Caroline Records, 1991

Pretty On The Inside reigns its high crown as being Hole's debut album on a semi-small record label. It showed the early Courtney Love's punk roots can unroot anytime they damn well please. This record will have a listening mainstream pop fan dead of a heart attack in seconds. The band's early reputation was seen as a fearsome one, and with the release of Pretty On The Inside proved that to the extremes.

The record was recorded in L.A. at Music Box Studios. Producers of the album were Kim Gordan of Sonic Youth, and Don Fleming of the unknown band the Gumballs. The music engineer was Brian Foxworthy. Apparently, before taking the mike, Courtney Love would gargle whiskey to give the vocals a raw edge. And that it did. Very well. The album was cut in only four days. Hole were not exactly riding much on the album. But mainstream press, once the album was released, gave the album flattering and not so flattering reviews. Some magazines called the record a "lovely noise," while others referred the record to a "unstoppable approaching disease." Obviously, the album wasn't exactly pretty on the inside. The album was fiecely punk, a style people said the band was late in adopting. In Europe though, punk fans embraced the album. The press gave anonymous reviews of kinds, and the track, "Teenage Whore" went into the Top 20.

Pretty On The Inside was released to the public in September 1991. It sold very modestly, yet in the UK it stayed in the album charts for 12 months. At last count, in 1995, the record had sold more than 30,000 copies. Very modest. But what one journalist had to say in 1991 was very true: "It shouldn't be long before everyone jumps on the Hole bandwagon." True, at least 3 years later they would. Journalist of the Melody Maker Everett True, went to a promotional Pretty On The Inside show and went back to type up a raving review of this sloppy, yet strangely interesting band.

All of the songs from Hole's debut are fiercely personal and hideous. The lyrics are pretty confrontational, and are more awesome with Courtney's husky voice, having been gargled with whiskey. Some songs are at least 5 minutes long or more, some short and over quickly. There's no verse-chorus-verse on this album at all, unlike the more shapely and mature Live Through This 3 years later. It seems, while listening to the songs, that Courtney had made them up as she went along....the songs are that fucked. That's why Hole was not known for it's songwriting, they were known back then for their ability to "capture raw emotion."

The cover art of the album fools you immediately. The band looks longingly at you through a fuzzy cover picture, a pinkish background. They seem to be in a field where the bushes have been toliet papered. A "Parently Advisory, Explicit Lyrics" sticker is on the right bottom corner of the cover sleeve. Good warning. Courtney looks really pale, really white in the face with too much pink eyeliner. Nice touch. Jill Emery stands to the right of Courtney with her stringy hair and big winter coat. Eric and Caroline are in the background, in a blur. The inside "booklet" is covered with Courtney's unorganized, hand-written lyrics, with pictures of naked women, hearts with lyrics in them, & dolls. The back cover was painted by bassist Jill Emery, an artist of sorts. A naked woman with a discharged heart with a mirror in her right hand, crying. Quite freaky, but it gives you an idea of what the album is like, to an extent. The blue "Caroline" logo is printed under the setlist.

The record consists of only 10 tracks, only because the song "Pretty On The Inside" and "Clouds" weren't on separate tracks. Here's another "explanation" of the songs that people have told or I have heard about.

Teenage Whore--The first and only single to be released as a single CD, backed with an unreleased studio version track of "Drown Soda." People seem to think that this song is Courtney's personal narrative of herself. The song is a slow, grinding rhythm, that never seems to end.......Courtney croos about her mother kicking her out of the house for sleeping around. Personal narrative? What do you think?

Baby Doll--One of the 5 minute and over songs, this song just goes on and on.....Courtney sings about.........I can't remember......she says so much.

Garbadge Man--This was the only track from Pretty On The Inside to be made into a music video.....with horrible footage as I have noticed. Courtney was sitting in a back of a taxi belting out this song, which is few of the great ones on the album. The ending is long and whining.....but that makes it mysterious. The lyrics state, "/hey were the fuck were you when my lights went out/yeah you don't want to look at me/." A dump on herself.

Sassy--This song, can you call it a song? is short and loud. Courtney begins it with, "We're rolling you guys" over a uptempo bass line and drumming. After some screaming, you hear a tape rewinding and some girl saying, "I can't take the shit in this town." A bunch of wailing, off the wall guitars blast through this track, so remember to have your hand on the volume knob.

Good Sister/Bad Sister--Yet another long, 5 minute and over track, but this one is actually good, it has some verse-chorus-verse.....to an extent of course, but on this song you can actually predict when it'll end. The lyrics say "/your different from the rest sister/blood strangle blood twist her/." Messed up. Lots of blood and gory are in these songs obviously.

Mrs. Jones--This song I like, cause it has the lyric "/cry me a river but just take me home/please Mrs. Jones, please, Mrs. Jones/." Another long song......but if you actually listen to the lyrics instead of wishing the song was over, you'll respect the song more.

Berry--This is one song that is loud, but uptempo. The lyrics, "/when I die won't you bury me/cause I buried you, baby, deep in me/cause when you fall for the garbage man/you wind up in the garbage/."

Loaded--The subject of this song is obvious. Lyrics, "/now im loaded/I just get, just get just get. loaded/" Courtney could relate, she was drunk off her ass when she took the mike in the first place.

Star Belly--A song like the previously mentioned, "Sassy", not really a song at all. I love the opening guitar riff though,......it starts out slowly and then it just crashes. More rewinding tapes are on this track and women's voices. A clip of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" noses itself into the track. My favorite is as the song fades out, when you hear a rare studio clip of a Sugar Babylon song, "Best Sunday Dress." Now it is an official Hole song. Great song, though, too bad it was only a short 6 seconds.

Pretty On The Inside--Now......the title track. Starts out very innocently, but you can sense distortion from a mile away on this song. Don't be fooled. It rants and screams very viciously. The lyrics, from a drunken Courtney, "/slut kiss girls won't you promise her smack/is she pretty on the inside/is she pretty from the back/." The lyrics are repeated in the manner. Until the song stops uruptly and fades into the next "track."

Clouds--This song is a Joni Mitchell cover, a song that Courtney was forced to sing on long car trips. This song is actually relaxing, with the same, non changing 3 chords over and over in a nice rhythm. The lyrics are fluffy, "/moons and jones and ferris wheels/the dizzy dancing, the way you feel/when every fairy tale comes real/look to clouds/my way/." Great song to end this album, I just wish that it had it's own track.

The album is 38 minutes and 31 seconds long, though to many, it feels longer!

Email: frankie_82@yahoo.com