Ugly Kid Joe Celebrate 30 Years of Menace To Sobriety With Deluxe Vinyl Reissue

In 1995, Ugly Kid Joe released Menace To Sobriety, their second full-length album. A heavier, darker, and more muscular outing than their blockbuster debut America’s Least Wanted, Menace was hailed by Kerrang! as “the album of the year.” Yet, in the United States, the record received little to no label support, leaving frontman Whitfield Crane to famously declare that their label was quietly backing away.

Three decades later, Menace To Sobriety has emerged as one of Ugly Kid Joe’s defining statements. Deko Entertainment is now bringing the record back to vinyl for the first time since its release, with both a single LP edition and a deluxe double 45RPM pressing due November 2025.

Menace To Sobriety showcased a grittier side of Ugly Kid Joe. The arrival of drummer Shannon Larkin (formerly of Wrathchild America, later of Godsmack) added new weight and complexity to the band’s sound. The record opened with the thunderous “God,” a mission statement of heaviness, and continued with the Sabbath-soaked “Tomorrow’s World.”

The album was a bold departure from the cheeky hard rock that defined their early singles.

“Milkman’s Son” offered melodic sophistication without losing the band’s trademark humor, while “Clover” and “Jesus Rode A Harley” highlighted the guitar chemistry of Dave Fortman and Klaus Eichstadt. Bassist Cordell Crockett brought funk and groove to the low end, completing a lineup firing on all cylinders.

Kerrang! may have crowned it “album of the year,” but without proper stateside promotion, Menace slipped into cult status. Now, history is giving it a second wind.

Deko’s 30th Anniversary reissue arrives in two formats:
A single LP on Ugly Kid Joe Ghostly Green vinyl
A double LP at 45RPM, pressed on Orange A-Side/B-Side splatter vinyl with gatefold packaging

Both editions feature the long-sought bonus track “Slower Than Nowhere,” omitted from the U.S. version in 1995. With limited pressings, these reissues are set to be prized collector’s items.

Ugly Kid Joe formed in Isla Vista, California in 1989, a group of friends who mixed humor with heavy riffs. Their debut EP As Ugly as They Wanna Be (1991) became the first EP in history to go platinum, powered by the infectious hit “Everything About You.”

That song was later immortalized in Wayne’s World (1992), cementing the band’s reputation for off-kilter, irreverent rock. Their first full album America’s Least Wanted (1992) went double platinum in the U.S., delivering MTV staples “Neighbor,” “So Damn Cool,” and their definitive hit, a faithful but massive cover of Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle.”

While Menace To Sobriety (1995) and its follow-up Motel California (1996) pushed the band toward heavier horizons, changing musical climates and label politics brought an end to Ugly Kid Joe in 1997. The rise of nu-metal and alternative trends left little room for the band’s hybrid of hard rock, funk, and humor. By the late ’90s, members had drifted into other projects. Guitarist Dave Fortman found enormous success as a producer, helming records for Evanescence, Slipknot, and Godsmack. Shannon Larkin joined Godsmack full-time. Whitfield Crane dabbled in supergroups and collaborations. For fans, it seemed like Ugly Kid Joe had been relegated to history.

In 2010, after 13 years of silence, Ugly Kid Joe reunited. The original lineup of Crane, Eichstadt, Fortman, Crockett, and Larkin regrouped for a string of European festival dates, where they were greeted not as relics but as cult heroes. A younger generation, raised on their early MTV hits, mixed with lifelong fans to give the band a rapturous welcome.
The reunion turned out not to be a nostalgia act but a new chapter. In 2012 they released the EP Stairway to Hell, a tongue-in-cheek nod to their history, blending fresh material with their old swagger. It was followed in 2015 by Uglier Than They Used Ta Be, which featured guest appearances from Motörhead’s Phil Campbell and brought the band back into the global touring circuit.

In 2022, Ugly Kid Joe released Rad Wings of Destiny, a record that proved their sense of humor and knack for hooks were still intact. Songs like “That Ain’t Livin’” showed that, far from a legacy act, the band remained creatively vital. Since reforming, they have toured Europe, the UK, Australia, and the U.S., often sharing stages with the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Skid Row, and Judas Priest.

Ugly Kid Joe, once dismissed as a “funny” band, have now been embraced as survivors—a group that outlasted many of their peers and remain relevant in a rock world that has dramatically shifted since their 1992 breakthrough.

Frontman Whitfield Crane has built a career beyond Ugly Kid Joe that reflects his adventurous spirit. After the band’s first split, Crane briefly fronted the short-lived Life of Agony offshoot Medication, and in 2006 joined ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke in the supergroup Another Animal.

Crane also spent time working with Lee Richards (Godsmack) and Shannon Larkin in side projects, and even collaborated with members of Motörhead and Metallica in various one-off jams. His voice, an elastic blend of melody and grit, has kept him in demand as a guest vocalist, with appearances on tracks by Life of Agony, Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels, and Lemmy’s Motörhead tribute projects.

Through it all, Crane has remained the charismatic centerpiece of Ugly Kid Joe, guiding their resurrection and ensuring the band’s catalog continues to resonate with new generations.

Ugly Kid Joe Discography

Studio Albums:

America’s Least Wanted (1992)
Menace To Sobriety (1995)
Motel California (1996)
Uglier Than They Used Ta Be (2015)
Rad Wings of Destiny (2022)
EPs:
As Ugly as They Wanna Be (1991)
Stairway to Hell (2012)

Compilations:

The Very Best of Ugly Kid Joe: As Ugly as It Gets (1998)
The Collection (2002)

Notable Singles:

“Everything About You” (1991)
“Neighbor” (1992)
“Cats in the Cradle” (1992)
“Busy Bee” (1993)
“Milkman’s Son” (1995)
“Tomorrow’s World” (1995)
“Cloudy Skies” (1996)
“Devil’s Paradise” (2012)

Tracklist – Menace To Sobriety (2025 Reissue)
Intro
God
Tomorrow’s World
Clover
C.U.S.T.
Milkman’s Son
Suckerpath
Cloudy Skies
Jesus Rode A Harley
10/10
V.I.P.
Oompa
Candle Song
Slower Than Nowhere (bonus)

Fans can pre-order the anniversary editions now via Deko Entertainment.

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Tagged as: 90s, alternative, Menace To Society, rock, Ugly Kid Joe, USA