Pretty on the Inside is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Hole, released on August 23, 1991[nb 1] on Caroline Records. It was Hole's first major release after the band's formation in 1989, and features vocalist and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson, bassist Jill Emery and drummer Caroline Rue. Pretty on the Inside was produced by Sonic Youth vocalist and bassist Kim Gordon and Gumball frontman Don Fleming.
The album is noted for being Hole's only material to be predominantly influenced by noise rock and punk rock, due to its graphic lyrics, distorted guitar riffs, screaming vocals, and "sloppy punk ethics". The album was well received by alternative music critics upon release, garnering favorable reviews in major music periodicals such as Spin and NME. In contrast to its moderate success in the United States, Pretty on the Inside received more attention in the United Kingdom where the "Teenage Whore" single entered the UK Indie Chart at number one in September 1991.
Pretty on the Inside has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States and gained a contemporary cult following among rock fans. Despite its critical acclaim, frontwoman Love has, in later years, referred to the album as "unlistenable". An LP version of the album was reissued in the United States in August 2011 to celebrate its twentieth anniversary.Pretty on the Inside is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Hole, released on August 23, 1991[nb 1] on Caroline Records. It was Hole's first major release after the band's formation in 1989, and features vocalist and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson, bassist Jill Emery and drummer Caroline Rue. Pretty on the Inside was produced by Sonic Youth vocalist and bassist Kim Gordon and Gumball frontman Don Fleming.
The album is noted for being Hole's only material to be predominantly influenced by noise rock and punk rock, due to its graphic lyrics, distorted guitar riffs, screaming vocals, and "sloppy punk ethics". The album was well received by alternative music critics upon release, garnering favorable reviews in major music periodicals such as Spin and NME. In contrast to its moderate success in the United States, Pretty on the Inside received more attention in the United Kingdom where the "Teenage Whore" single entered the UK Indie Chart at number one in September 1991.
Pretty on the Inside has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States and gained a contemporary cult following among rock fans. Despite its critical acclaim, frontwoman Love has, in later years, referred to the album as "unlistenable". An LP version of the album was reissued in the United States in August 2011 to celebrate its twentieth anniversary.false2023-01-16 10:23:12Pretty on the Inside8.319911991-01-011991-01-0138Alternative RockGrungeRock1122372117023f47199f1-a6fb-45fb-97fd-cee5472ef9de1dcc8968-f2cd-441c-beda-6270f70f28633cfb69f7-13e3-306b-b564-a1f1b1260b98/media/data/media4/Music/Hole/Pretty on the Inside (1991)/folder.jpgHoleAlbumArtistHoleArtistHoleHoleHole was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1989. It was founded by singer and guitarist Courtney Love and guitarist Eric Erlandson. It had several different bassists and drummers, the most prolific being drummer Patty Schemel, and bassists Kristen Pfaff (d. 1994) and Melissa Auf der Maur. Hole released a total of four studio albums between two incarnations spanning the 1990s and early-2010s and became one of the most commercially successful rock bands in history fronted by a woman.
Influenced by Los Angeles' punk rock scene, the band's debut album, Pretty on the Inside (1991), was produced by Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, and attracted critical interest from British and American alternative press. Their second album, Live Through This, released in 1994 by DGC Records, combined elements of punk, grunge, and pop rock music, and was widely acclaimed, reaching platinum status within a year of its release. Their third album, Celebrity Skin (1998), marked a notable departure from their earlier punk influences, boasting a more commercially viable sound; the album sold around 2 million copies worldwide, and earned them significant critical acclaim.
They disbanded in 2002, and the members individually pursued other projects. Eight years later in 2010, Hole was reformed by Love with new members, despite Erlandson's claim that the reformation breached a mutual contract he had with her. The reformed band released the album Nobody's Daughter (2010), which was conceived as Love's second solo album. In 2013, Love retired the Hole name, releasing new material and touring as a solo artist.
Hole received several accolades, including four Grammy Award nominations. They were also commercially successful, selling over three million records in the United States alone, and had a far-reaching influence on contemporary female artists. Music and feminist scholars have also recognized the band as the most high-profile musical group of the 1990s to discuss gender issues in their songs, due to Love's aggressive and violent lyrical content, which often addressed themes of body image, abuse, and sexual exploitation.