Album · 35 years old this year
Slave to the Grind
Slave to the Grind is the second studio album from American band Skid Row, released in May 1991 on Atlantic. It followed their self-titled debut of 1989 and pushed the sound in a noticeably heavier direction, trading some of the earlier polish for a harder, more aggressive attack.
The record made history on the US charts, becoming the first heavy metal album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in the Nielsen SoundScan era, with 134,000 copies sold in its first week. It later went 2× platinum in the States. Five singles came from it: "Monkey Business", "Slave to the Grind", "Wasted Time", "In a Darkened Room" and "Quicksand Jesus". The band took it on the road in 1991 supporting Guns N' Roses, then headlined in 1992. It's the one to reach for if you want Skid Row at their toughest.
Slave to the Grind on Riffology
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Slave to the Grind: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 49:18Tracklist
- 1Monkey BusinessRachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo4:18
- 2Slave to the GrindBach, Bolan, Sabo3:30
- 3The ThreatRachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo3:50
- 4Quicksand JesusRachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo5:26
- 5Psycho LoveRachel Bolan3:57
- 6Beggar's DayRachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo4:03
- 7Livin' on a Chain GangRachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo3:58
- 8CreepshowAffuso, Bolan, Hill3:58
- 9In a Darkened RoomBach, Bolan, Sabo3:55
- 10Riot ActRachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo2:40
- 11MudkickerBach, Bolan, Hill3:53
- 12Wasted TimeBach, Bolan, Sabo5:48
- Produced by
- Michael Wagener
- Recorded at
- New River Studios, Scream Studios, New River Studios (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), Scream Studios (Studio City, Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- –
- Mixed by
- Michael Wagener
- Mixed at
- Scream Studios
- Label
- Atlantic
- Length
- 49:18
Line-up
- Rob Affuso · drums (drum set)
- Rachel Bolan · bass guitar, background vocals
- Scotti Hill · guitar, background vocals
- Dave “The Snake” Sabo · guitar, background vocals
- Sebastian Bach · lead vocals
Singles
- “Monkey Business”
- “Slave to the Grind”
- “Wasted Time”
- “In a Darkened Room”
- “Quicksand Jesus” · (Japan only)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1991 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1991 | 5 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991 | 3 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1991 | 3 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1991 | 3 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1991 | 5 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1991 | 8 |
| Swedish Albums · 1991 | 9 |
| German Albums · 1991 | 12 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1991 | 12 |
All 16 charts
| Swiss Albums · 1991 | 15 |
| Austrian Albums · 1991 | 16 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2023 | 22 |
| US Tastemaker · 2020 | 23 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1991 | 32 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) · 1991 | 92 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1992 | Gold |
| Canada | Platinum |
| Japan · 1992 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1991 | Silver |
| United States | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
58.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.0k
ListenBrainz listeners
75k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
988
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 21 May
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More on Atlantic
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Acoustically
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1991-05-21 vs 1991-06-11 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 11 June 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 21 May 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 1991 | |
| Wikipedia (other date) | 7 June 1991 | |
| Wikipedia (other date) | 18 June 1991 | |
| US release | 11 June 1991 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1991 | earliest UK or European date |
20 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | KR | — | 075678224225 | other |
| 1991 | US | Atlantic | other | |
| 1991 | XE | Atlantic | 075678224225 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Columbia House | 075678227820 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Atlantic | 075678224218 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Atlantic | 075678224225 | other |
| 1991 | US | Atlantic | other | |
| 1991 | US | Atlantic | 081227989019 | other |
| 11 June 1991 | US | Atlantic | original | |
| 11 June 1991 | US | Atlantic | 075678227820 | original |
| 11 June 1991 | US | Atlantic | 075678224225 | original |
| 11 June 1991 | US | Atlantic | 075678224225 | original |
| 11 June 1991 | DE | Atlantic | 075678224225 | original |
| 18 June 1991 | JP | Atlantic | 4988029025746 | other |
| 18 June 1991 | JP | Atlantic | 4988029025722 | other |
| 28 October 2008 | US | Rhino | 603497968008 | other |
| 28 October 2008 | US | Rhino | 0603497967995 | other |
| 23 September 2009 | JP | Atlantic | 4943674093014 | other |
| 21 September 2011 | JP | Atlantic | 4943674111282 | other |
| 24 October 2020 | — | Atlantic | 081227908584 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2814x2808 to 2808x2808
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2814×2808 | cropped: cropped from 2814x2808 to 2808x2808 |
| itunes | 1425×1425 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |