Same as It Ever Was
| Same as It Ever Was | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 28, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | September 1992 – August 1993 | |||
| Studio | Image Recording Studios (Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | Hardcore hip hop | |||
| Length | 49:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| House of Pain chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Same as It Ever Was | ||||
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Same as It Ever Was is the second album by American hip hop group House of Pain. It was released in 1994 and peaked at number 12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Billboard 200.[1] To record the album, the group had to work around Everlast's house arrest for a gun charge.[2]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s | A−[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[5] |
| Music Week | |
| NME | 4/10[7] |
| RapReviews | 7/10[8] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Select | |
| Sputnikmusic | 2.5/5[11] |
Same as It Ever Was did not reach the same commercial heights as the group's previous album; however, Same as It Ever Was peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart (their highest position to date) and also reached gold status by Recording Industry Association of America.[12]
AllMusic gave it four out five stars.[3] Matt Carlson of The Michigan Daily found the album quite good and noted "the music is laid back with some heavy driving forces underlying and strengthening it".[13] Andrew Love of The Ocala Star-Banner gave it four stars saying "this is a band that has definitely progressed over the course of one album".[2] J.D. Constantine of The Baltimore Sun did not like the album and found it monotonous and unimaginative.[14] Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant said that while finding the continuity monotonous it's "hard and compelling" as well as a "strong outing".[15] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A− and described it as "the hardest hip hop of the year."
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back from the Dead" | 3:32 | ||
| 2. | "I'm a Swing It" |
| DJ Lethal | 3:43 |
| 3. | "All That" |
| DJ Lethal | 1:26 |
| 4. | "On Point" |
| DJ Lethal | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Runnin' Up on Ya" |
| DJ Muggs | 3:17 |
| 6. | "Over There Shit" |
| DJ Muggs | 3:33 |
| 7. | "Word Is Bond" (featuring Diamond D) |
| Diamond D | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Keep It Comin'" |
| DJ Muggs | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Interlude" | DiMant | DJ Lethal | 0:46 |
| 10. | "Same as It Ever Was" |
| DJ Muggs | 3:27 |
| 11. | "It Ain't a Crime" |
|
| 3:27 |
| 12. | "Where I'm From" |
| DJ Lethal | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Still Got a Lotta Love" ("All My Love" Part 2) |
| DJ Lethal | 2:53 |
| 14. | "Who's the Man?" | DJ Lethal | 4:03 | |
| 15. | "On Point" (Lethal Dose Remix) |
| DJ Lethal | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 49:24 | |||
Sample credits
- "Back from the Dead" contains a sample of "Rumors", performed by the Timex Social Club.
- "I'm a Swing It" contains a sample of "You're Slippin'", performed by Boogie Down Productions.
- "All That" contains a sample of "Snakin' the Grass", performed by Cannonball Adderley.
- "On Point" contains a sample of "Inside Straight", performed by Cannonball Adderley.
- "Over There Shit" contains a sample of "Make It Funky (Milk Is Chillin') by Audio Two.
- "Word Is Bond" contains a sample of:
- "Rivers Invitation", performed by Freddie Robinson.
- "Death Becomes You", performed by Pete Rock & CL Smooth.
- "It Ain't a Crime" contains a sample of "Get Out of My Life, Woman", performed by Lee Dorsey.
- "Who's the Man" contains a sample of "The Master Plan", performed by the Kay Gees.
- "On Point" contains a sample of "Inside Straight", performed by Cannonball Adderley.
Personnel
[edit]- Eric Francis Schrody – vocals (tracks 1–2, 4–8, 10–15), mixing (tracks 12, 14)
- Daniel O’Connor – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 10, 14–15), art direction
- Leor Dimant – vocals (tracks 4, 15), production (tracks 2–4, 9, 11–15), mixing (tracks 3, 9, 12, 14, 15)
- Lawrence Muggerud – executive production, production (tracks 1, 5–6, 8, 10–11), mixing (tracks 1–2, 4–6, 8, 10–11, 13, 15)
- Joseph Kirkland – vocals, production and mixing (track 7)
- Nick Vidal – production (track 1)
- Eric Vidal – production (track 1)
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Jason Roberts – engineering
- Erwin Gorostiza – art direction
- Butch Belair – photography
- Ron Jaramillo – design
- Kenton Parker – logo design
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "House of Pain - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ a b Love, Andrew (August 8, 1994). "Latest release is full-blown Pain". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Same as It Ever Was - House of Pain | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24560-2.
- ^ Ehrlich, Dimitri (July 8, 1994). "Same as It Ever Was". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Alan (July 23, 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 21. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
- ^ Udo, Tommy (July 16, 1994). Dee, Johnny (ed.). "Long Play". NME. p. 37. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (August 9, 2022). "House of Pain Same as It Ever Was". RapReviews. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 396. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Marsh, Tim (August 1994). "New Albums". Select. p. 82. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ^ "House of Pain - Same As It Ever Was (album review) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. January 15, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ Watts, Ted (September 8, 1994). "Ted Watts review". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (July 8, 1994). "House of Pain the 'Same,' over and over". The Baltimore Sun. pp. Maryland Live 5.
- ^ Catlin, Roger (July 14, 1994). "Same as It Ever Was". Hartford Courant. pp. Entertainment Guide 4 - 5.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 132.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2535". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1994. 39. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "Charts.nz – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "House of Pain Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2686". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "American album certifications – House of Pain – Same as It Ever Was". Recording Industry Association of America.
