Dog Eat Dog was the third studio album by American rock band Warrant. It was released on August 25, 1992 on the Columbia label of Sony Music. The album peaked at number 25 on The Billboard 200.
The album achieved "gold" status in the United States, but was significantly less successful in a commercial sense than the band's first two albums. It is, nonetheless, regarded by most critics as Warrant's strongest record, and a favorite among many devoted fans. The tone and style of the album could be said to be the last stage of the glam metal style during the 1980s. It is also the last album to feature all five original members.
Musical style
While not a fundamental departure from the band's brand of melodic hard rock, Dog Eat Dog exhibited a heavier and darker sound than that found on the first two Warrant records, creating a style similar to Skid Row's Slave to the Grind. Parts of the record are ambitious and experimental, blending Hard Rock, progressive metal and alternative rock elements. The album was, above all, a showcase for the songwriting talents of vocalist Jani Lane.
Production and marketing
Warrant began recording bass and drums for Dog Eat Dog in Los Angeles, California in February 1992. Overdubs were recorded at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida, in March 1992. The record was mixed in at Scream Studios in Studio City, California in April 1992 with producer Michael Wagener.
Apparently conscious of the widely circulated rumour that Joey Allen and Erik Turner had not played on the first two Warrant records, the band had Wagener include a statement in the liner notes that "no artist, except those listed, performed on this album in any capacity whatsoever". In this context, it is interesting that guitarist Rick Steier, formerly of Kingdom Come, apparently joined the band two and a half years after the recording of the album. Jani Lane wrote in the liner notes: "This album is dedicated to Joey Allen, one of the most under-rated guitarists in rock today."
Shortly after the release of the album, Lane discovered that a large framed poster of Warrant had been removed from the foyer in Columbia Records in Los Angeles and had been replaced by a poster of Seattle band Alice in Chains. It was at this moment, according to Lane, that he realised that "the proverbial writing [was] on the wall" for the band. In the absence of support from the band's label, radio and MTV, and without a major tour to support the record, sales of the album were sluggish.
Songs
The album's themes include sex ("Machine Gun", "Bonfire"), voyeurism ("Hole in My Wall"), Orwell style ("April 2031"), homicidal psychopathy ("Andy Warhol Was Right"), drug addiction ("All My Bridges Are Burning"), materialism ("Hollywood (So Far, So Good)"), and lost relationships ("Bitter Pill", "Let It Rain").
The song Machine Gun was the album's first single and featured a music video.
The song "Bitter Pill" which was the second single features an operatic interlude, performed in German by the "Moron Fish & Tackle Choir". The makeshift "Choir" consisted of security guards, engineers, janitors, and others who had been available at or near the recording studio. The song features two different music videos, one with the album version of the song featuring the whole band in the video and one with the acoustic version of the song featuring only Jani Lane in the video.
"The Hole in My Wall" was released as the third single of the album.
"Sad Theresa" had previously been recorded by Jani Lane and Steven Sweet's old band Plain Jane.
Track listing
All tracks by Jani Lane.
- "Machine Gun" - 3:45
- "The Hole in My Wall" - 3:30
- "April 2031" - 5:05
- "Andy Warhol Was Right" - 3:37
- "Bonfire" - 4:21
- "The Bitter Pill" - 4:07
- "Hollywood (So Far, So Good)" - 3:47
- "All My Bridges Are Burning" - 3:37
- "Quicksand" - 3:58
- "Let It Rain" - 4:16
- "Inside Out" - 3:40
- "Sad Theresa" - 3:25
- "Lincolns, Mercurys and Fords" (Japan bonus track)
Demos
- "Been Shot Down"
- "Pop Music"
- "Keeping Up With The Joneses"
- "Medicine Man"
Singles
- "Machine Gun" - #36 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
- "The Bitter Pill"
- "The Hole In My Wall"
- "Inside Out" (Promo)
Personnel
- Jani Lane - vocals, arranger
- Joey Allen - guitar
- Erik Turner - guitar, arrangement
- Jerry Dixon - bass
- Steven Sweet - drums
- Scott Warren - keyboards
Legacy
Hardcore punk band Dog Eat Dog named their debut album Warrant in a joking 'retaliation' for the title of this album.