Out Now: House of Pain / Everlast

2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the release of House of Pain’s self-titled debut, an album which made listeners jump around, jump up, jump up, and get down, and in celebration of the occasion, we've reissued both this classic release as well as the debut album from House of Pain frontman Everlast.

House of Pain, HOUSE OF PAIN:
Summed up beautifully by The Source, who asked readers to “imagine if LICENSED TO ILL wasn’t an upper middle class Jewish thing but rather a working class Irish thang.” The rapping of Everlast and Danny Boy O’Connor was combined with the scratching of DJ Lethal, who co-produced the album with DJ Muggs and Ralph Tha Funky Mexican, and the end result led to some fine malt lyrics and the additional hit single “Shamrocks and Shenanigans.”

Everlast, WHITEY FORD SINGS THE BLUES:
After the release of their third album, 1996’s TRUTH CRUSHED TO EARTH SHALL RISE AGAIN, House of Pain called it quits, leaving Everlast with an opportunity to go it alone…again. That’s right, Everlast had actually had a solo career prior to House of Pain, but his 1990 album FOREVER EVERLASTING hadn’t gone anywhere. Indeed, there was a very real possibility that WHITEY FORD SINGS THE BLUES might’ve suffered the same fate, since Everlast had a massive heart attack the day he finished recording it! Thankfully, he pulled through and was able to enjoy the fruits of his efforts: the single “What It’s Like” topped both Billboard’s Alternative and Mainstream Rock charts.