HOUSE OF PAIN Vinyl & CDs

Review: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of House of Pain's Same As It Ever Was, released in June 1994, a record which defied expectations by abandoning the formula that skyrocketed them to fame in favour of a grittier, more confrontational sound. When House of Painicomposed of Everlast (Erik Schrody), Danny Boy (Daniel O'Connor), and DJ Lethal (Leor Dimant)ifirst exploded onto the scene in 1992, their boisterous anthem 'Jump Around' and debut album House of Pain (Fine Malt Lyrics) garnered Platinum success. The group was known for embracing their Irish heritage and for their rough-and-tumble persona, being part of the larger Soul Assassins crew alongside Cypress Hill and Funkdoobiest. But for their second album, they chose a more unorthodox path. Instead of recycling their previous success, Same As It Ever Was presented a darker, moodier sonic palette, which can be heard in tracks like 'Who's the Man?'ia brooding reflection on criminal life that belied its placement in the soundtrack of a lighthearted comedy film. The track showed DJ Lethal's hollow, eerie production and Everlast's grim lyrics about the harsh realities of street life. The album opener, 'Back From the Dead', produced by Muggs and The Baka Boyz, immediately set the tone with gritty, aggressive production that made it clear House of Pain wasn't interested in rehashing their past. Everlast took the lead on the album, with his gruff delivery driving most of the tracks, and Danny Boy contributing sparingly. While the debut album leaned into their Irish pride, Same As It Ever Was abandoned much of that theme in favor of more introspective and hard-hitting lyricism. The album's first single, 'On Point', came closest to recapturing the energy of 'Jump Around', with its call-and-response hooks and funky horn samples, though it didn't reach the same level of mainstream appeal. Instead, tracks like 'Word Is Bond', which featured production from Diamond D, or the Muggs-produced 'Keep It Comin'' demonstrated the group's commitment to artistic integrity over commercial viability. Musically, Same As It Ever Was shared a similar haunting, dusty aesthetic with Cypress Hill's Black Sunday, thanks to Muggs' consistently gritty production. Songs like 'Running Up On Ya' and 'Over There Shit' emphasised resonant basslines and tough, breakneck rhythms, perfectly complementing Everlast's raw lyrical style. While the album didn't replicate the multi-Platinum success of their debut, it still went Gold, and has since gained recognition as an artistic triumph, celebrated for its bold departure from mainstream expectations.

Review: Reissued, as it should, via the original label on which this ubiquitous single first made its mark on the world, House Of Pain's 'Jump Around' comes to our attention once more. A spiritual spin-off of Cypress Hill - the track's beatsmith DJ Muggs originally made the beat for the group, and it was only given to House Of Pain after being later rejected by Ice Cube - the song houses an undeniable demonstration of how samples themselves, when worked into the track in the right way, can work just as effectively as melodies in 'hooking' the listener. Notably, the high-pitched squeal, lifted from Chubby Checker's 'Popeye The Hitchhiker', occurs 66 times throughout.