''Based on a True Story'' is an album by the American band

the Del-Lords The Del-Lords were an American rock and roll band that formed in New York City in 1982,Cocks, Jay; L., ElizabethMusic: Where the Lifeline Is ''Time''. August 4, 1986. Retrieved November 9, 2010 founded by The Dictators' guitarist Scott Kempner. ...

, released in 1988 on

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/d ...

. The band supported the album with a North American tour.

Production

Recorded in Los Angeles, the album cost $120,000. It was produced by

Neil Giraldo Neil Thomas Giraldo (born December 29, 1955) is an American musician, record producer, arranger, and songwriter best known as the musical partner of Pat Benatar since 1979and spouse since 1982. He has also performed, written and produced for art ...

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; formerly and still professionally Benatar ; born January 10, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 US ''Billboa ...

duetted with

Scott Kempner Scott "Top Ten" Kempner (February 6, 1954 – November 29, 2023) was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos. Background and car ...

on "Poem of the River".

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote that "Kempner spreads on the working-class persona a little thick at times, but this is still the equal of any previous Del-Lords set." The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' deemed the album "a rip-snorting, noisy, trashy little garage opus." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' determined that "the album, energy and polish notwithstanding, emerges as a good but not great package with a faintly 'generic' feel." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' concluded that "the straightforward, stomping rock songs on the band's third album ... insist on independent thinking and truthfulness."

Track listing

All songs written by

Personnel

;The Del-Lords *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

Eric Ambel Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (born August 20, 1957) is an American guitarist and record producer. He has worked with a wide range of artists including Nils Lofgren, Steve Earle, the Yayhoos, Del Lords, The Bottle Rockets, Joan Jett, Mojo Nixon, Blood O ...

– guitar, vocals, keyboards on "The Cool and the Crazy" and "River of Justice", lead vocals on "Judas Kiss" and "A Lover's Prayer" *Manny Caiati –

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

, vocals *

Frank Funaro Frank Funaro (born June 23, 1958) is an American drummer who has played with Del Lords, The Brandos, Camper Van Beethoven, Joey Ramone, The Dictators, Cracker, Nils Lofgren & Dion DiMucci. Funaro collaborated with Joey Ramone on his first so ...

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, vocals ;Additional musicians and production *Scotty Bem – gong *

– backing vocals on "Judas Kiss" & "Poem of the River" *

Lenny Castro Lenny Castro (born September 19, 1956) is an American percussionist from the Los Angeles area. He is one of the most prolific percussionists of all time, appearing on hundreds of albums, including those by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Maroon ...

–

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

*Spyder Curtis James – keyboards on "Judas Kiss", "Poem of the River" and "Ashes to Ashes" *Frank Linx – vocals on "Cheyenne", "Whole Lotta Nothin' Goin' On", "A Lover's Prayer", "Judas Kiss" and "River of Justice" *Rev.

Mojo Nixon Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. (August 2, 1957 – February 7, 2024), known professionally as Mojo Nixon, was an American musician and actor best known for his novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere", which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style coul ...

– sermon on "River of Justice" * Johnny Powers – harp on "River of Justice" and "A Lover's Prayer" *

Kevin Savigar Kevin Savigar (born 9 November 1956) is an English session keyboardist, record producer, songwriter, and composer based in Los Angeles, CA. Perhaps most recognised for his longtime collaboration with Rod Stewart, Savigar has also contributed to ...

– keyboards on "Whole Lotta Nothin' Goin' On" and "Poem of the River" *

Kim Shattuck Kimberly Dianne Shattuck (July 17, 1963 – October 2, 2019) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. She was the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the American punk rock band the Muffs, which formed in 1991. From ...

& Karen Blankfeld of

The Pandoras The Pandoras were an American all-female Garage punk (fusion genre), garage punk band from Los Angeles, California, active from 1982 to 1991. The band is among the first handful of all-female rock bands to ever be signed to a major label. From t ...

– vocals on "The Cool and the Crazy" *

Syd Straw Syd Straw is an American rock singer and songwriter. She began her career singing backup for Pat Benatar, then took her distinctive and powerful voice to the indie/alternative scene and joined the ever-evolving line-up of Golden Palominos fro ...

– backing vocals on "Judas Kiss", "River of Justice" and "Ashes to Ashes" *Gordon Fordyce –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

*Michael Frondelli – mixing *Neil Geraldo –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

* Assistant engineers: Bill Cooper, Angus Davidson, Scott E. Gordon

References

External links

* {{Authority control The Del-Lords albums 1988 albums Enigma Records albums