Free-for-All was singer-songwriter Michael Penn’s second full-length record, released in 1992 on RCA. There were no big hit singles of the strength of his only top 40 hit, 1989’s “No Myth”, but the album did feature two songs that reached the Top 20 on the Modern Rock Charts: “Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In)” peaked at number 14, while the second single, “Seen the Doctor”, reached nine spots higher, for a number 5 placing. The album led to a bitter battle between Penn and his record company, leading him to forgo releasing a follow-up until 1997. (wikipedia)
Free-for-All (1992) is the album that proved to skeptics that Michael Penn was neither a one-hit wonder nor an artistic lightweight trading on his famous surname. It’s a darker, less immediately engaging album than March, but it’s also a far more consistent album than that wildly uneven debut. From the ominous opener, “Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In),” through to the seething closer, “Now We’re Even,” this is a murky but memorable set of tunes about deception, anger, broken promises, and recriminations. Hardly Frank Stallone territory. Penn and creative partner Patrick Warren (who, just as he did on March, contributes an atmospheric instrumental at the album’s halfway point) fill the album with odd, unsettling sounds and trippy textures, but never at the expense of the songs.
The creepy atmosphere and prominent production tricks on songs like the raging “Seen the Doctor” (the album’s best song and an unfortunate flop as a single) actually enhance the dismissive, bitter lyrics and the nagging guitar hook. Well-reviewed but poor-selling, Free-for-All marked the start of Michael Penn’s unfortunate, long battle for a modicum of respect from his record company. It would be five years before he released another album. (by Stewart Mason)
Free-for-All (1992) is the album that proved to skeptics that Michael Penn was neither a one-hit wonder nor an artistic lightweight trading on his famous surname. It’s a darker, less immediately engaging album than March, but it’s also a far more consistent album than that wildly uneven debut. From the ominous opener, “Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In),” through to the seething closer, “Now We’re Even,” this is a murky but memorable set of tunes about deception, anger, broken promises, and recriminations. Hardly Frank Stallone territory.
Penn and creative partner Patrick Warren (who, just as he did on March, contributes an atmospheric instrumental at the album’s halfway point) fill the album with odd, unsettling sounds and trippy textures, but never at the expense of the songs. The creepy atmosphere and prominent production tricks on songs like the raging “Seen the Doctor” (the album’s best song and an unfortunate flop as a single) actually enhance the dismissive, bitter lyrics and the nagging guitar hook. Well-reviewed but poor-selling, Free-for-All marked the start of Michael Penn’s unfortunate, long battle for a modicum of respect from his record company. It would be five years before he released another album. (by Stewart Mason)
Personnel:
Kenny Aronoff (drums, percussion)
Tony Berg (harmonica, percussion)
D.J. Bonebrake (drums, percussion)
Bennett Chesne (guitar, background vocals)
Joel Hirsch (djembe, udu)
Jim Keltner (drums, percussion)
Ron Leonard (cello)
Pat Mastelotto (drums, percussion)
Ian McHandel Lepine (drums, percussion)
Wendy Melvoin (trombone)
Gurf Morlix (pedal steel guitar, steel guitar, background vocals)
Michael Penn (vocals, guitar)
John Pierce (bass)
Patrick Warren (keyboards)
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background vocals:
Chris Hickey – Steven Soles – Glenn Tilbrook – Keith Wilkinson
Tracklist:
01. Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In) 3.53
02. Free Time 4.13
03. Coal 3.33
04. Seen The Doctor 3.14
05. By The Book 5.03
06. Drained 4.00
07. Slipping My Mind 2.36
08. Strange Season 3.51
09. Bunker Hill 4.39
10. Now We’re Even 6.05
All songs composed by Michael Penn
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