Never Enuff: Why Chip Z'Nuff Ain't Slowing Down

Photo courtesy of Freeman Promotions 

In 1993, Enuff Z’Nuff – a band nine years into their career – found themselves at the peak of their powers as they tore the roof off the place during a live appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. The spot was in support of their third album, Animals with Human Intelligence, which was released on industry powerhouse Arista Records. Fast-forward 23 years, and Enuff Z’Nuff – now with only founding bassist Chip Z’Nuff remaining from the glory days – are playing in front of a small crowd at a bar in Haverhill, MA on a Thursday night. The many events that transpired between those two moments could fill 20 books, but the highlights include major label woes, debt, changing musical tastes, frequent lineup changes, death, burnout …and some of the finest Pop-infused Rock songs you’ll ever hear.

Sure, Enuff Z’Nuff are commonly (and unjustly) lumped in with the Glam Metal fad of the '80s, but if you strip away the makeup and assorted trappings of the time, their 1989 self-titled debut album is basically the best Squeeze album that Split Enz never wrote. Subsequent releases (including 1991’s stellar Strength) demonstrated that the band could maintain high songwriting standards even as the Grunge movement pushed them out of the spotlight. In a perfect world, Enuff Z’Nuff's stadium-worthy songs would provide Chip Z’Nuff a life of riches; instead, he’s a middle-aged musician currently traveling to club after club in a van. Enuff Z’Nuff should have sold millions of albums; instead, Z'Nuff tells me that the band’s two records on ATCO/Atlantic back in the day somehow left them $750,000 in the hole despite going Gold. When the band’s time with their second label, Arista, resulted in only modest album sales, they began a second life as an indie label act and have existed with varying success to this day. Along the way, both ATCO/Arista-era guitarist Derek Frigo and longtime drummer Ricky Parent passed away. It certainly hasn’t been a smooth and happy ride for this bunch.  

But despite the constant shit thrown their way, Enuff Z’Nuff have never stopped putting out amazing music. Nearly 20 albums later, the band is still as active and creative as ever. In fact, Z’Nuff and singer Donnie Vie have more original songs just sitting around than most bands compose in a lifetime.

“Donnie and I probably have six albums in the can,” explains Z’Nuff. “We’ve written more than Zeppelin, more than Queen - all of them bands. We have tons of stuff. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but my fucking band – Donnie and I – have been very prolific. We’ve written a lot of songs, in the early days all the way through our career.”

Of course, being able to produce such an extensive repertoire requires considerable focus, which Enuff Z’Nuff has been able to maintain despite the common – and often very fun – distractions that come from indulging in the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle.

“In the old days, my band partied our asses off. We did more cocaine than Guns N’ Roses! We fucked more chicks than you can imagine on tour. We were out of control, but one thing we never shortcutted anybody on was the songs. We always focused our attention on great songs and strong performances, and that was the most important thing in Enuff Z’Nuff. The trim and the substance abuse was secondary.”

Unfortunately, years of band life have taken a heavy toll on Donnie Vie. Worn out, he stepped away from Enuff Z’Nuff in 2013. Z’Nuff insists that Vie is still an important part of the group.

“Donnie is not kicked out of the band; Donnie chose to get out because he was disillusioned by the business and he’s dealing with health issues. Maybe it was time for him to take a break, but he’ll always be in Enuff Z’Nuff.”

With long-serving guitarist Johnny Monaco taking over on vocals, Enuff Z’Nuff soldiered on as a trio until Monaco’s health precipitated his own split from the group. Undeterred, Z’Nuff decided to take over fronting the band himself. 

“I’ve dedicated my whole like to Enuff Z’Nuff; it’s my job,” he says. “When Monaco said he was leaving because he had some issues with his hands, and I guess he wasn’t interested in singing the songs anymore, I decided that maybe I’ll give it a go. I talked to Donnie, and he said, ‘Look, you wrote these songs with me. You go out there and sing them. People will know it’s Enuff Z’Nuff if you’re in front.’”

In addition to Z'Nuff, the current incarnation of Enuff Z’Nuff includes guitarist Tory Stoffrege, drummer Daniel Hill and – get this – former Ultravox frontman Tony Fennell on guitar. (A brand-new interview with Tony regarding his time in Ultravox and membership in Enuff Z’Nuff is available HERE.)

“These fucking guys can sing,” says Z’Nuff of his current bandmates. “They really play their asses off and sing well, and they believe in the legacy of Enuff Z’Nuff.”

Photo by Joel Gausten

As tight as the band is at this stage of the game, Z’Nuff acknowledges that he has a steep hill to climb if he is going to re-establish Enuff Z’Nuff in today’s marketplace.

“It’s a tough time right now. We’re in a time in the music business where there’s too product and not enough demand. Everybody’s got a fucking band; everybody’s trying to sell records and get out there. We’ve got a name, and we’ve got some big fans out there who love our band. Besides the rock stars like the Cheap Tricks and the Aerosmiths, we’ve got guys like Green Day and Foo Fighters saying nice things about us. Howard Stern is a big proponent; he still loves the band and still talks about us. I know millions of people know who the band is; we said, ‘We’ve got to give it another chance.’

“Here I am playing a club tonight, and 200 people are there, but they all love the band and the band sounds strong,” he adds. “It’s a good show; I’m focusing on the first three records, which sold the most for us. There’s a lot more material in the kitty, but if we're going to play an hour-long set, I want to focus on those early songs…If it gets bigger and grows, I’ll put more songs in the set and I’ll mix it up.”

Of course, writing a great song (or 60) is only half the battle. In order to find the right ears for their tunes, Enuff Z’Nuff needed the right label to help them move forward. Enter Frontiers, the well-respected Hard Rock/Metal label overseen by former ATCO CEO Derek Shulman.

“[Frontiers] came to us and said, ‘Do you have anything for us?’ I gave them a three-song demo. The next day, they called back and said, ‘We fucking love it! Let’s do an album.’”

Out December 2 on Frontiers, Clowns Lounge is a collection of (mostly) previously unreleased material from the Enuff Z’Nuff archives. Ten of the record’s 12 songs were recorded circa 1988/1989 with the ATCO-era lineup of Z’Nuff, Vie, Frigo and drummer Vikki Foxx, while a brand-new tune called “Dog On A Bone” gets the whole affair off with a rousing start.

“The diehard Enuff Z’Nuff fans and the people who have been following the band for years are going to be so happy with this album. Most bands couldn’t do what we do; we’re putting an album out with the original guys. It’s an archival record with the original cats – Vikki Foxx, Derek Frigo, Donnie Vie and myself. It’s a rock-solid, 12-song masterpiece, I think. It’s got tons of energy; we were full of piss and vinegar at the time. They were such good songs; we were writing so much that we just let them sit in the can.”

The remaining Clowns Lounge track, “The Devil Of Shakespeare,” was recorded circa 2004 to promote the novel of the same name by former D’Molls drummer Billy “Dior” McCarthy. The song features Z’Nuff, McCarthy, Styx’s James “J.Y.” Young, Ron Flynt of 20/20 and the late Jani Lane of Warrant.

“I went to the studio and wrote this thing in fucking 10 minutes [and] recorded it in an hour,” Z’Nuff recalls. “Then, we decided, ‘Hey, let’s get Robin Zander to sing on it.’ We went to go see Robin Zander and handed him $3,000 at a concert in Rockford. As I was handing him the money, his manager came over and said, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ We said, ‘We’re gonna give Robin an advance, half the money. We’re going to give him $6,000 to sing on a record. He’s going to sing on one song.’ The guy said, ‘Hang on a second. Let’s talk about this. I want to hear the song.’ The manager was a real fucking prick. He gave the money back to us, and then we waited for about a week. He eventually got back to us and said, ‘Robin’s not available.’ Our next choice was Jani Lane; we loved him dearly. He was a friend of ours and a great singer and songwriter. We asked Jani if he would be kind enough to sing on the track, and he accepted. I was producing it; Jani says, ‘Chip, I’d like to take a different approach. I want to sing it like Bowie.’ I said, ‘Jani, any way you want to sing the song, go right ahead. I just want to have your beautiful pipes on here.’ In one or two takes, he nailed it. It’s not necessarily an Enuff Z’Nuff song because Donnie’s not on it, but I sang and played on it, and I wrote it. I thought it would be a nice thing for Jani Lane’s family to hear and for Warrant fans to hear as well. It was one of last tracks Jani Lane sang in a studio, and he sang it effortlessly. He sang his ass off and loved doing it because he loved Enuff Z’Nuff and loved Billy.”

After 32 years in the game, Chip Z’Nuff still approaches his career with the enthusiasm of a young kid penning his first song in his garage. With Clowns Lounge about to rekindle the public’s interest in Enuff Z’Nuff, he’s ready to take his rejuvenated band as far as he can.   

“Not many guys have been doing it as long as I've been doing it. I’m very lucky, and I thank the fans for sticking with the band and being supportive all these years. I’m not going to let you down; we’re going to continue to put good music out there.”

Chip Z'Nuff on Guns N' Roses 

Official Enuff Z'Nuff Website

  

Photo courtesy of Freeman Promotions 

READ JOEL'S BIO
PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com

Why Enuff Z'Nuff Is THE Band to See Live

Photo by Alex Ruffini

It ain’t always easy being one of the best bands in Rock ‘n’ Roll.

As seen in this website’s coverage of Enuff Z’Nuff in recent years (links below), this long-running band is still out there releasing stellar albums decades after their late-’80s commercial heyday. Fronted for nearly a decade now by bassist/singer and sole original member Chip Z’Nuff, the quartet (completed by former Ultravox frontman Tony Fennell on guitar, drummer Daniel Hill and guitarist Tory Stoffregen) recently hit Laconia, NH on the Glam Slam Metal Jam Tour with Pretty Boy Floyd and The Midnight Devils. Thirty years ago, Enuff Z’ Nuff was on Arista Records and playing on Late Night with David Letterman. Now, the fellas are signed to an indie label in Italy and just played in the Granite State for about 30 people on a rainy (and surprisingly cold) June night. Now, there are plenty of still-running bands from the ’80s Glam Metal scene whose lack of substance deserves such a cruel fate, but Enuff Z’Nuff isn’t one of them.

While some releases in the band’s 20-plus album discography are stronger than others, these guys – regardless of the lineup – have never once written a bad song. And these aren’t just disposable Glam/Hair Metal songs, folks. At its best, Enuff Z’Nuff gives its Illinois brethren Cheap Trick a run for its money. Take a close listen to 1991’s Strength, a masterclass in Powerpop songwriting and an album that stands up to – and, in terms of quality, often eclipses – the most celebrated records of the decade. (There’s a reason why Rolling Stone named Enuff Z’Nuff “The Hot Band of 1991.”) Hell, if Nirvana hadn’t dropped Nevermind about six month after Strength’s release, there’s a very strong chance Enuff Z’Nuff would have ended up filling arenas instead of playing mostly to the bar staff in Nowhere, New England in 2022. Enuff Z’Nuff’s lack of long-lasting mainstream success is one of the biggest crimes in music history.

Fortunately, the small crowd size didn’t seem to matter in the slightest to Chip and Co., who delivered a flawless headline set that leaned heavily on Strength, 1989’s Enuff Z’Nuff and last year’s Beatles tribute album Hardrock Night with a couple of deep cuts (including “The Love Train” off 1993’s Animals with Human Intelligence) thrown in for good measure. Musically, the band was in top form. (Full marks to Hill, whose solid, meat-and-potatoes drumming kept the energy flowing throughout the set. Any band would be lucky to have him.)

Image has always been a blessing and a curse for Enuff Z’Nuff. The dayglo Glam of the classic video for 1989’s “New Thing” earned the group plenty of attention, but it also stuck the guys in time. Unfortunately, most music fans listen with their eyes first, which has made everything this band has done in the past 30-plus years an uphill climb. Interestingly, today’s Enuff Z’Nuff looks almost nothing like it did way back in the ’80s. Sure, Chip still dons the big sunglasses and dresses like an acid trip in corporeal form (and I love him for that!), but the rest of the band’s look is decidedly low-key. If anything, they look like any other bunch of nondescript musicians you’d find at a local club on a Saturday night – and this is actually a great thing. With the pomp and poses stripped away, the current incarnation of Enuff Z’Nuff has only the quality of its material to win over a crowd – and that is and has always been more than (ahem) enough.

Do yourself a favor and see this band live at your earliest opportunity. This is as real as music gets.

More on Chip Z'Nuff/Enuff Z'Nuff on This Site:

Catching Up with Chip Z'Nuff, the Hardest-Working Man in Rock 'n' Roll (Really!)

Never Enuff: Why Chip Z'Nuff Ain't Slowing Down

From New Wave to "New Thing:" A Chat with Tony Fennell of Enuff Z'Nuff

Guns N' Roses: What's Next?

Official Enuff Z'Nuff Website

JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK

READ JOEL'S BIO

PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS

EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com

Catching Up with Chip Z'Nuff, the Hardest-Working Man in Rock 'n' Roll (Really!)

Photo source: twitter.com/chipznuff 

Way back in late 1983, Chicago multi-instrumentalist Chip Z’Nuff and his then-musical partner, Donnie Vie, began recording primitive demos of tunes for what would become the band Enuff Z’Nuff. With a sound more akin to The Beatles and Squeeze than Bang Tango and Sleeze Beez, the duo crafted a deep well of material that stood out like a sore thumb among their Glam Metal contemporaries. Sure, Enuff Z’Nuff looked the part themselves (especially via their videos for “New Thing” and “Fly High Michelle” off 1989’s eponymous Atco Records debut), but the band always had extraordinary Pop sensibilities hidden under all that makeup and hairspray. In an era that produced more style than substance, Enuff Z’Nuff was always a cut above the rest. (Just take a listen to the slice of utter Powerpop perfection that is 1991’s “Baby Loves You.” Case closed.) Enuff Z’Nuff is a band with songs, which is precisely why it is still alive and well after nearly 40 years and 20-plus albums.

That’s not to say that it’s been an easy career for these guys. After a major label run that left Enuff Z’ Nuff in debt more than it made it a household name, the band has spent the past two-plus decades slugging it out in the indie world amidst frequent lineup changes (including a stint with former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee in tow). Vie jumped ship nine years ago, leaving Chip – the group’s sole original member – to carry on in the vocal position in addition to playing bass. With Chip at the helm, Enuff Z’Nuff has released a series of albums on Italy’s Frontiers Music that stand up to – and often eclipse the quality of – the records released during the group’s glory years. In fact, the past 12 months alone have been one of the most active and creative times in the band’s history.

In June 2021, Enuff Z’Nuff joined Faster Pussycat for the Straight Outta Quarantine Tour, which gave fans a much-needed dose of live Rock after far too many months away. Not surprisingly, Chip was thrilled to finally get back on the road.

“We were probably the first band to go out there and do a substantial tour this whole shutdown, and it was fabulous.”

Last November, Enuff Z’Nuff wore its Beatles fandom on its sleeve like never before with the release of Hardrock Night, a collection of covers of some of the Fab Four’s greatest hits.

“We looked at stuff off Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album. We thought there were enough songs on just those three records to put together a whole Beatles reinterpretation,” Chip recalls. “I think we’re the first Rock band that’s ever taken the approach of doing a whole album of nothing but Beatles songs. I know Stone Temple Pilots, Styx, Cheap Trick and countless other bands have covered a song or two, but I don’t think anyone’s covered [an entire album of] songs. Perhaps it was a difficult task to get the licensing for all these songs, but Paul and Ringo have given us the thumbs up. Whenever you get the endorsement of the kings, you can’t go wrong right there.”

The seeds for Hardrock Night were planted years ago when Chip was approached by a tour promoter to participate in a proposed Beatles tribute supergroup alongside former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, Mr. Big’s Paul Gilbert and drum legend Mike Portnoy (Winery Dogs/ex Dream Theatre). Although the plan never came to fruition, the bassist decided to put the idea down on record when COVID-19 prevented Enuff Z’Nuff from properly touring in support of its 2020 album, Brainwashed Generation. As a result, Hardrock Night was actually done and dusted more than a year before its release.

“In the old days, bands would put out a couple of records a year. We didn’t want to rest on our laurels; we wanted to put this record out right away. We weren’t lazy; we went into the studio and kept recording as much as we could. The biggest fear of any artist is running out of songs. How many can you come up with? All the great bands take a long time to put a record together. It’s not easy, but I felt that with this Beatles record, the songs had already been written. It was just a matter of getting some great performances and laying them down in just the right way. It took that much time for our label, Frontiers, to find an open window – because there’s so much product in this day and age – to get the album out in the streets.”

In addition to Enuff Z’Nuff’s spin on several Beatles classics, Hardrock Night gives a nod to the solo careers of Lennon and McCartney. In fact, Lennon’s “Cold Turkey” was the first song recorded for the album.

“I wanted to get some solo stuff on there as well because I think those songs really speak to the fans out there. A lot of people love John’s solo stuff, and they love Paul’s stuff as well.”

For this writer’s money, there’s probably no other band on the planet better suited for a Beatles tribute album. Naturally, Chip is quick to share my enthusiasm for the finished product.

“Every single song is a juggernaut! It’s a great Hard Rock record. If you like Hard Rock and Pop mixed together, you’ve got to check out this album. It’s The Beatles on 10! There’s nothing but smash Hard Rock beyond belief, in-your-face recordings.”

Only four months after the release of Hardrock Night, Chip was back with another record – his second solo release, Perfectly Imperfect. A Rock/Powerpop masterpiece and easily one of the year’s finest albums, Perfectly Imperfect is Cheap Trick, The Beatles, Third Eye-era Redd Kross, The Posies, Squeeze, Jellyfish and Enuff Z’Nuff all rolled into one. (Frankly, the songwriting on this thing is downright stunning – among Chip’s best, and that’s really saying something.) Guests on the album include former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler (on the album’s sole cover – Mott the Hoople’s “Honaloochie Boogie”), Whitesnake’s Joel Hoekstra, Daxx Nielson of Cheap Trick and current Enuff Z’Nuff drummer Daniel Hill.

"All songs are written as I see the world through my rose-colored glasses,” Chip says of the album. “It’s my heroin letter to the new generation!”

That’s not all, folks. The summer of 2021 saw the release of Never Enuff: Rarities & Demos, a three-CD/four-LP box set on Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records that collects previously unreleased recordings from back when Enuff Z’Nuff was just Chip and Donnie Vie putting down rough songs on four-and-eight-track recorders. (Chip plays guitar and live/programmed drums on several tracks in addition to bass.) Although the recordings obviously don’t boast the sheen of an Atco Records production, Never Enuff is still quite possibly the only box set in existence that doesn’t have one second of filler. Chip was thrilled to see these early numbers finally hit the public.

“We never thought that would see the light of day. Songs are like embryos; you hang on to them and you don’t want anybody to see them until they’re ready and fully developed. So, those tracks were just sitting in a vault in my library. Brian Perera at Cleopatra Records approached me and said, ‘Hey, we want to put out your catalogue.’ I talked to Donnie’s management company. After many trials and tribulations, we released a record of all the stuff I saved. It has a great energy to it! Remember – these were all done on little DAT tapes and stuff. There was no adding or subtracting; all we could do was go in and master the record. We listened to the 60 or so songs that we had, and we picked the best 40 of them and put them all together on three discs.”

In addition to Chip and Hill, the current lineup of Enuff Z’Nuff features guitarists Tony Fennell (also known for his stint as vocalist for Ultravox) and Tory Stoffregen. The band is currently ripping it up on the road on the Glam Slam Metal Jam Tour with Pretty Boy Floyd. Last month, Chip, Hill and Stoffregen toured the US as the backing band for Chicago rocker Steve Ramone, who served as the opening act for UK legends The Quireboys. Since Chip presumably never sleeps, he also filled in on bass for The Quireboys for the trek. In 2022, you’d be hard-pressed to find a harder working man in Rock ‘n’ Roll. And of course, a new Enuff Z’Nuff studio album is right around the corner.

Nearly a decade after Vie’s departure made him the frontman of the band he co-founded way back in ’83, Chip Z’Nuff is still in the game and shows no signs of slowing down – proof that the real thing will always persevere despite the odds.

“The Good Lord works in mysterious ways. It’s a blessing from above for sure. I’m not a super-religious guy, but that’s the truth. The songs come from somewhere, and it’s a blessing that we’re still going after all these years. Nobody puts a band together and gears it up for failure, okay? I always thought we’d be going for the longest time. The last [other] original guy left, and it’s certainly been tough dealing with that throughout the years, but I think I’ve found my footing. I wear this dress well now.”

The Glam Slam Metal Jam Tour with Enuff Z'Nuff hits the Granite State Music Hall in Laconia, NH tomorrow night. Go here for tickets.

More on Chip Z'Nuff/Enuff Z'Nuff on This Site:

Never Enuff: Why Chip Z'Nuff Ain't Slowing Down

From New Wave to "New Thing:" A Chat with Tony Fennell of Enuff Z'Nuff

Guns N' Roses: What's Next?

Official Enuff Z'Nuff Website

JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK

READ JOEL'S BIO

PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS

EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com

Animals with Human Intelligence: Revisiting Enuff Z'Nuff's Overlooked Masterpiece

Who was Rolling Stone’s “Hot Band of 1991”?

If you guessed Nirvana, you’re wrong. Pearl Jam? Not even close.

When the magazine published its annual “Hot” issue on May 16 of that year—four months and eight days prior to the release of a little album called Nevermind— it bestowed its high honor upon Enuff Z’Nuff, a band that had already received weeks’ worth of critical acclaim for its second album, Strength.

Formed in Illinois in 1984 and initially heard by the masses via a self-titled 1989 album on ATCO Records, Enuff Z’Nuff—fronted by the duo of singer/guitarist Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z’ Nuff—quickly became MTV darlings via a pair of bulletproof singles (“New Thing” and “Fly High Michelle”) that were accompanied by suitably glammy videos. (This was still the era of Aquanet-spraying dudes in lipstick, after all). Sure, the fellas were kitschy and fun, but the over-the-top image that accompanied their debut album often overshadowed the fact that Chip and Donnie were extraordinary Power Pop songwriters who could give Squeeze’s Difford and Tilbrook a run for their money. (Image “Fly High Michelle” without the outlandish video and the glossy production of its era. I rest my case.)

Strength was Enuff Z’Nuff’s opportunity to shake off its “Glam” tag and be considered for its actual songs—and for a short time, the move had paid off. Arguably the best entry in the group’s lengthy discography, Strength was a Beatles-meets-Badfinger-via-Bon Jovi tour de force that should be one of the albums readily on top of music lovers’ minds today when they think back to the year that spawned it. Of course, the music industry had changed considerably by the end of ’91, and Enuff Z’ Nuff's it-thing spotlight had already started to fade.  

Of course, nobody in the Enuff Z’Nuff camp knew that at the time. The band began recording what would become 1993’s Animals with Human Intelligence with the support if its new label, Arista. The band also had powerhouse manager Herbie Herbert—best known as the man who guided Journey toward stadium-level success—in tow. Famed Def Leppard engineer Nigel Green signed on to mix the record, and Arista head Clive Davis brought in Richie Zito—who had produced hits for Heart, Cheap Trick, and Poison—to put his finishing touch on the proceedings after the band had already completed a good chunk of the album on its own at the Chicago Recording Company. Hell, even the likes of Dweezil Zappa, Steve Stevens, Cinderella, Stevie Salas, Micki Free, and Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen would stop by the sessions to check out how things were going.

The above scenario was just too perfect for the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Naturally, it didn’t take long for things to go sideways.

“Unfortunately, Richie didn’t show up for some of those sessions because he was robbed at his house one night, kidnapped, and thrown into the trunk of his car with his wife! A neighbor heard him banging on it!” Chip recalls. “Obviously, it ruffled his feathers, but he ended up coming to do some stuff [with us] over at One on One Studios and A&M Studios in Los Angeles. We did overdubs [with him], but the guitar was too loud for Richie to handle."

To make matters worse, long-serving drummer Vik Foxx bailed at the end of the album’s sessions to take a gig with then-former Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil. Chip, Donnie, and guitarist Derek Frigo soldiered on with new timekeeper Ricky Parent.

Despite these bumps in the road, Enuff Z’Nuff ended up with another fantastic album.

“Clive chose the songs, and we provided him with strong material. Sonically, Animals with Human Intelligence is probably one of the strongest records we’ve ever recorded.”

Right from the first notes of album opener “Superstitious,” it’s difficult to disagree with Chip’s appraisal of the 12-song collection. Boasting hooks for days and expertly produced to power up its every note, Animals with Human Intelligence was a perfect album for Rock radio in 1993. “Black Rain,” “Master of Pain,” and “Bring It on Home” sat very comfortably next to Soundgarden or Stone Temple Pilots, while the record’s best number, “Mary Anne Lost Her Baby,” flawlessly married the sonic grit of the early ’90s with the ’80s glaze that had once made Enuff Z’ Nuff shine. Hell, even the album’s big power ballad, “Right By Your Side” —a track that stays in your head for days upon first listen—had enough balls to it to overcome any eye-rolls from the Siamese Dream crowd.*  

Not surprisingly, expectations within the Enuff Z’Nuff camp were high. Unfortunately, excitement over the album’s potential chart performance was short-lived.

“It was a solid record; we could tell we had something special,” Chip says. “But at the time it came out, there was a changing of the guard in the music business. You had Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Nirvana—all that stuff was coming in. Bands that were considered colorful and flamboyant were pushed to the side for a while—there was a whole new musical trend that was happening.”

Obviously, Enuff Z’ Nuff wasn’t the only band affected by the shift. Despite delivering one of their heaviest albums ever with 1993’s Revenge, the members of KISS quickly found themselves playing to half-empty arenas. Released the same year, Warrant’s decidedly unglamorous Dog Eat Dog got the era’s sound right but failed to connect with record buyers. The following year, a Vince Neil-less Mötley Crüe released a self-titled album that successfully captured the vibe of the times but ultimately stiffed in the marketplace. The party was over.

As great as it was, Animals with Human Intelligence didn’t stand a chance. For one thing, the album cover shot of Donnie, Chip, and Derek looked like a relic from a discarded era. Looking back now, it seems insane to assume that anyone in 1993 outside of the group’s devoted fanbase would have given the thing a listen. Before long, Enuff Z’Nuff would learn exactly how much the world had changed.

On the first night of the tour in support of the album, the band’s bus hit another car while pulling out of a venue in Iowa. Things got worse from there.

“Instead of playing to a jam-packed 800-seat venue, there would be 300 people there,” Chip reveals. “We were following around a band called Korn, and all their venues were 1,000-seaters. We just knew we were in big trouble. We sold about 250,000 copies of the album. Back then, that was considered a failure. We continued to move forward. We toured for a whole year on that record, and we went into considerable debt.”

Enuff Z’Nuff’s relationship with Arista didn’t fare much better. During the band’s showcase at the Roxy in Los Angeles for Davis and his constituents, Donnie stuck a dozen red roses between Davis’ legs as he introduced his new signees on stage—perhaps not the best way to endear yourself to a new boss.

To be fair, Animals with Human Intelligence did get a decent promotional push. The band performed “Superstitious” on Late Night with David Letterman, and longtime friend and fan Howard Stern still hyped the band on his airwaves. But it was too late.

As the dust settled, Herbert suggested that it was time for the band to part ways with Arista. Chip agreed.

“Herbie told us that we had confused motion with progress. In hindsight, I can see how Arista had trouble with Rock bands—Clive was used to signing bands that had Pop hits. We found ourselves in a position where we had to go somewhere else. We thought perhaps we’d go the indie label route.

“A lot of bands went away or took a break, but we continued to work and put out records,” he adds. “We were hungry, and we didn’t want to stop. We knew we had good music and songs and made solid records. It was just a matter of finding an audience that would listen to us.”

Fortunately, that’s exactly what Enuff Z’Nuff did. Although the crowds are smaller now than they were in the band’s ATCO heyday, Chip (who now fronts the band on vocals in addition to playing bass following Donnie’s departure a decade ago) has consistently released stellar music for the past 30 years—including five Enuff Z’Nuff albums and a solo release (Perfectly Imperfect) from 2016 to 2022 alone.

Sadly, Derek passed away in 2004, followed by Ricky three years later.

“Right By the Side” had some legs in the ensuing years. The song was covered with tremendous Pop aplomb by the Norwegian group The Tuesdays in 1995. Fourteen years later, Chicago-based rapper Malik Yusef—with Kanye West and Destiny Child’s Michelle Williams in tow—gave it the Hip-Hop treatment on his G.O.O.D. Morning, G.O.O.D. Night album.

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Animals with Human Intelligence will receive a vinyl, digital, and CD re-release** by Deadline Music on September 29.

The cover of the upcoming reissue of Animals with Human Intelligence on Deadline Music. 

Will this upcoming reissue set the world on fire in 2023? Probably not. Should the album get some long-overdue attention and a belated acknowledgment of its greatness? Absolutely.

As far as this writer’s concerned, an Enuff Z’ Nuff gig at some shithole on a Thursday night is infinitely more rewarding than a sold-out Saturday night arena show by an artist with less talent and feeling. No question.

If you’re my age, you likely look back at the Hair Metal years with great fondness. You also likely know that a lot of that stuff was disposable garbage. But not Chip and Donnie circa 1993. If you give Animals with Human Intelligence a listen today, you’ll quickly realize that our generation’s Lennon and McCartney were hiding in plain sight all along.

*Although Enuff Z’Nuff may not have appealed to most of The Smashing Pumpkins’ fanbase, the same certainly couldn’t be said for the band’s frontman, Billy Corgan—a longtime fan who guested on Enuff Z’ Nuff’s 1999 album, Paraphernalia.

** “Fingertips,” a track that appeared on the Japanese issue of the original album release, is said to be included on the upcoming reissue.

More on Enuff Z’Nuff on This Site

Enuff Z’Nuff Tour Dates

Enuff Z’Nuff Website

 

JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK

READ JOEL'S BIO

PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS

EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com