Mr. Big is the debut album by the American rock band Mr. Big.[2] Produced by Kevin Elson, the album proved a partial commercial success, reaching the 46th slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Lead-off single "Addicted to that Rush", featuring the band's aggressive guitar and bass playing, also brought the group some mainstream attention, reaching the No. 39 slot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.[3] 300,000 copies were sold, according to a Musician magazine interview with Mr. Big in 1990.[citation needed]
| Mr. Big | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 20, 1989 July 10, 1989 (Japan) | |||
| Studio | Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:54 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Kevin Elson | |||
| Mr. Big chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Mr. Big | ||||
| ||||
Several of the songs from the album became live staples of the band, and have since been included in various live albums. The group followed up the album with Lean Into It in 1991.
The song "30 Days in the Hole" was originally recorded by British rock band Humble Pie on the 1972 album Smokin'. Bassist Billy Sheehan revealed on an interview on Nikki Sixx's radio show "Sixx Sense" that "Wind Me Up" is based on "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison played backwards.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Chicago Tribune | [5] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10[6] |
| Rock Hard | 8.0/10[7] |
The Chicago Tribune opined that "the lyrics are strictly by-the-numbers, but the playing is hard, flashy and tuneful, combining Bad Company's bluesiness with Def Leppard's melodic metal."[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Addicted to That Rush" | 4:46 | |
| 2. | "Wind Me Up" |
| 4:11 |
| 3. | "Merciless" |
| 3:57 |
| 4. | "Had Enough" | Sheehan | 4:57 |
| 5. | "Blame It on My Youth" |
| 4:14 |
| 6. | "Take a Walk" |
| 3:57 |
| 7. | "Big Love" | Martin | 4:49 |
| 8. | "How Can You Do What You Do" |
| 3:58 |
| 9. | "Anything for You" |
| 4:37 |
| 10. | "Rock & Roll Over" | Martin | 3:50 |
| 11. | "30 Days in the Hole" (Humble Pie cover) | Steve Marriott | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 46:54 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Merciless" (Demo) |
| 3:57 |
| 13. | "How Can You Do What You Do" (Demo) |
| 4:02 |
Personnel
editMr. Big
- Eric Martin – lead vocals
- Paul Gilbert – guitar
- Billy Sheehan – bass guitar
- Pat Torpey – drums
Production
- Kevin Elson - producer, engineer, mixing
- Tom Size, Wally Buck - additional engineers
- Bob Ludwig - mastering at Masterdisk, New York
Charts
edit| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] | 122 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9] | 73 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[10] | 22 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 34 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 60 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 46 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[14] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 573. ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ Selvin, Joel (Feb 5, 1989). "Mr. Big, the new band featuring vocalist...". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 53.
- ^ "Mr. Big - Mr. Big Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
- ^ Gioffre, Daniel. "Mr. Big - Mr. Big review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg (Aug 24, 1989). "Mr. Big". Chicago Tribune. p. 13D.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 236. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz (1989). "Review Album : Mr. Big - Lean Into It". Rock Hard (in German). No. 33. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ "Mr Big ARIA Chart History (albums) complete to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6442". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mr. Big – Mr. Big". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ "Mr. Big Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – Mr. Big – Mr. Big" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1993年10月 on the drop-down menu
