Pretty on the Inside is the debut studio album by Hole, released on September 17, 1991, in the United States on Caroline Records. Produced by Sonic Youth‘s Kim Gordon, and Gumball frontman Don Fleming, the album was Hole‘s first major label release after the band’s formation in 1989 by vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson.
Blending elements of punk rock and sludge metal, the album features distorted and alternating guitar compositions, screaming vocals from Love, and “sloppy punk ethics”, a style which the band would later distance themselves from, opting for a less abrasive sound on subsequent releases. Love’s lyrics on the album are often presented in an abstract narrative form, and describe disparate scenes of graphic violence, death, and female sexuality. The record was dedicated to Rob Ritter of the Los Angeles punk rock acts the Bags and The Gun Club.
Upon release, Pretty on the Inside was well-received by alternative music critics, garnering favorable reviews that drew comparisons to the works of Black Sabbath and Patti Smith. It was met with considerable commercial success in the United Kingdom, where the record’s lead single, “Teenage Whore”, entered the UK Indie Chart at number one in September 1991. It has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States and gained a contemporary cult following among punk rock fans, and has been cited as a seminal influence for songwriters and musicians such as Brody Dalle and Scout Niblett. Despite its critical acclaim, frontwoman Courtney Love went on to refer to the album as “unlistenable” in later years, though her stance on it eventually shifted, as she commented in 2021 that she had “really put the album down,” and that making it was a “transformative” experience for her. Vinyl LP versions of the album have been reissued several times.
Tracklist:
- Teenage Whore
- Babydoll
- Garbadge Man
- Sassy
- Good Sister/Bad Sister
- Mrs. Jones
- Berry
- Loaded
- Starbelly: Neil Young (uncredited: “Cinnamon Girl” instrumental; arrangements by Hole) Samples “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac, and “Best Sunday Dress” by Pagan Babies
- Pretty on the Inside
- Clouds (Joni Mitchell, Additional lyrics by Courtney Love)
Hole
Courtney Love: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Eric Erlandson: lead guitar
Jill Emery: bass guitar
Caroline Rue: drums, percussion
Technical personnel
Kim Gordon: producer
Don Fleming: producer
Brian Foxworthy: engineer
Art personnel
Courtney Love: art direction
Vicki Berndt: photography (front cover)
Pizz: typography
Jill Emery: painting (back cover)
