Pocket Full of Kryptonite

Pocket Full of Kryptonite is the debut studio album by the American rock band Spin Doctors, released in August 1991. The album initially sold a respectable 60,000 copies in late 1991 to its growing hardcore fanbase, before several radio stations (including WEQX in Vermont) started playing the single "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" in mid-1992,[6] which led to the album's peak at Nos. 1 and 3 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers and Billboard 200 albums charts, respectively. It is currently the band's best selling album, and was certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA.[7]

Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Studio album by
Spin Doctors
ReleasedAugust 20, 1991
RecordedJuly–December 1990
Studio
  • The Power Station (New York City, New York)
  • RPM Studios (New York, New York)
  • ACME Recording Studios (Mamaroneck, New York)
Genre
Length50:30
LabelEpic
Producer
Spin Doctors chronology
Up for Grabs...Live
(1991)		 Pocket Full of Kryptonite
(1991)		 Homebelly Groove...Live
(1992)
Singles from Pocket Full of Kryptonite
  1. "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"
    Released: October 5, 1992
  2. "Two Princes"
    Released: January 31, 1993
  3. "Jimmy Olsen's Blues"
    Released: 1993
  4. "What Time Is It?"
    Released: 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide[3]
Q[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

It was remastered and reissued in 2011 as a 20th-anniversary edition, with a bonus track added to the original album and a second disc of demos previously released only on cassette, plus two live tracks.

The album's title is a quote from the opening track, "Jimmy Olsen's Blues", a humorous song sung from the point of view of Jimmy Olsen, a character in the Superman comic book series. In the song, Jimmy Olsen tries to woo Lois Lane away from Superman, stating "I've got a pocket full of Kryptonite", Kryptonite being a fictional substance that weakens Superman. The cover, showing a phone booth, refers to Clark Kent frequently ducking into a nearby phone booth to change into his Superman attire.

Track listing

Original album

All tracks are written by Spin Doctors except as noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jimmy Olsen's Blues" 4:38
2."What Time Is It?" 4:50
3."Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" 3:54
4."Forty or Fifty" 4:23
5."Refrigerator Car" 4:46
6."More Than She Knows"Eric Schenkman, Simon Lambert, Graham Clark, J.P. Fitting2:12
7."Two Princes" 4:18
8."Off My Line"John David Bell, Spin Doctors3:58
9."How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" 4:59
10."Shinbone Alley/Hard to Exist"Spin Doctors, John Popper12:42
Total length:50:30
Bonus tracks for European edition (Epic 468250 9)[8]
No.TitleLength
11."Yo Mamas a Pajama" (live, 1990-09-27 @ Wetlands Preserve, NY)4:03
12."Sweet Widow" (live, 1990-09-27 @ Wetlands Preserve, NY)11:38
13."Stepped on a Crack" (live, 1990-09-27 @ Wetlands Preserve, NY)4:02
2011 Anniversary edition disc 1 bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Hard to Exist" (B-side of "How Could You Want Him" single)Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Comess4:29

Notes

  • The track listing for the cassette release can be found inside the tape's inlay. Unlike the CD release of Pocket Full of Kryptonite, the cassettes did not feature a track listing on the back cover—only the black & white photography (as seen on the vinyl and CD releases) is depicted. The digital cassette release of Pocket Full of Kryptonite, however, featured a black & white photograph of the band instead (sans the track listing).
  • The live tracks on the European release also appear on the live album Homebelly Groove...Live (1992), and were recorded September 27, 1990, at Wetlands Preserve in New York.

2011 anniversary edition disc 2

All tracks are written by Spin Doctors except as noted.

1989 "Can't Say No" Demo, recorded Aug 1989 Greene Street Studios, New York City
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jimmy Olsen's Blues" 5:13
2."Can't Say No"Schenkman2:20
3."Hard to Exist"Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Comess4:30
4."At This Hour" 5:37
5."40 or 50" 4:39
6."Big Fat Funky Booty" 4:00
1990 "Piece of Glass" Demo, recorded March 1990 RPM Studios, New York City
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."What Time Is It?" 4:08
8."How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" 5:44
9."Hungry Hamed's" 4:39
10."House" 4:19
11."Two Princes" 4:41
12."Refrigerator Car" 4:05
13."Rosetta Stone" 6:10
14."Freeway of the Plains"Gregg Buscaglia, Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Fogel5:48
Live tracks
No.TitleLength
15."Turn it Upside Down" (Live July 19, 1993, Kingswood Music Theater, Toronto, Canada)4:41
16."Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" (Live September 25, 1990, Continental Divide, New York City)4:05
Total length:75:15

Personnel

Spin Doctors

  • Chris Barron – lead vocals
  • Eric Schenkman – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Off My Line", piano on "Forty or Fifty"
  • Mark White – bass
  • Aaron Comess – drums, organ, backing vocals on "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", congas on "Forty or Fifty"

Additional musicians

  • John Popper – harmonica on "More Than She Knows" and "Off My Line", backing vocals on "Two Princes"
  • John Bush – tambourine on "Off My Line", congas on "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me)?"

Production

  • Producers: Frank Aversa, Peter Denenberg, Frankie La Rocka, Spin Doctors
  • Engineers: Frank Aversa, Peter Denenberg, Marc Schwartz, Spin Doctors
  • Assistant engineers: Jeff Lippay, Motley
  • Mixing: Peter Denenberg, Frankie La Rocka, Spin Doctors
  • Mastering: Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
  • Production coordination: Jason J. Richardson
  • Guitar technician: Joseph Miselis
  • Equipment manager: John Darren Greene
  • Art direction: Francesca Restrepo
  • Photography: Paul Aresu, Paul LaRaia
  • Cover art: Darren Greene, Chris Gross, Nicky Lindeman
  • Liner notes: Cree McCree

Charts

Singles
Title Year Peak position
US
[28]		 US AC
[29]		 US MR
[30]		 IRE
[31]		 NOR
[32]		 UK
[33]
"Jimmy Olsen's Blues" 1992 ——8———
"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" 17—227—23
"How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" 1993 —[upper-alpha 1]—28———
"Jimmy Olsen's Blues" 78—34—240
"Two Princes" 72415—3
"What Time Is It?" ——26——56

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Europe (IFPI)[35] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Notes
  1. "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number two on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[34]

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Pocket Full of Kryptonite – Spin Doctors". AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  2. May, Mitchell (October 31, 1991). "Spin Doctors: Pocket Full of Kryptonite (Epic)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  3. Christgau, Robert (2000). "The Spin Doctors: Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  4. "Spin Doctors: Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Q (79): 88. April 1993.
  5. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Spin Doctors". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 768. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/spin-doctors-miracle-cure-179471/
  7. "RIAA searchable certification database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  8. "Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Discogs. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  9. "Australiancharts.com – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  11. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1761". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  14. "Charts.nz – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  15. "Norwegiancharts.com – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  17. "Swisscharts.com – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  18. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  19. "Spin Doctors Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  20. "Spin Doctors Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  21. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1993". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  22. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1993". austriancharts.at. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  23. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  24. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  25. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993". hitparade.ch. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  26. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  27. Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  28. "Spin Doctors Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  29. "Spin Doctors Chart History: Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  30. "Spin Doctors Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  31. "The Irish Charts: Search for "Spin Doctors"". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  32. "Norwegian singles chart archive". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  33. "Spin Doctors | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  34. "Spin Doctors Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  35. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-10-30.pdf
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