We Want Fun

''I Get Wet'' is the debut studio album by American musician Andrew W.K. It is noted for its controversial artwork as well as its hit singles " Party Hard" and "She Is Beautiful".

Recording

Production

''I Get Wet'' was recorded while Andrew W.K. was living in New York City. The album was recorded with many layers of overdubbing, in order to make the album "sound as party as we could make it sound," and for the "sound of the songs to be like one instrument" instead of a collection of individual musicians. In July 2001, W.K. and Jimmy Coup traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota to record with John Fields at SubJersey Studio. In August, the three traveled to Sherman Oaks, California to mix the record with Mike Shipley at Record One.

Influences

One inspiration for the album was Andrew W.K.'s enjoyment of intense, major-key music, something he attributed to his musical childhood experiences with the piano.

Another inspiration for ''I Get Wet'' was the charity single " We Are the World" by USA for Africa. Andrew W.K. was impressed with how all the artists on the song were singing all at once, something he described as a "powerful sound, like an orchestra." In turn, Andrew W.K. wanted to create music that sounded like that.

Artwork

''I Get Wet'' is known for its cover art shot by art photographer Roe Ethridge: a photo of a wet-haired Andrew W.K. with a large stream of blood running from his nose, down his chin and onto his throat. This cover art caused a controversy, as it was seen to represent cocaine abuse and violence. To achieve the effect, W.K. initially said that he struck himself in the face with a piece of a cinder block during the photo shoot but later explained that it did not lead to enough blood flow. Consequently, he supplemented his own blood with some of an animal which he got from a butcher's shop.

Release history

The album went to #1 on ''Billboards Top Heatseekers chart. The songs "Party Hard" and "She Is Beautiful" were released as singles. The opening track, "It's Time to Party", was featured in an advertisement for Hotwire.com, a Coors spot and an Expedia ad. "Fun Night" can be heard in the 2003 film '' Old School''. The track, "Don't Stop Living in the Red" was featured in an ad for Target. "I Love NYC" is frequently played at New York Rangers games. "Ready to Die" is used in the '' Hitman'' game series, as well as the trailer for the game ''Rage 2''.

On August 28, 2012, a deluxe reissue of ''I Get Wet'' was released. The reissue contained previously unheard recordings, demos, live tracks, and alternate mixes. A limited number of autographed deluxe editions contained a lock of Andrew's hair, a piece of his white jeans, or an autographed plane ticket from his 2012 world tour.

Critical reception

''I Get Wet'' provoked sharp critical reaction when it was initially released, with '' Pitchfork''s Ian Cohen retrospectively writing that "critics of Andrew W.K. were often branded as the fun police and his fans considered fools or incurable ironists." On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album holds a score of 64 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Stephen Thompson of '' The A.V. Club'' described ''I Get Wet'' as "more fabulously entertaining the louder it's played" and added that "if it wipes out a generation of hard-rock crybabies along the way, fans will owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid." Rob Sheffield of '' Rolling Stone'' also gave the album a positive review, stating that "there's no denying the over-the-top whomp of his music, the loudest and funniest metal you've heard in ages." David Browne, writing in '' Entertainment Weekly'', noted that W.K. "must know how ridiculous this all sounds, but he attacks the material with such fervor that you almost believe he means every word." AllMusic's Heather Phares noted that while the album "has a certain sameness due to the frenetic beat that drives nearly every track, it's the perfect complement to W.K.'s party-centric vision", praising it as "refreshingly simple and cleverly stupid."

Adrien Begrand of '' PopMatters'' gave the album a mixed review, writing "At its best, WK’s music is a refreshing blast of skanky air on the current stale music scene, but at its worst, it’s disappointingly monotonous, unoriginal, and very, very dumb." Evan Chakroff of ''Stylus Magazine'' called it a "worthless piece of rock-product, 35 minutes of glossy, overproduced tripe", but concluded that "once these songs have pounded their way into your head, you can’t help but pay attention" and "if this is a joke, it's a brilliant one." Ryan Schreiber of ''Pitchfork'' panned the album as being "about as empty as rock music gets, right down to the tinny, digitally processed tonebank noise that passes for 'guitars.'"

Legacy

'' Q'' listed ''I Get Wet'' as one of the best 50 albums of 2001. '' NME'' included ''I Get Wet'' in their retrospective list of the best albums of 2001. Rhapsody ranked the album at number two on its "Rock's Best Albums of the Decade" list. Despite initially panning the album, ''Pitchfork'' placed ''I Get Wet'' at number 144 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s. Ian Cohen of ''Pitchfork'' acknowledged his review of the album's 2012 reissue, which received a "Best New Reissue" designation, as the website's "biggest statistical mea culpa ever", writing that "whether you consider these songs to be brilliant, brilliantly dumb, or just dumb, ''I Get Wet'' is necessarily simple".

Andrew W.K. reflected on the album's initial reaction in a 2012 interview, saying:

Track listing

All songs composed and written by Andrew W.K.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Primary musicians
*Andrew W.K. – vocals, composition, synthesizer, bass guitar, production
*Jimmy Coup – guitar, vocals (sweet heat)
*Erik Payne – guitar
* Donald Tardy – drums
*Gregg Roberts – bass guitar
*Frank Werner – guitar

Additional personnel

*Tony Allen – guitar, assistant engineering
*Dan Burns – assistant engineering
*Jeff Burns – engineering
*Chris Chaney – bass guitar
*Cory Churko – digital editing, programming
*Mike David – bass guitar
*Roe Ethridge – photography
* John Fields – production, engineering
*Tom Gordon – sound effects
*Frank Gryner – engineering
*Scott Humphrey – production
*Roger Lian – digital editing, programming
*Tony Miller – programming
* Gary Novak – additional drums
*Mike Shipley – mixing
*F.T. Thomas – guitar
*Robert C. Thompson – engineering
* Dave Collins - mastering
*TSD – production
*Frank Vierti – piano, keyboards, production
*Bobby Warner – engineering
*K. Williams – art direction
*Lloyd "Gitsy" Willis – sound effects
* Phil X – guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control

2001 debut albums
Island Records albums
Andrew W.K. albums