Riverdales (album)

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Riverdales is the debut studio album by the Chicago punk band Riverdales. The band formed after Screeching Weasel split up and aimed for a more Ramones-style sound. The album was released on June 7, 1995, through Lookout Records (LK 120).

Recording and release
- Recorded in January 1995 at Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette, Indiana, with Mass Giorgini producing.
- Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day mixed the album at The Catbox Studios, since he couldn’t travel to Indiana.
- Mastered by Stephen Marcussen in April 1995.
- Original length: 30:23. Singles: “Fun Tonight” (June 1995) and “Back to You” (July 1995).

Tour and reception
- The Riverdales supported Green Day on the US Insomniac tour, which helped the album become their best-selling release.
- The band left Lookout Records after a dispute with owner Larry Livermore and signed to Fat Wreck Chords’ Honest Don’s for their next album, Storm the Streets (1997). Lookout kept Riverdales in print until 2005.
- On the critical side, AllMusic’s Mike DaRonco gave it 2 out of 5, calling it “boring,” though he praised “Back to You” and “I Think About You During the Commercials.” Fans generally responded positively, and Foster later said the album was good but not as strong as Storm the Streets.

2006 reissue
- On October 10, 2006, Asian Man Records re-released Riverdales with new cover art and 12 bonus tracks.
- Bonus material includes two unreleased outtakes (“Two-Headed Girl” and “I Won’t Forget You”), two B-sides (“I’m a Vegetable” and “No Sense”), and eight live tracks from the Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands (August 27, 1995) opening for Green Day.
- The reissue cover features a grainy photo of the Chicago skyline.

Background and track credits
- The band formed from Screeching Weasel members using their real names. All tracks were written by Ben Foster and Dan Schafer. Since 2010, there has been talk of a re-release by other labels, but no official plans have been announced.