''Starjob'' is an
EP by
The Frogs
''The Frogs'' ( grc-gre, Βάτραχοι, Bátrakhoi, Frogs; la, Ranae, often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in ...
that was recorded in 1994, and finally released in 1997.
Billy Corgan
William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...
produced the record under the alias "Johnny Goat", and
Jimmy Chamberlin
James Joseph Chamberlin (born June 10, 1964) is an American drummer and record producer. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Following the 2000 breakup of the band, Chamberlin joined Pumpkins fro ...
played bongos on the song "Raped".
The songs on ''Starjob'' deal with
celebrity
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
and fame, although the songs "Raped" and "Weird on the Avenue" continue the perverse themes of previous albums. "I Only Play 4 Money" may be the most well known song by the band, which contains the lyrics "I don't give a fuck about the fans" and "if you send me fanmail/I won't write back". "Lord Grunge" is an homage to
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
, and references
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
,
Black Flag and
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
as the forefathers of
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
.
Jimmy Flemion
Jimmy Flemion is a founding member, with his older brother Dennis Flemion, of controversial independent rock band The Frogs. Jimmy is mostly the lead singer and guitarist for the group. He has been known to play solo shows with just an acoustic gu ...
, on a
Facebook post relating to a rough mix of the release in which
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
had received in early 1994, stated in 2023, that he wrote the track “Lord Grunge” after seeing
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Orig ...
at Marquette University on April 18, 1993, but the chorus & bridge section of “Lord Grunge” Jimmy wrote later in 1993, possibly around the time of the band met and saw Nirvana, in October of 1993 during the ''
In Utero
''In Utero'' is the third and final studio album by American rock band Nirvana. It was released on September 21, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini t ...
'' tour.
Flemion stated that the song “Raped” was written April 18, 1991, while “Weird” was written March 05, 1992, “Starboy” was written November 5, 1992, “I Only play 4 Money” was written February 19, 1993, with “Prick” (1st section of “I Only Play 4 Money”) also written on February 19, 1993. “I Only Play 4 Money”’s chorus section was written on October 19, 1985, and that “Stargirl” was written on September 27, 1994.
This release is considerably better-produced than most of the Frogs' previous material, which can sound like
home recording Home recording is the practice of recording sound in a private home instead of a professional recording studio. A studio set up for home recording is called a home studio or project studio. Home recording is widely practiced by voice actors, narrat ...
s.
In November 2023, ''Starjob +'' was released digitally, which contains demo and rough mixes of ''Starjob'' music.
Track listing
# "Lord Grunge" – 2:30
# "Raped" – 1:38
# "Weird on the Avenue" – 2:13
# "Starboy" – 2:42
# "I Only Play 4 Money" – 4:33
# "Stargirl" – 2:20
Personnel
*
Jimmy Flemion
Jimmy Flemion is a founding member, with his older brother Dennis Flemion, of controversial independent rock band The Frogs. Jimmy is mostly the lead singer and guitarist for the group. He has been known to play solo shows with just an acoustic gu ...
- Guitars, bass, lead vocals
*
Dennis Flemion
Dennis Flemion (June 6, 1955 – July 7, 2012) was a founding member, with his younger brother Jimmy, of the controversial independent rock band The Frogs. He was the primary percussionist for the band and was also a temporary member of The Sm ...
- Drums, keyboards, backing vocals
*
Billy Corgan
William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...
- Additional guitar, bass, backing vocals
*
Jimmy Chamberlin
James Joseph Chamberlin (born June 10, 1964) is an American drummer and record producer. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Following the 2000 breakup of the band, Chamberlin joined Pumpkins fro ...
- Additional percussion
See also
*''
1991: The Year Punk Broke''
*
Seattle Sound
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...
References
{{Authority control
1997 EPs
The Frogs (band) albums
The Smashing Pumpkins
Albums produced by Billy Corgan