Let's Face It

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For other uses, see Let's Face It (disambiguation).
Let's Face It
Studio album by
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
ReleasedMarch 11, 1997 (1997-03-11)
Recorded1996
StudioBearsville (Bearsville, N.Y.); Fort Apache (Cambridge, Mass.)
Genre
Length33:21
LabelMercury, Big Rig
ProducerPaul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones chronology
Question the Answers
(1994) 		Let's Face It
(1997) 		Live from the Middle East
(1998)
Singles from Let's Face It
  1. "The Impression That I Get"
    Released: January 27, 1997
  2. "The Rascal King"
    Released: 1997
  3. "Royal Oil"
    Released: 1997

Let's Face It is the fifth studio album by American ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was released on March 11, 1997, by Mercury Records and Big Rig Records.[3]

The album sold very well due to the success of its single "The Impression That I Get", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Also faring well were the album's other two singles, "Royal Oil" (No. 22) and "The Rascal King" (No. 7). The album itself reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200 (the only Bosstones album to enter the top 50).[4] The album has been certified platinum.[5]

Let's Face It was rereleased on vinyl by Asbestos Records in 2013.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Pitchfork7.6/10[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Sputnikmusic4/5[9]

Let's Face It has received positive reviews. Sputnikmusic's Adam Thomas called the album "a quintessential piece of '90s ska" and concluded that 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."[9] 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."[6] Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club wrote that "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 King' or 'The Impression That I Get' as loud as you can get away with, and ask yourself if the Bosstones aren't back."[10] David Fricke of Rolling Stone was more reserved in his praise, criticizing the album's "flat" production.[11]

In 2004, Let's Face It was ranked No. 36 in a Kerrang! reader poll of the 50 greatest punk albums.[12]

Track listing[edit]

Original release[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Noise Brigade"Dicky Barrett, Dennis Brockenborough, Joe Gittleman2:16
2."The Rascal King"Barrett, Gittleman2:46
3."Royal Oil"Barrett, Nate Albert2:39
4."The Impression That I Get"Barrett, Gittleman3:15
5."Let's Face It"Barrett, Albert2:39
6."That Bug Bit Me"Barrett, Albert2:09
7."Another Drinkin' Song"Barrett, Gittleman3:50
8."Numbered Days"Barrett, Albert3:10
9."Break So Easily"Barrett, Brockenborough2:45
10."Nevermind Me"Barrett, Gittleman3:21
11."Desensitized"Barrett, Tim Burton2:04
12."1-2-8"Barrett, Gittleman2:39

Japanese edition[edit]

Bonus track[citation needed]
No.TitleLength
13."At It Again"2:04

12-inch vinyl edition[edit]

Bonus track[13]
No.TitleLength
13."Wrong Thing Right Then"3:12

The track "Wrong Thing Right Then" was previously available on the soundtrack to Meet the Deedles.[14]

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from liner notes.[15]

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones[edit]

Additional personnel[edit]

  • Paul Q. Kolderie – production, engineering
  • Sean Slade – production, engineering
  • Brian Dwyer – trumpet
  • Dan McLaughlin – trumpet
  • John Rosenberg – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Saunders, Michael (June 13, 1997). "THE SKA'S THE LIMIT FOR MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "These 15 albums from 1997 irrefutably proved that punk was far from dead". Alternative Press. 27 July 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' 'Let's Face It' Turns 20: Why It's Better Than You Remember". Billboard.
  4. ^ a b "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Huey, Steve. "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones". AllMusic. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Let's Face It – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones". AllMusic. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  7. ^ Wisdom, James P. "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Let's Face It". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 7, 2004. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Randall, Mac (2004). "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 541–42. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ a b Thomas, Adam (March 24, 2009). "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Let's Face It". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  10. ^ Thompson, Stephen (March 29, 2002). "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Let's Face It". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  11. ^ Fricke, David (December 26, 1997). "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Let's Face It / The Skatalites: Foundation Ska". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  12. ^ "50 Greatest Punk Albums". Ultimate Guitar. December 6, 2004. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  13. ^ Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The - Let's Face It (Vinyl, LP). Discogs. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  14. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Meet the Deedles – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  15. ^ Let's Face It (liner notes). The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Mercury Records/Big Rig Records. 1997. 534 472-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Let's Face It". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  19. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  20. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  21. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
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