Motel California
Motel California is the third album by American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in October 1996. Its title is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Eagles' Hotel California, and the song "Rage Against the Answering Machine" plays the same game with the name of Los Angeles band Rage Against the Machine. Musically it sits in the band's mix of alternative rock, hard rock and funk metal.
It arrived after America's Least Wanted (1992) and Menace to Sobriety (1995), and it proved to be the group's last full-length studio record for almost two decades. Reviews were indifferent and sales disappointing, and the band split in January 1997, reforming in January 2010. Videos for "Bicycle Wheels" and "Sandwich" stayed unseen for nearly ten years before turning up online in 2006. It is worth hearing as the closing chapter of the band's first run.
Motel California: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 39:09Tracklist
- 1It's a LieCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin2:59
- 2DialogueCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin2:25
- 3SandwichCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin2:45
- 4Rage Against the Answering MachineCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin1:38
- 5Would You Like to Be ThereCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin3:16
- 6Little Red ManCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin4:01
- 7Bicycle WheelsCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin2:00
- 8FatherCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin3:30
- 9UndertowCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin4:29
- 10ShineCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin2:50
- 11StrangeCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin4:20
- 1212 CentsCrane, Crockett, Eichstadt, Fortman, Larkin4:55
- Produced by
- Ugly Kid Joe
- Mixed by
- Phil Nicolo
- Engineered by
- Jon E. Love, Jim Mitchell
- Mastered by
- Manny Lecuona
- Recorded
- 1996
- Labels
- Castle Music, Evilution
- Length
- 39:09
Line-up
- Jennifer Barry · background vocals · guest
- Lemmy Kilmister · background vocals · guest
- Angus Cooke · cello · guest
- Tim Wheater · flute · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1996 | 128 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1996 | 129 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 22 October
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The best of 1996
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1996-10-22 vs 1996-12-18 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 18 December 1996 | ignored lone early release dated 1996-10-22 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 22 October 1996 | |
| Wikidata | 1996 | |
| US release | 22 October 1996 | earliest US date |
4 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | US | Castle Music | 600234012727 | other |
| 1996 | FR | FNAC | 5026389411324 | other |
| 22 October 1996 | US | Evilution Records | 5026389411324 | original |
| 18 December 1996 | JP | Victor | 4988002344758 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2811x2800 to 2800x2800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2811×2800 | cropped: cropped from 2811x2800 to 2800x2800 |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |