Free-for-All
Studio album by
Michael Penn
Released15 September 1992
Recorded1991–1992
StudioZeitgeist Studios, Los Angeles; A&M Studios, Hollywood; Groove Masters, Santa Monica
GenreRock, Alternative rock, Folk rock
Length38:35
LabelRCA
ProducerTony Berg, Michael Penn
Michael Penn chronology
March
(1989)		 Free-for-All
(1992)		 Resigned
(1997)

Free-for-All is the second album by the American singer-songwriter Michael Penn, released in 1992 on RCA Records.[1][2] It contains two songs that reached the Top 20 on the Modern Rock charts: "Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In)" peaked at number 14, while the second single, "Seen the Doctor", reached nine spots higher. The album led to a bitter battle between Penn and his record company, pushing a follow-up album to 1997.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]

The Chicago Tribune stated: "Penn is again working with producer Tony Berg, but this time they provide a rich, subtle blending of instruments, harmonies and textures to create an album that doesn't so much pop out as seep in."[4]

In his review for AllMusic, Stewart Mason wrote that it was the record which proved to critics that Penn was no one-hit wonder, calling "Long Way Down" a "dark and pained opening to an album that was hardly pop-star material."[3]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Michael Penn.

  1. "Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In)" – 3:52
  2. "Free Time" – 4:12
  3. "Coal" – 3:33
  4. "Seen the Doctor" – 3:12
  5. "By the Book" – 3:46
  6. "Drained" – 3:59
  7. "Slipping My Mind" – 2:36
  8. "Strange Season" – 3:51
  9. "Bunker Hill" – 4:39
  10. "Now We're Even" – 4:55

Personnel

Musicians

Production

  • Arranged by Michael Penn
  • Produced by Michael Penn and Tony Berg
  • Engineered by Greg Goldman (also assistant engineer), Chris Lord-Alge & Susan Rogers, with assistance by Paul Dieter & Ken Jordan
  • Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
  • Mastered by Bob Ludwig

Charts

Chart performance for Free-for-All
Chart (1992) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[5] 160

References

  1. ↑ Boehm, Mike (8 September 1992). "'March' to a Blunter Beat". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  2. ↑ DeLuca, Dan (24 September 1992). "BIG BROTHER PENN IS BUILDING ON SUCCESS". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D3.
  3. 1 2 Mason, Stewart (1 September 1992). "Free-for-All – Michael Penn". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. 1 2 Caro, Mark (17 September 1992). "Rave recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  5. ↑ "Michael Penn Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
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