THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DISCOGRAPHY & VIDEOS

1. The Presidents of the United States of America (1995)

2. II (1996)

3. Pure Frosting (1998)

4. Freaked Out and Small (2000)

5. Love Everybody (2004)

6. These Are the Good Times People (2008)

The Presidents of the United States of America 

Released March 1995, Length 38:02, Label Pop Llama Records

1.Kitty 3:23
2.Feather Pluckn 2:57

3.Lump 2:14

4.Stranger 3:04

5.Boll Weevil 3:16

6.Peaches 2:51

7.Dune Buggy 2:44

8.We Are Not Going to Make It 1:52

9.Kick Out the Jams 1:25

10.Body 4:11

11.Back Porch 2:59

12.Candy 3:16

13.Naked and Famous 3:42

The Presidents of the United States of America is the debut album by The Presidents of the United States of America, released in March 1995 via PopLlama Records. Columbia Records signed the band shortly after its release to handle increased distribution for the album.

Released a year after the grunge and punk music breakthrough, the album produced four singles — "Kitty", "Lump", "Peaches" and "Dune Buggy" — that helped the group gain mainstream popularity, and "Lump" can be found on the band's 2000 compilation album with the same title. The album received positive reviews. Since its release, The Presidents of the United States of America has been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.

Background and recording

In late 1993, Chris Ballew and Dave Dederer met while attending The Bush School in Seattle. Initially a drummerless duo, they performed a half-dozen or so shows in 1993 as "The Lo-Fis", "The Dynamic Duo", and "Pure Frosting." Ballew eventually came upon the name "The Presidents of the United States of America." Shortly after settling on their name, Ballew and Dederer added drummer Jason Finn. In early December 1993, the band played their first show as a trio at Romper Room in Seattle. At the time, Finn was also the drummer in the band Love Battery, who had recently changed record labels from Sub Pop to Atlas Records, an A&M subsidiary.

In early 1994, The Presidents recorded a 10-song cassette, Froggystyle, at Laundry Room Studios. The band sold the cassette at shows in 1994. Perry also sold the cassette from behind the bar of Seattle's legendary Comet Tavern, where he bartended.

In 1994, the Presidents signed with the tiny Seattle label PopLlama Records and released their self-titled debut in the following year. The band also released a limited edition blue vinyl 7" single, "Fuck California", on C/Z Records. Columbia Records signed the band shortly thereafter and re-released the album in late July 1995. Driven by the singles "Lump", "Peaches", and "Kitty", their debut album proved to be a smash, eventually selling over three million copies.

Composition

Critics praised the bands catchy, humorous, and self-deprecating songs, which were a major departure from the grunge/post-grunge sound present on the airwaves. The album received Grammy nominations in 1996 and 1997. Though "Peaches" met the most critical success, the band credits "Lump" as their favorite single. The song's strange lyrics came from a dream that Ballew had while fighting pneumonia. The antibiotics he was taking caused an allergic reaction that produced several consecutive nights of wild and crazy dreams. The lyrics for "Peaches" were written about a crush Ballew used to have on a girl. According to him, she had a peach tree in the front of her yard, and when he finally summoned the courage to go talk to her, he stood under the tree and smashed peaches in his fist until he decided not to talk to her.

Packaging and release

Originally, the album was released in March 1995 on independent Seattle label, PopLlama Records. This version of the album was noticeable different than other subsequent releases. The inside cover featured a picture of the band with Bill Clinton, who was the president of the United States at the time. CD looked like a food inspection stamp. "Feather Pluckn" included a verse which was somewhat of a parody of The Beatles' "I've Got a Feeling". The PopLlama release was also pressed on yellow vinyl with two bonus tracks. After the band signed to Columbia Records, the album was re-released on July 25, 1995. This version's inside cover featured a picture of the band members painted in red, white and blue in multiple pictures. The CD looks like a vinyl record label. All of the songs were re-mixed, and "Feather Pluckn" lost the "I've Got A Feeling" verse. In 2004 PUSA Inc., the band independently re-released the album as a Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition. The re-released was packaged with an additional disc that featured 13 bonus tracks, including b-sides and demos, and a Bonus DVD of music videos and performance footage. In 2008, the album was re-released for a final time by the bands current label, Fugitive Recordings. This version features the food inspection stamp-like design that originally appeared on the 1995 edition. The insert picture features a collage of band performances. In addition, the liner notes have been slightly updated.

Reception

Commercial performance

The Presidents of the United States of America peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. As of 1997, the album has shipped over three million copies as has been certified triple platinum.

Critical reception

Critical reception to The Presidents of the United States of America was mainly positive. The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars and stated: "It's novelty punk. Granted, that approach can occasionally produce a couple of naggingly catchy songs — particularly their breakthrough hit, 'Lump' — but it basically results in a series of smug, self-satisfied songs that are neither funny nor catchy."

II

Released November 5, 1996, Length 39:47, Label Columbia

1.Ladies and Gentlemen, Part 1  1:39
2.Lunatic to Love  2:57

3.Volcano 2:58

4.Mach 5 3:15

5.Twig 2:37

6.Bug City 3:05

7.Bath of Fire 2:57

8.Tiki God 2:58

9.L.I.P. 3:20

10.Froggie 3:10

11.Toob Amplifier 1:22

12.Supermodel 2:49

13.Puffy Little Shoes 4:59

14.Ladies and Gentlemen, Part 2 3:03

Basketball Dream

II is the second album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released via Columbia Records on November 5, 1996, which was Election Day in the United States, which included voting for the President.

Background

The album included a few songs that originally appeared on Froggystyle, a self-released cassette that was recorded before their debut album, The Presidents of the United States of America. These songs, which were re-recorded for this album, were "L.I.P", then known as "Little Indian Princess", "Lunatic to Love" and "Puffy Little Shoes". Also, "Twig" was re-recorded, as it was previously recorded as a b-side to a "Lump" single, where it was known as "Twig in the Wind". That version was later released on Rarities as "Twig (Semi Acoustic Version)".

Pure Frosting
Released March 10, 1998, Length 38:29, Label Columbia

1.Love Delicatessen 4:12
2.Video Killed the Radio Star 3:22

3.Mobile Home 2:52

4.Japan 2:30

5.Sunshine  2:09

6.Back Porch (Live) 3:30

7.Man  3:16

8.Tiki Lounge God 3:10

9.Teenage Girl 2:23

10.Slip Away 2:44

11.Tremolo Blooz 2:50

12.Cleveland Rocks 2:33

13.Lump (Live) 2:58

Pure Frosting is a compilation album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 10, 1998.

It was, at the time, the band's last album, as they had broken up in 1998. They have since reunited and have released new albums.

"Video Killed the Radio Star" originally appeared on The Wedding Singer soundtrack, and it is a cover of the song originally by The Buggles. This is the third version of the song The Presidents has released, as they originally released a live version as a b-side, and released a different studio version on Rarities.

"Man (Opposable Thumb)" originally appeared on the 1997 soundtrack of Good Burger.

"Cleveland Rocks" is also a cover, originally by Ian Hunter, and was used as the theme song to The Drew Carey Show.

The name of the album is inspired by a brief lyric in the song "Fuck California".

Freaked Out and Small

Recorded September 12, 2000, Length 36:10, Label MusicBlitz Records

1.Tiny Explosions 2:50
2.Nuthin But Luv 2:41

3.Tiger Bomb 3:18

4.Last Girl on Earth 2:20

5.Jazz Guy 2:13

6.Meanwhile Back in the City 3:22

7.Jupiter 2:38

8.Superstar 3:08

9.Death Star 3:22

10.Blank Baby 3:48

11.I'm Mad 2:15

12.Headin' Out 4:15

Freaked Out and Small is the third album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in 2000 by MUSICBLITZ Records, which was a web based label. Copies of the album distributed through MUSICBLITZ included in the liner notes a special thanks to anyone who pre-ordered it from the MUSICBLITZ website. These fans are listed individually, by name.

An interesting note about this album is that all of the songs were played with normal guitars and bass guitars. This is different from all of the other albums by the band, as they usually played with guitbasses and basitars, which were guitars with fewer strings that were tuned differently than usual.

This album was re-released in 2004 on the band's own label, PUSA Inc. with bonus tracks that included 8 of the 12 songs on the album, as well as 2 other songs, as Chris Ballew originally recorded them between 1989 and 1996.

Love Everybody

Released August 17, 2004, Length 38:16, Label PUSA Inc.

1.Love Everybody 2:37
2.Some Postman 2:51

3.Clean Machine 2:31

4.Highway Forever 2:52

5.Zero Friction 2:48

6.Surf's Down 1:44

7.Shortwave 2:12

8.Poke and Destroy 2:39

9.Munky River 3:02

10.Drool at You 2:29

11.Vestina 2:53

12.5,500 Miles 3:57

13.Shreds of Boa 3:02

14.Jennifer's Jacket 2:39

Love Everybody is the fourth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on August 17, 2004 on the band's own label, PUSA Inc.

When the album was released in the UK in 2005, it featured four bonus tracks. They included live versions of songs from their debut album, The Presidents of the United States of America, the previously unreleased song "Useless Crushes", and a cover of the Sex Pistols' "Problems".

These Are the Good Times People

Released March 11, 2008,  Length 39:05, Label Fugitive Records

1.Mixed Up S.O.B. 3:05
2.Ladybug 2:34

3.Sharpen Up Those Fangs 3:05

4.More Bad Times 2:59

5.French Girl 3:04

6.Truckstop Butterfly 2:04

7.Ghosts are Everywhere 4:08

8.Loose Balloon 2:45

9.Flame is Love 2:39

10.So Lo So Hi 2:18

11.Poor Turtle 2:48

12.Rot in the Sun 2:25

13.Warhead 1:54

14.Deleter 3:17

These Are the Good Times People is the fifth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 11, 2008. This is their first album to feature Andrew McKeag instead of Dave Dederer on guitbass.

Response
Critical response to These Are the Good Times People was mixed. MusicOMH.com remarked, "There's nothing complicated on this album, but then when did things ever need to be complicated?" Allmusic said that in view of the lineup changes, the album is "perhaps their most eclectic album to date." Billboard found that while nothing on the album is not as immediately memorable as "Lump" or "Peaches," several tracks "come across as less novelty-like as a result of songcraft." The album received a Metacritic rating of 59.Uncut magazine felt the record was "the desperate death-throe of a rank '90s relic."