleLength
1."Sadness"2:33
2."Porno for Pyros"3:06
3."Meija"3:13
4."Cursed Female"3:24
5."Cursed Male"3:50
6."Pets"3:36
7."Bad Shit"2:58
8."Packin' .25"4:08
9."Black Girlfriend"4:33
10."Blood Rag"3:29
11."Orgasm"4:27
Total length:39:17

Personnel

Porno for Pyros
Additional musicians
Recording personnel
  • Matt Hyde – Production, recording engineer, mixing
  • Perry Farrell – Production
  • Rob Seifert – Recording engineer
  • Damien Wagner – Assistant recording engineer
  • Chris Belman – Mastering
Additional personnel
  • Tom Recchion – Art direction, design
  • Bill Hofstadter – Artwork, photography
  • Perry Farrell – Artwork
  • Barrie Goshko – Lettering
  • Cecil Juanarena – Computer imaging
  • Ted Gardner – Management
  • Don Muller – Booking agent
  • Ted Mico – Publicity

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Charts

Chart performance for Porno for Pyros
Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 35
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19] 16
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 13
US Billboard 200 3

References

  1. ↑ Thomas, Stephen (1993-04-27). "Porno for Pyros - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  2. ↑ Porno for Pyros at AllMusic
  3. 1 2 Browne, David (1993-05-07). "Porno for Pyros Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  4. 1 2 3 Gold, Jonathan (1993-04-25). "Album Review (Porno for Pyros, Porno for Pyros)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Porno for Pyros CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Porno for Pyros". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  7. 1 2 Berger, Arion (1993-07-08). "Porno for Pyros: Porno for Pyros : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  8. ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Porno for Pyros". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 646. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ↑ Porno for Pyros (1993-04-27). "Porno for Pyros: Information from". Answers.com. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
  10. ↑ "Porno for Pyros". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  11. ↑ "Jane's Addiction Resource: Blood Rag". JanesAddiction.org. Retrieved 9 Jun 2013.
  12. ↑ "Jane's Addiction Resource: Bad Shit". JanesAddiction.org. Retrieved 9 Jun 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Porno for Pyros Discography: Cursed Female / Cursed Male". JanesAddiction.org. Retrieved 9 Jun 2013.
  14. ↑ "Porno for Pyros Discography: Sadness". JanesAddiction.org. Retrieved 9 Jun 2013.
  15. ↑ "Porno for Pyros Resource: A Little Sadness". JanesAddiction.org. Retrieved 9 Jun 2013.
  16. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Porno for Pyros – Porno for Pyros". Music Canada.
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Porno for Pyros – Porno for Pyros". Recording Industry Association of America.
  18. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Porno for Pyros – Porno for Pyros". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Charts.nz – Porno for Pyros – Porno for Pyros". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
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