The Blind Leading The Naked (Remastered 2026) Violent Femmes

• 1 Old Mother Reagan (Remastered 2026) 00:33
• 2 No Killing (Remastered 2026) 05:14
• 3 Faith (Remastered 2026) 04:15
• 4 Breakin' Hearts (Remastered 2026) 02:16
• 5 Special (Remastered 2026) 02:18
• 6 Love & Me Make Three (Remastered 2026) 02:53
• 7 Candlelight Song (Remastered 2026) 03:12
• 8 I Held Her In My Arms (Remastered 2026) 02:53
• 9 Children Of The Revolution (Remastered 2026) 04:19
• 10 Good Friend (Remastered 2026) 03:29
• 11 Heartache (Remastered 2026) 02:02
• 12 Cold Canyon (Remastered 2026) 03:35
• 13 Two People (Remastered 2026) 00:58
• 14 World Without Mercy (Remastered 2026) 03:46
• Total Runtime 41:43

Info for The Blind Leading The Naked (Remastered 2026)

40th anniversary reissue of their long out of print third album. Released in 1986 and produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, The Blind Leading the Naked saw Violent Femmes expand their sound beyond the stripped-down folk-punk of their early work. Incorporating a horn section featuring the Stooges’ Steve Mackay on saxophone, legendary guitarist Leo Kottke on the acoustic 10-string, and acclaimed experimental artist Fred Frith, performing an array of homemade instruments, the album marked a commercial breakthrough for the band.

Released in 1986 and produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, The Blind Leading the Naked saw Violent Femmes expand their sound beyond the stripped-down folk-punk of their early work. Incorporating a horn section featuring the Stooges’ Steve Mackay on saxophone, legendary guitarist Leo Kottke on the acoustic 10-string, and acclaimed experimental artist Fred Frith performing an array of homemade instruments, the album marked a commercial breakthrough for the band.

Opening with “Old Mother Reagan,” a scorching, 32-second commentary on the era’s administration, the album takes listeners on a genre-bending journey—from the retro surf-rock vibes of “Breakin’ Hearts” and the bluesy honky-tonk of “Faith,” to the Springsteen-esque “I Held Her in My Arms.” The Femmes also put their stamp on T-Rex’s “Children of the Revolution,” blending synth-forward industrial textures with gospel flair.

Gordon Gano, lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
Brian Ritchie, acoustic and electric bass guitars, electric guitar, jaw harp, slide whistle, vocals
Victor DeLorenzo, drums, percussion, tortoise, vocals
Additional musicians:
Jerry Harrison, keyboards, guitar, melodica
Fred Frith, homemade instruments, guitar
Leo Kottke, acoustic 10-string guitar
Sigmund Snopek III, keyboards
Peter Balestrieri, alto saxophone
Steve Mackay, saxophone
Steve Scales, percussion
Abdulhamid Alwan, tabla, daf
Junior Brantley, keyboards
Jim Liban, harmonica
Bill Schaefgen, trombone
Drake Scott, vocalizing

Digitally remastered

Please Note: We offer this album in its native sampling rate of 48kHz, 24-bit. The provided 192kHz version was up-sampled and offers no audible value!

Violent Femmes
formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps, and The Velvet Underground. Their goal was to rock harder than any other acoustic act on the planet.

They were rejected for an audition by a local nightclub and set up outside a Pretenders gig. Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night's show. This gave the early Femmes a publicity boost which led to them being invited to play in NYC supporting Richard Hell. A rave review in the New York Times led eventually to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.

Their eponymous first album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts as a platinum album, eight years after its release. The Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs and theatres in over 30 countries worldwide in the ensuing three decades.

MTV's "Unplugged" show was inspired by the Femmes, although they never actually appeared on it. Their raw sound and honest lyrical perspective has been cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Pink, Keith Urban, The Smiths, Nirvana, Lou Reed, John Cusack, Mark Morris, and Wim Wenders.

Violent Femmes are currently touring in commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the release of their first album.

This album contains no booklet.