Formed in 1992 during grunge’s height between Soundgarden’s “Nevermind” and Pearl Jam’s “In Utero,” Chicago, Illinois’ darlings known as Veruca Salt, named after an annoying and cringey character from “Charles in Charge,” took MTV and people with good taste by storm the year that punk rock broke into the mainstream with “American Thighs,” one of the better 90s debut rock records. Much like every band of all time, Veruca Salt had their fair share of drama with co-lead vocalist Nina Gordon leaving after their sophomore LP, “Eight Arms To Hold You,” and returning with VS mainstay Louise Post for their latest and fifth full-length studio effort, “Ghost Notes”. We ranked all five of their LPs below, and no, EPs like “Blow It Out Your Ass It’s Veruca Salt” are disqualified from entry; disinherit your surroundings, as volcano girls, THEY really can’t be beat. Celebrate them with some letters to Cleo:
5. Resolver (2000)
Growing pains isn’t just a show featuring demigod Kirk Cameron, and “Resolver,” Veruca Salt’s third LP altogether and first of two without Nina Gordon, who was riding a super pop solo wave of her own around that time with “Tonight and the Rest of My Life,” is good, but not great, and as you know, good is the enemy of great. Still, Veruca Salt doesn’t have a bad record, and this full-length, or at least 66.66% percent of it, deserves your time; the band is chock full of born entertainers and you’d be hard-pressed to argue with that assertion. Produced by Brian Liesegang, founding member of fellow ’90s peers Filter, “Resolver” sounds really good, and the catchiness of the songs are counterbalanced with a tried and true rocker grit. In closing, Inferior publications were divided regarding this record but that’s how they typically are so we can’t fault them.
Play it again: “Born Entertainer”
Skip it: ⅓ of it
4. IV (2006)
“IV,” Veruca Salt’s, uh, fourth full-length studio album is not only, in a display of extreme wit and cultivated vigor on our end, ranked in the fourth position right here and right now, but it is the band’s sole release via the curiously named label Sympathy for the Record Industry, former home to Rocket from the Crypt, Turbonegro, Holly Golightly, and Polly Goheavily. However, for some sad and alarming reason, “IV” is not on DSPs like Spotify or Apple Music, and that’s a low down dirty shame making us not feel very blissful… Fix that and get your ish together, SFTRI! Anyway, six years after this LP came out, the band took a short break, but reformed with Nina Gordon, and announced their reconciliation to the world exactly one year and one month after they publicly took a hiatus. Coincidence? Not sure. Cool circular trend? Very, very much so.
Play it again: “Blissful Queen”
Skip it: ¼ of it
3. Ghost Notes (2015)
Despite what many might think, but likely not you, you smart warrior of a rock hepcat, Veruca Salt has a song other than “Seether,” and released a full-length, their FIFTH altogether known as “Ghost Notes” in the year of our lord known as 2015, a full twenty-one years after their debut LP “American Thighs” hit stores. Overall, “Ghost Notes” is an underrated highlight, and truly closed the museum of their own broken yet mended relationships with a smile and a ghoul. We here truly clamor for more, we’re telling you know, we implore the band to create another with both lead vocalists. El Camino Records released this gem of an album to minor fanfare, and producer Brad Wood, who also worked behind the boards for VS’s debut record and ones by Liz Phair, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Big Bird, majorly shone in the greatest way.
Play it again: “The Gospel According to Saint Me”
Skip it: “I’m Telling You Now”
2. Eight Arms to Hold You (1997)
Veruca Salt’s sophomore LP, is the band’s best-produced album for sure via King Bob Rock of Metallica, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Canadian fame, and contains, in our opinion that literally/figuratively doubles as a fact, their most superior song and single, “Volcano Girls.” Still, it has a few songs worthy of skipping we can’t give it the Subway-sponsored and endorsed Michael Phelps gold medal slot here, but silver ain’t too shabby either. One more hot take for good measure and good clean fun: If “Eight Arms to Hold You” was a four song EP consisting of tracks 1-4 back to back to back to back, it would be one of the better ’90s EPs for sure, along with Salt-N-Pepa’s screamo classic “Jar of Flies”.
Play it again: “Volcano Girls”
Skip it: “Loneliness Is Worse”
1. American Thighs (1994)
Veruca Salt’s first full-length studio album, and likely the reason you’re here and actually read this piece for as long as you have, is truly a “no skip” effort from the band, and provided the globe with a solid vocal harmony driven rock band with a fantastic and delectable combination of saccharine and sour. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the band initially released this LP in late-1994 via indie Minty Fresh Records, and re-released it on their then-new label Geffen Records, who also put out Weezer’s self-titled debut in ‘94 along with (not joking) Slash’s Snakepit the following year, and “American Thighs” eventually and justifiably earned a Gold-certified record. Plus, its epic album cover could unironically be showcased more than seasonally in an art museum and certainly on an overpriced crewneck at a high-end clothing store. Control your car and don’t spin out.
Play it again: Every song in order
Skip it: Songs that they didn’t write