Jump to content

...And Out Come the Wolves

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
...And Out Come the Wolves
Studio album by
Rancid
ReleasedAugust 22, 1995 (1995-08-22)
RecordedFebruary–May 1995
Studio
Genre
Length49:39
LabelEpitaph
ProducerJerry Finn, Rancid
Rancid chronology
Let's Go
(1994) 		...And Out Come the Wolves
(1995) 		Life Won't Wait
(1998)
Singles from ...And Out Come the Wolves
  1. "Roots Radicals"
    Released: August 7, 1995
  2. "Time Bomb"
    Released: November 1, 1995
  3. "Ruby Soho"
    Released: November 3, 1995

...And Out Come the Wolves is the third studio album by American punk rock band Rancid. It was released on August 22, 1995, through Epitaph Records. Rancid's popularity and catchy songs made them the subject of a major label bidding war (hence the title, ...And Out Come the Wolves[1] taken from a poem in Jim Carroll's The Basketball Diaries) that ended with the band staying on Epitaph. With a sound heavily influenced by ska, which called to mind Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman's past in Operation Ivy, Rancid became one of the few bands of the mid-to-late 1990s punk rock boom to retain much of its original fan base. In terms of record sales and certifications, ...And Out Come the Wolves is a popular album in the United States. It produced three singles: "Roots Radicals", "Time Bomb" and "Ruby Soho", that earned Rancid its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date. All the singles charted on Modern Rock Tracks. ...And Out Come the Wolves was certified gold by the RIAA on January 22, 1996. It was certified platinum on September 23, 2004.[2]

Along with Bad Religion's Stranger than Fiction, Green Day's Dookie and The Offspring's Smash, ...And Out Come the Wolves helped revive mainstream interest in punk rock in the mid-1990s, signaled the initial rise of mainstream punk rock, and proved to be successful for the band. To coincide with its 20th anniversary, Rancid performed the album live in its entirety on their 2015–2016 Honor Is All We Know world tour.[3][4][5]

Background

[edit]

Rancid formed in Albany, California, in 1991. They signed to Epitaph Records (founded by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz) in 1992 and released their eponymous debut album, Rancid, a year later to rave reviews. While Rancid was already writing another album, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, one of the band's friends, joined them to co-write the song "Radio". This led to him playing a live show with the band, and Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong eventually asked him to become a member of the band, but he decided to continue playing in Green Day. Armstrong had previously asked Lars Frederiksen to be Rancid's second guitarist, but he turned down the request. After Billie Joe declined, Frederiksen changed his mind and decided to join the band. Rancid's second album, Let's Go, was released in 1994 to unexpected success and acclaim. After the release of Green Day's Dookie and The Offspring's Smash later that year, Rancid was pursued by several major labels, including Madonna's Maverick Records, but eventually turned them down. They decided to stay on Epitaph and soon began recording a follow-up album.[6]

Armstrong later commented on why they stayed with Epitaph stating:[7]

Ultimately, we decided it would dumb not to stay with [Epitaph owner and president] Brett Gurewitz, a real record guy, a punk rock record guy.  Madonna’s cool, but she’s an international superstar.  She’s not a punk rock record guy.  That’s what we needed.

Recording and production

[edit]

...And Out Come the Wolves was recorded mainly between February and May 1995. The recording took place at not only Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California (where Let's Go was recorded), but also at the famous Electric Lady Studios (built by Jimi Hendrix) in New York City. This was the first time Rancid recorded an album at more than one studio.[8] While the entire recording processed was intended to be helmed by Jerry Finn, scheduling conflicts occurred and Brett Gurewitz ended up having to return in order to record and arrange the vocals at Electric Lady Studios. The album was mixed by Andy Wallace, who had previously worked on Nirvana's Nevermind and Rage Against The Machine's self-titled debut.[9]

The album seen Rancid go all in with the ska influences, with New Noise Magazine comparing it to Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman’s previous band Operation Ivy.[10] The song "Journey to The End of the East Bay," details the highs and lows of Operation Ivy.[11]

Artwork

[edit]

The cover art features guitarist Lars Frederiksen with his head on his knees sitting on steps. The red Rancid logo is the same that they have consistently used since the release of their second album Let’s Go. The album cover was photographed and designed by Jesse Fischer. It is a tribute to Minor Threat, a landmark hardcore punk band, that originally used the image of Alec MacKaye (brother of the band's lead singer Ian MacKaye) with his head on his knees on steps of the Wilson Center steps on their eponymous debut EP.[12]

Release and promotion

[edit]

There were three single released for the album the first being "Roots Radicals" which was released as a promotional single on August 7, 1995, and was accompanied with an official music video.[13] "Roots Radicals" went on to get radio play and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. However it was the second single "Time Bomb" which went on to become the album’s biggest hit reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks peaking at number 8. The song also gained prominence internationally, reaching the mainstream singles charts in Australia peaking at number 76,[14] Scotland peaking at 67[15] and peaking the highest in the UK at number 57.[16] Just the like the album’s previous singles the final single "Ruby Soho" also seen radio success reaching number 13 on the US Modern Rock Tracks and peaking at number 64 on the Australian singles chart.[17] All three of these singles and their music videos went on to receive heavy playtime on MTV.[18]

...And Out Come the Wolves was officially released on August 22, 1995, and peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200 album chart.[19] The albums also reached the mainstream charts in several other countries peaking the highest in both Finland and Australia were it reached number 30. Five months after its release, the album was certified gold and in 2004 it was certified platinum.[20] The album was the second punk rock record to sell over a million copies on an independent label with the first being The Offspring’s Smash.[21] The album has also gone on to achieve gold status in Australia,[22] Canada[23] Japan,[24] and the UK.[25] With the album’s popularity Rancid went on to perform as a mainstage act on that years Lollapalooza tour. The band also went on an extensive tour in support of the album, the European leg of the tour went from September 6, 1995, to October 1. The US leg of the tour began on October 14, and went all the way till December 31. They also played one show in Sydney, Australia on December 31.[26] Rancid also played "Roots Radicals" and "Ruby Soho." on Saturday Night Live on November 18, 1995.[27]

In celebration of the albums 20th anniversary in 2015, Rancid released a special reissue of the album featuring the bonus tracks "Blast ‘Em" and "That’s Entertainment."[28]

Reception and legacy

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[29]
The Des Moines RegisterStarStarStarStar[30]
Entertainment WeeklyA+[31]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarStar[32]
NME7/10[33]
The Philadelphia InquirerStarStarStarHalf star[34]
QStarStarStar[35]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStar[36]
Select3/5[37]
The Village VoiceA−[38]

The album received positive reviews, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the album as having "classic moments of revivalist punk". Erlewine praised the music and claims the album "doesn't mark an isolationist retreat into didactic, defiantly underground punk rock". The album received a rating of four and a half out of five stars, while "Time Bomb," "Ruby Soho" and "Roots Radicals" earned Rancid its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date.[39] A reviewer from Ultimate Guitar gave the album a 9.7/10 stating "This album of course relates to other Rancid records, but it is a little bit superior in the ska department then their other albums (except Life Won't Wait). SOME stand-outs (because every song is great on this album), would be:Maxwell Murder: A true punk anthem, and the BEST opening track on ANY album ever. Plus it has an amazing bass solo. Roots Radicals: A truly wonderful song."[40] Steve Holchman of The Los Angeles Times claimed "This lacks the big-picture perspective and cultural urgency of “London Calling”; Berkeley in ’95 isn’t the powder-keg of Brixton in ’79. But Rancid still brings a compelling sense of purpose to its songs. Rather than social calls to arms, these are individual ones. “Do you know where the power lies? / It starts and ends with you,” Tim Armstrong tells a troubled little sister in "11th Hour."[41]

In a retrospective review by Ricky Frankel of PunkNews he wrote "…And Out Come The Wolves was a monumental punk rock release. Perhaps even legendary. For those non-punk rock musicians who claim that "punk musicians can't play their instruments," this album alone defied any notion of the sort. Tim, Lars, Matt, and Brett were clearly masters of their instruments during the recording of this album and still are to this day. It's not only that every track on this album was great, which alone makes it a perfect (or damn-well near perfect), but this album's influence and Rancid's influence in general will be felt for many future generations of punk rockers."[42]

In 2005, ...And Out Come the Wolves was ranked number 368 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[43] BuzzFeed included the album at number 14 on their "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die" list.[44] Cleveland.com ranked "Ruby Soho" at number 21 on their list of the top 100 pop-punk songs.[45] ...And Out Come the Wolves became a cultural phenomenon and truly helped catapulted punk into the mainstream. The album has been listed as an essential punk album,[46] with Radial Magazine stating "it made Rancid one of the leading acts in the punk scene and cemented the band’s place in music history."[46]

In 2015 Loudwire put the album at number 16 on their list of the top 25 best punk albums of all time.[47] In 2016 the readers of Rolling Stone voted it the 9th best punk album of all time,[48] In 2018 Revolver Magazine named it the 8th greatest punk album of all time.[49] that same year Metal hammer dubbed the album the 13th greatest punk album of all time.[50] In 2021 Kerrang! named the album to their list of the 40th greatest punk albums made since Never Mind The Bollocks.[51]

On May 21, 2021, it was announced that Lavasock Records is releasing a tribute album titled ...And Out Come the Lawsuits featuring Link 80, Sarchasm, Omnigone, Flying Raccoon Suit, Little Debbie & The Crusaders and Stay Wild.[52]

Professional wrestler Dori Prange came up with her in-ring name, Ruby Riott, from the song "Ruby Soho". Prange lost the rights to the name after her release from the WWE in June 2021 however thanks to Lars Frederiksen, who hosts a wrestling podcast, she now wrestles under the name of Ruby Soho.[53] During a retrospective review of the album in 2025 by Grammys.com they dubbed the album "A Definitive Punk Portrait."[54]

The album has directly inspired the upcoming film And Out Comes The Wolf.[55]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman and Lars Frederiksen, except where noted.

No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Maxwell Murder"Frederiksen, Armstrong1:25
2."The 11th Hour" (written by Armstrong, Freeman, Frederiksen, Eric Dinn)Armstrong2:28
3."Roots Radicals"Frederiksen, Armstrong2:47
4."Time Bomb"Armstrong2:24
5."Olympia WA."Armstrong3:30
6."Lock, Step & Gone"Frederiksen, Armstrong2:25
7."Junkie Man" (written by Armstrong, Freeman, Frederiksen, Jim Carroll)Armstrong, Frederiksen3:04
8."Listed M.I.A."Frederiksen2:22
9."Ruby Soho"Armstrong2:37
10."Daly City Train"Armstrong3:21
11."Journey to the End of the East Bay"Armstrong3:11
12."She's Automatic"Frederiksen1:35
13."Old Friend"Armstrong2:53
14."Disorder and Disarray"Armstrong, Frederiksen2:49
15."The Wars End"Frederiksen1:53
16."You Don't Care Nothin'"Frederiksen, Armstrong2:28
17."As Wicked"Armstrong, Frederiksen2:40
18."Avenues & Alleyways"Armstrong, Frederiksen3:11
19."The Way I Feel"Frederiksen, Armstrong2:34
Total length:49:39
2015 Remaster CD Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
20."Blast 'Em"Armstrong2:29
21."That's Entertainment"Frederiksen1:31
Total length:53:39

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for ...And Out Come the Wolves
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[57] 30
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[58] 89
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[59] 30
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[60] 39
UK Albums (OCC)[61] 55
US Billboard 200[62] 45
2016 chart performance for ...And Out Come the Wolves
Chart (2016) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[63] 74

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[64] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[65] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Gold 100,000‡
Japan (RIAJ)[67] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[2] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "...And Out Come the Wolves". Allmusic.com. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "American album certifications – Rancid – And Out Came the Wolves". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Rancid to play all of '...And Out Come the Wolves' at Punk Rock Bowling. Punknews.org. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  4. ^ Full lineup for this year's Amnesia Rockfest announced. Punknews.org. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  5. ^ Rancid to play '...And Out Come The Wolves' in full at Groezrock. Punktastic.com. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  6. ^ "30 Years Later, Rancid's '...And Out Come The Wolves' Remains A Definitive Punk Portrait | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  7. ^ Livermore, Larry (August 27, 2009). "Journey To The End: Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman And Lars Frederiksen Talk To Larry Livermore About Operation Ivy, Rancid And That Whole East Bay Thing". Larry Livermore. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  8. ^ Dillon, Ryan (August 22, 2025). "30 Years Later: Rancid Reach The Mainstream With '…And Out Come the Wolves'". Glide Magazine. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  9. ^ "...And Out Come The Wolves Turns 20". stereogum.com. August 21, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  10. ^ Torok, Frankie (August 22, 2020). "Anniversary: Rancid's ...And Out Come the Wolves Turns 25". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Prew, Emma (August 2, 2016). "Colin's Punk Rock World: Art of Punk: …And Out Come The Wolves". Colin’s Punk Rock World. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  13. ^ Rancid (March 19, 2014). Rancid - 'Roots Radicals' (Music Video). Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Time Bomb": "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 25 Feb 1996". ARIA. Retrieved May 13, 2026 – via Imgur. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached".
  15. ^ "Time Bomb": "Official Scottish Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company".
  16. ^ "Chart Log UK: The Rabble Army - RZA". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  17. ^ "Ruby Soho": "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 31 Mar 1996".
  18. ^ Scott, Spencer (August 21, 2015). "Looking Back: 20 Years Of Rancid's ...And Out Come The Wolves". The Brag. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  19. ^ "...And Out Come the Wolves' entry at Billboard.com". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 8, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference RIAA2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference :02 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "2005 Accreds.pdf" (PDF). Dropbox. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  23. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Rancid – Wolves". Music Canada".
  24. ^ "RANCID album sales". BestSellingAlbums.org. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  25. ^ "British album certifications – Rancid – And Out Come the Wolves". British Phonographic Industry".
  26. ^ "RANCID-Discography.com - Tourdates - 1995". www.rancid-discography.com. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  27. ^ "NBC.com > Saturday Night Live". www.nbc.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  28. ^ "Rancid to Reissue '…And Out Come the Wolves'". Diffuser.fm. November 10, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  29. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "...And Out Come the Wolves – Rancid". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  30. ^ Beach, Patrick (September 21, 1995). "Derivative, but good at it". The Des Moines Register.
  31. ^ Eddy, Chuck (September 8, 1995). "...And Out Come the Wolves". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  32. ^ Hochman, Steve (August 20, 1995). "Rancid '. . . and Out Come the Wolves' Epitaph". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  33. ^ "Rancid: ...And Out Come the Wolves". NME. August 26, 1995. p. 47.
  34. ^ DeLuca, Dan (October 10, 1995). "And here come the nouveau punks". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  35. ^ "Rancid: ...And Out Come the Wolves". Q. No. 109. October 1995. p. 125.
  36. ^ Gross, Joe (2004). "Rancid". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 677. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  37. ^ Harrison, Ian (October 1995). "Rancid: ...And Out Come the Wolves". Select. No. 64.
  38. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 14, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference allmusic2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ "Rancid: ...And Out Come The Wolves Review". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  41. ^ "RANCID". . . and Out Come the..." Los Angeles Times. August 20, 1995. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  42. ^ Punknews.org (May 26, 2015). "Rancid - ...And Out Come The Wolves". www.punknews.org. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  43. ^ Rock Hard; Rensen, Michael, eds. (2005). Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Götz Kühnemund. Rock Hard. p. 61. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  44. ^ Sherman, Maria; Broderick, Ryan (July 2, 2013). "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F----ing Die". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  45. ^ Smith, Troy L. (March 2, 2022). "The 100 greatest pop punk songs of all time". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  46. ^ a b "10 Essential Punk Albums You Should Know - RADIAL". October 22, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  47. ^ Staff, Loudwire StaffLoudwire (April 10, 2015). "Top 25 Punk Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  48. ^ Greene, Andy (April 13, 2016). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Punk Albums". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  49. ^ Staff, Revolver. "50 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time". Revolver. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  50. ^ Louderpublished (March 15, 2018). "The 50 Best Punk Albums Of All Time". Louder. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  51. ^ "The 40 best punk albums since Never Mind The Bollocks…". Kerrang!. January 10, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  52. ^ "Stream Link 80's "Junkie Man" cover from upcoming Rancid 'And Out Come the Wolves' tribute LP". brooklynvegan.com. May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  53. ^ "Rancid's Lars Frederiksen Helps Ruby Riott Secure New Post-WWE Ring Name?". wrestlingheadlines.com. June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  54. ^ Cite error: The named reference :13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  55. ^ "Watch The Trailer For New Rancid-Inspired Movie …And Out Comes The Wolf". stereogum.com. August 8, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  56. ^ Rancid (1995). ...And Out Come The Wolves (LP insert). Epitaph.
  57. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Rancid – ...And Out Come the Wolves". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  58. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rancid – ...And Out Come the Wolves" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  59. ^ "Rancid: ...And Out Come the Wolves" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  60. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Rancid – ...And Out Come the Wolves". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  61. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 27/8/1995 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  62. ^ "Artist Chart History - Rancid - Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  63. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rancid – ...And Out Come the Wolves" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  64. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  65. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Rancid – Wolves". Music Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  66. ^ "British album certifications – Rancid – And Out Come the Wolves". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 9, 2022. Select albums in the Formats field. Type And Out Come the Wolves Rancid in the "Search:" field.
  67. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Rancid – And Out Come the Wolves" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 9, 2022.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...And_Out_Come_the_Wolves&oldid=1354863327"