Limited 180gm vinyl LP repressing. Violent Femmes is the debut album by Violent Femmes. Mostly recorded in July 1982, the album was released by Slash Records in April, 1983. Violent Femmes became one of the most distinctive records of the early alternative movement and an enduring cult classic. By combining elements of Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers with new wave and acoustic-folk and punk rock, the Femmes forged a sound all their own. Violent Femmes is the band's most successful album to date and achieved a rare feat by going gold, four years after it's release, and later platinum, four years after that, without having yet made an appearance on the Billboard 200 album chart. Violent Femmes have released nine studio albums and more than a dozen iconic singles. Their remarkable three-decade-plus career has earned them cumulative worldwide sales in excess of 10 million.