The Hardest Way

The Hardest Way
Studio album by
the Original Sins
Released1989
StudiosWater Music, Hoboken, N.J.
GenreGarage punk
Length41:50 (vinyl edition)
55:53 (CD edition)
LabelPsonik
ProducersDave Stein, John Terlesky
The Original Sins chronology
Big Soul
(1987)		 The Hardest Way
(1989)		 Self Destruct
(1990)

The Hardest Way is an album by the American garage punk band the Original Sins. It was released in 1989 by Psonik Records.

The CD version of the album includes bonus tracks taken from the band's Australia-only extended play, Party's Over.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star
Chicago TribuneStarStarStar

Trouser Press wrote that the album "demonstrates the Sins' marvelous ability to synthesize an original sound — less stylized than the Lyres' — from now-standard ingredients." The Morning Call listed The Hardest Way on their list of the top 10 albums of 1989, writing that "the Sins' second LP is an embarrassment of riches; it's fiercer, more melodic, more complex and more danceable than their debut, Big Soul." Spin wrote that "the songs fit more comfortably into standard 60s punk grooves."

Track listing

All songs written by John Terlesky

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Heard It All Before"3:05
2."Now's the Time"2:11
3."Tearing Me in 2"3:36
4."Why You Love Me So"2:24
5."Can't Get Over You"3:38
6."Hardest Way"3:03
7."Out of My Mind"3:00
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."You Can't Touch Me"2:34
2."Don't Fit In"2:07
3."Rather Be Sad"3:43
4."I Can't Say"2:26
5."She Understands"3:33
6."Ain't No Tellin'"2:36
7."End of the World"3:48
CD Version
No.TitleLength
1."Heard It All Before"3:05
2."Now's the Time"2:05
3."Tearing Me in 2"3:33
4."Why You Love Me So"2:18
5."Can't Get Over You"3:33
6."Hardest Way"2:58
7."Out of My Mind"2:54
8."You Can't Touch Me"2:31
9."Don't Fit In"2:00
10."Rather Be Sad"3:37
11."I Can't Say"2:20
12."She Understands"3:26
13."Ain't No Tellin'"2:34
14."End of the World"3:28
15."Party's Over"3:09
16."Can't Stop Dancing"3:41
17."Beast in Me"3:38
18."Lacerations"2:05
19."Just 14 (And a Half)"3:27

Personnel

The Original Sins
Additional musicians and production

References

  1. ↑ "Original Sins' John Terlesky Sings Blues". Los Angeles Times. April 20, 1992.
  2. 1 2 "Original Sins". Trouser Press. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ Deming, Mark. "The Hardest Way". AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ Popson, Tom. "New Indie LPs". Chicago Tribune.
  5. ↑ Righi, Len. "Records: The Year in Review 89". The Morning Call.
  6. ↑ "Spins". Spin. Spin Media LLC. September 23, 1989.