Album
W.A.S.P.
W.A.S.P. is the self-titled debut from the American heavy metal band, released on 17 August 1984 through Capitol Records. It was recorded in just two and a half weeks at the Record Plant, and it sits at the very start of a catalogue that would run through The Last Command, The Headless Children and The Crimson Idol. Its sound blends traditional heavy metal, glam metal and hard rock.
The record has gone by a few names over the years. Early European vinyl pressings carried Winged Assassins on the spine, while some cassettes put the opening track, "I Wanna Be Somebody", in bold across the cover. Officially, though, it is simply W.A.S.P. In 2018 Consequence included it in a list of hair metal albums that are well worth hearing, a fair nudge for anyone who wants to hear where the band began.
W.A.S.P.: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 38:23Tracklist
- 1I Wanna Be SomebodyBlackie Lawless and Steven Duren3:44
- 2L.O.V.E. MachineBlackie Lawless3:52
- 3The FlameHolmes, Lawless, Marquez3:42
- 4B.A.D.Blackie Lawless3:57
- 5School DazeBlackie Lawless3:35
- 6HellionBlackie Lawless3:36
- 7Sleeping (In the Fire)Blackie Lawless3:58
- 8On Your KneesBlackie Lawless3:48
- 9TormentorChris Holmes and Blackie Lawless4:16
- 10The Torture Never StopsBlackie Lawless3:55
- Produced by
- Blackie Lawless, Mike Varney
- Recorded at
- Record Plant (Los Angeles)
- Mixed by
- Duane Baron
- Engineered by
- Duane Baron, Steve Fontano
- Labels
- Capitol Records, Capitol
- Length
- 38:23
Line-up
- Chris Holmes · guitar
- Blackie Lawless · bass guitar, lead vocals
- Randy Piper · guitar
- Tony Richards · drums (drum set)
Singles
- “I Wanna Be Somebody” · August 1984
- “School Daze” · November 1984
- “L.O.V.E. Machine” · 1984 (Japan)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1984 | 51 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1984 | 74 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1984 | 6 |
| Swedish Albums · 1984 | 15 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1984 | 56 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1985 | Gold |
| Finland · 1986 | Gold |
| Japan · 1985 | Gold |
| United States · 1998 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
63.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.8k
ListenBrainz listeners
55k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
7.2k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 17 August
Every year →
More from W.A.S.P.
Full discography →
The Last Command
1985
Inside the Electric Circus
1986
Animal (F**k Like A Beast) / Live... Animal
1987
Live... In the Raw
1987
The Headless Children
1989
The Crimson Idol
1992
First Blood... Last Cuts
1993
Still Not Black Enough
1995
Kill Fuck Die
1997
Double Live Assassins
1998
Helldorado
1999
The Sting: Live at the Key Club, L.A.
2000
Unholy Terror
2001
Dying for the World
2002
The Neon God, Part 1: The Rise
2004
The Neon God, Part 2: The Demise
2004
Dominator
2007
Babylon
2009
Golgotha
2015
Reidolized: The Soundtrack to The Crimson Idol
2018
The best of 1984
All of 1984 →
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Metallica · 1984
Powerslave
Iron Maiden · 1984
The Unforgettable Fire
U2 · 1984
1984
Van Halen · 1984
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1984
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi · 1984
The Top
The Cure · 1984
Tonight
David Bowie · 1984
The Works
Queen · 1984
Iron Maiden Christmas EP 1984
Christmas EP
Iron Maiden · 1984
Perfect Strangers
Deep Purple · 1984
Defenders of the Faith
Judas Priest · 1984
More on Capitol Records
The label →
Kid A
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Rubber Soul
The Beatles · 1965
Help!
The Beatles · 1965
The Colour and the Shape
Foo Fighters · 1997
Hail to the Thief
Radiohead · 2003
Yesterday and Today
The Beatles · 1966
Rust in Peace
Megadeth · 1990
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden · 1980
Countdown to Extinction
Megadeth · 1992
Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?
Megadeth · 1986
Youthanasia
Megadeth · 1994
![[Rammstein] by Rammstein, album cover](/img/e4d39d2e-9420-4007-881a-9b5bc23944e0/300)
[Rammstein]
Rammstein · 2019
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 17 August 1984 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 17 August 1984 | |
| Wikidata | 17 August 1984 | |
| US release | 17 August 1984 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1984 | earliest UK or European date |
19 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | GB | Capitol Records | 077774666121 | other |
| — | GB | Capitol Records | 5099924019514 | other |
| 1984 | US | Capitol Records | 077771234316 | other |
| 1984 | XE | Capitol Records | 5099924019514 | other |
| 1984 | XE | Capitol Records | other | |
| 17 August 1984 | US | Capitol Records | 077774666121 | original |
| 5 September 1984 | JP | Capitol Records | other | |
| 1989 | GB | Fame | 0077774666121 | other |
| 24 February 1993 | JP | Capitol Records | 4988006680555 | other |
| 29 September 1997 | GB | Original Masters | 636551550123 | other |
| 1998 | US | Original Masters | other | |
| 1 January 1998 | JP | Victor | 4988002360833 | other |
| 2002 | GB | Snapper Music | 636551439121 | other |
| 21 January 2003 | GB | Snapper Classics | 636551611824 | other |
| 12 December 2008 | GB | Snapper Classics | 636551611824 | other |
| 2010 | GB | Madfish | 636551596626 | other |
| 28 July 2017 | US | Madfish | 636551806619 | other |
| 6 April 2018 | GB | Madfish | 636551711722 | other |
| — | — | Snapper Music | 829410138062 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×588 | upscaled |