Hack (album)

Hack is an album by the freestyle synthpop band Information Society. The album sold quite well but did not outsell the band's first album. It is the only major-label-distributed title that has the modern Tommy Boy Records logo on it.

Hack
Studio album by
Information Society
ReleasedOctober 16, 1990
GenreSynthpop, freestyle, electronica
Length1:02:46
LabelTommy Boy/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records
26258
ProducerFred Maher
Paul Robb
Information Society chronology
Information Society
(1988)		 Hack
(1990)		 Peace and Love, Inc.
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Artwork and packaging

The menacing car on the cover is "Vector", Kurt Harland's heavily customized 1973 Plymouth Satellite Sebring. The cassette tape for this album used an unusual naming convention for the sides. Instead of 1 and 2 or A and B, there was the Gilligan Side and the Skipper Side. The vinyl edition had Scooby Side and Shaggy Side.

Musical style

Riding on the success of its self-titled major-label debut, Harland decided to have the band experiment on this album with a more radical, harsher sound. The other members agreed somewhat, feeling that they should stay on level ground with the pop sensibilities. This is more pronounced on tracks like "Seek 200" and "Hard Currency". This notion eventually lead to Don't Be Afraid, Harland's solo album.

Like the others, this album is thick with samples and loops, including Kraftwerk, James Brown, Nitzer Ebb and Beastie Boys.

Star Trek references

There are multiple references to the first Star Trek series on various tracks on the album. On the track "Charlie X", the line "I could make you all go away, any time I want to" is a reference to the episode "Charlie X". On "Come with Me," the following lines are a reference to the episode The Changeling:

"What is the meaning?"

"Singing, What purpose is singing? I like to sing"

"I felt like music"

Track listing
Standard edition[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Background VocalsLength
1."Seek 200"Kurt Harland Valaquen 3:06
2."How Long"Paul RobbIndia4:06
3."Think/Wenn Wellen Schwingen"Paul RobbNocera5:05
4."A Knife & a Fork/R.I.P."Paul Robb 3:23
5."Now That I Have You"Paul RobbNocera5:04
6."Fire Tonight"Kurt Harland ValaquenNocera5:39
7."Can't Slow Down/T.V. Addicts"Paul RobbIndia5:14
8."Hard Currency"Kurt Harland Valaquen 2:34
9."Move Out/CP Drill KKL"Kurt Harland Valaquen, Fred MaherNocera4:34
10."Mirrorshades/We Don't Take"Paul RobbIndia5:38
11."Hack 1/Charlie X"Paul Robb 3:32
12."If Only"Paul RobbNocera4:06
13."Come With Me"Kurt Harland Valaquen, Fred MaherNocera4:23
14."Slipping Away/Here Is Kazmeyer"Kurt Harland ValaquenNocera4:12
15."Chemistry"Paul Robb 2:12
Total length:1:02:46

Note

  • The sub-listings under several main tracks are index 2, while each of the main tracks is index 1. These are listed as the decimal part of the track number on the back cover of the jewel case. For example, "Slipping Away" is 14.1, "Here Is Kazmeyer" is 14.2, though they will usually play or be ripped as a single track numbered 14.

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic[3]

Notes
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r9823
  3. "Hack – Information Society | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
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