''Rubbing Doesn't Help'' is the third album by

Magnapop Magnapop is an American rock band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper as vocalist and Ruthie Morris on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux countries of ...

, released in 1996.

Recording

The sessions for ''Rubbing Doesn't Help'' were produced by

Geza X Geza Gedeon (born September 28, 1952), professionally known as Geza X, is an American producer. He was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. He is now a producer. He was born in Indiana and moved to California when he was a ...

at City Lab Studios in Hollywood, California in late 1995. Drummer

David McNair David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

left the group prior to recording, so they hired session musician Josh Freese to fill in on drums. This would be the band's final album for almost a decade; their

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

folded while promoting ''Rubbing Doesn't Help'' and they were contractually barred from recording under that name. The band (along with Freese) also went to Plus Four Recordings Studios, in Sherman Oaks, California with

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the ...

Sandy Solomon and Bernie Zwass in June 1995 to record their cover of

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

' " Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" for the compilation album '' Step Right Up: The Songs of Tom Waits''. The title of the album comes from a Ben-Gay slogan.

Reception

The album received mostly positive reviews, with some mixed responses. Positive critics noted the album's emotionally powerful lyrics in addition to its aggressive instrumentation—particularly the guitar. Ambivalent reviewers criticized the lack of variety between this album and Magnapop's previous efforts, as well as a lack of focus in the production.

Track listing

All songs written by

Linda Hopper Linda Elizabeth Hopper is the vocalist for the Atlanta, Georgia-based rock group Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop vocal style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles " Slowly, Slowly" and " Open the Door" ...

and

Ruthie Morris Ruth Mary "Ruthie" Morris (born March 5, 1964) is the guitarist for the rock band Magnapop. Her pop punk/power pop guitar style helped to define the band's sound and she has co-written their minor hit singles " Slowly, Slowly" and " Open the Doo ...

, except where noted. #" This Family" – 3:28 #"I Don't Care" – 2:40 #" Open the Door" – 3:37 #"Come on Inside" – 2:43 #"Down on Me" – 3:24 #"An Apology" – 3:04 #"My Best Friend" – 3:26 #"Juicy Fruit" – 2:18 #"Firebrand" – 2:29 #"Cherry Bomb" – 2:15 #"Radio Waves" – 2:32 #"Snake" (Hopper, Morris, and Shannon Mulvaney) – 5:00 #"Dead Letter" – 3:32 :Also includes the hidden track "Suck It Up" ;Japanese edition bonus tracks: #

"Hold You Down" (New Mix) – 2:43 #"Voice Without a Sound" – 2:41 The Dutch edition of the album has a slightly different track listing, with "Hold You Down" (3:29) as the fourth track and omitting "Cherry Bomb".

''Tracks from Rubbing Doesn't Help''

A promotional EP entitled ''Tracks from Rubbing Doesn't Help'' was released by Play It Again Sam in the United States in 1996 (catalogue number PROMOBIAS 033 CD) with the following track listing: #"This Family" – 3:28 #"An Apology" – 3:04 #"Open the Door" – 3:37 #"My Best Friend" – 3:26 #"Juicy Fruit" – 2:18 #"Snake" – 5:00

Personnel

;Magnapop *

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, art direction, photography *

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

, lead vocals on "Hold You Down" and "Suck It Up", dobro on "Dead Letter", art direction, photography *Shannon Mulvaney –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

;Additional personnel *

Jerry Finn Jermone Gregory Finn (March 31, 1969 – August 21, 2008), sometimes credited as "Huckle" Jerry Finn, was an American record producer and mix engineer. He worked with numerous punk rock and pop-punk artists such as Blink-182, AFI, Sum 41, ...

– mixing on "Come on Inside" *Sherry Rae Etheredge – photography * Josh Freese – drums *

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

*Maggie Magarian – design *Nancy Ogami –

lettering Lettering is an umbrella term that covers the art of drawing letters, instead of simply writing them. Lettering is considered an art form, where each letter in a phrase or quote acts as an illustration. Each letter is created with attention to de ...

*Eddie Shryer of Future Disc – mastering *Art Shoji – design *Steve Snow –

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

on "Come On Inside" *

Thom Wilson Thom Wilson (died February 8, 2015) was an American punk rock record producer and engineer. Career Wilson began his musical career in the mid-1970s, engineering recordings by soft rock artists Burton Cummings and Seals & Crofts. He began working ...

– mixing

Release history

The album was initially released on

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row ...

in the United States and Play It Again Sam in Europe, with the Japanese edition published by

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

. †Special edition with bonus tracks

Sales chart performance

References

External links

Official site
* * :* (Dutch edition)
''Rubbing Doesn't Help''
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

''Tracks from Rubbing Doesn't Help''
at

{{Authority control 1996 albums Albums produced by Geza X King Records (Japan) albums Magnapop albums PIAS Recordings albums Priority Records albums