Pocket Full of Kryptonite

Pocket Full of Kryptonite is the debut studio album by the American rock band Spin Doctors, released in August 1991. The album initially sold a respectable 60,000 copies in late 1991 due to its growing hardcore fanbase, before several radio stations (including WEQX in Vermont) started playing the single "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" in mid-1992.^[11] The combined strength of the single along with the follow-up "Two Princes" led to the album's peak at Nos. 1 and 3 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers and Billboard 200 albums charts, respectively. It is currently the band's best selling album, and was certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA.^[12]

Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Studio album by Spin Doctors
Released	August 20, 1991 (1991-08-20)
Recorded	July–December 1990
Studio	Power Station, New York City, New York RPM, New York City, New York ACME Recording, Mamaroneck, New York
Genre	Funk rock alternative rock
Length	50:30
Label	Epic
Producer	Frank Aversa Peter Denenberg Frankie LaRocka Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors chronology
Up for Grabs...Live (1991) Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991) Homebelly Groove...Live (1992)
Singles from Pocket Full of Kryptonite
"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" Released: 1992 "Two Princes" Released: January 4, 1993[1] "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" Released: 1993 "What Time Is It?" Released: 1993 "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)" Released: 1993[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Calgary Herald	B[4]
Chicago Tribune	[5]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[6]
Music Week	[7]
Q	[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
Select	[10]

It was remastered and reissued in 2011 as a 20th-anniversary edition, with a bonus track added to the original album and a second disc of demos previously released only on cassette, plus two live tracks.

The album's title is a quote from the opening track, "Jimmy Olsen's Blues", a humorous song sung from the point of view of Jimmy Olsen, a character in the Superman comic book series. In the song, Jimmy Olsen tries to woo Lois Lane away from Superman, stating "I got a pocket full of Kryptonite," referring to a fictional substance that weakens Superman. The album cover, showing a phone booth, refers to Clark Kent frequently ducking into a nearby phone booth to change into his Superman attire.

Track listing

Original album

All tracks are written by Spin Doctors except as noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Jimmy Olsen's Blues"		4:38
2.	"What Time Is It?"		4:50
3.	"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"		3:54
4.	"Forty or Fifty"		4:23
5.	"Refrigerator Car"		4:46
6.	"More Than She Knows"	Eric Schenkman, Simon Lambert, Graham Clark, J.P. Fitting	2:12
7.	"Two Princes"		4:18
8.	"Off My Line"	John David Bell, Spin Doctors	3:58
9.	"How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)"		4:59
10.	"Shinbone Alley/Hard to Exist"	Spin Doctors, John Popper	12:42
Total length:			50:30

Bonus tracks for European edition (Epic 468250 9)^[13]

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Yo Mamas a Pajama" (live, 1990-09-27 @ Wetlands Preserve, NY)	4:03
12.	"Sweet Widow" (live, 1990-09-27 @ Wetlands Preserve, NY)	11:38
13.	"Stepped on a Crack" (live, 1990-09-27 @ Wetlands Preserve, NY)	4:02
Total length:		70:13

2011 Anniversary edition disc 1 bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Hard to Exist" (B-side of "How Could You Want Him" single)	Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Comess	4:29
Total length:			54:59

Notes

• The live tracks on the European release also appear on the live album Homebelly Groove...Live (1992), and were recorded September 27, 1990, at Wetlands Preserve in New York.

2011 anniversary edition disc 2

All tracks are written by Spin Doctors except as noted.

1989 "Can't Say No" Demo, recorded Aug 1989 Greene Street Studios, New York City

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Jimmy Olsen's Blues"		5:13
2.	"Can't Say No"	Schenkman	2:20
3.	"Hard to Exist"	Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Comess	4:30
4.	"At This Hour"		5:37
5.	"40 or 50"		4:39
6.	"Big Fat Funky Booty"		4:00

1990 "Piece of Glass" Demo, recorded March 1990 RPM Studios, New York City

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
7.	"What Time Is It?"		4:08
8.	"How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)"		5:44
9.	"Hungry Hamed's"		4:39
10.	"House"		4:19
11.	"Two Princes"		4:41
12.	"Refrigerator Car"		4:05
13.	"Rosetta Stone"		6:10
14.	"Freeway of the Plains"	Gregg Buscaglia, Barron, Schenkman, Popper, Fogel	5:48

Live tracks

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Turn it Upside Down" (Live July 19, 1993, Kingswood Music Theater, Toronto, Canada)	4:41
16.	"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" (Live September 25, 1990, Continental Divide, New York City)	4:05
Total length:		75:15

Personnel

Spin Doctors

• Chris Barron – lead vocals
• Eric Schenkman – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Off My Line", piano on "40 or 50"
• Mark White – bass
• Aaron Comess – drums, organ, backing vocals on "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", congas on "40 or 50"

Additional musicians

• John Popper – harmonica on "More Than She Knows" and "Off My Line", backing vocals on "Two Princes"
• John Bush – tambourine on "Off My Line", congas on "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me)?"

Production

• Producers: Frank Aversa, Peter Denenberg, Frankie LaRocka, Spin Doctors
• Engineers: Frank Aversa, Peter Denenberg, Marc Schwartz, Spin Doctors
• Assistant engineers: Jeff Lippay, Motley
• Mixing: Peter Denenberg, Frankie La Rocka, Spin Doctors
• Mastering: Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
• Production coordination: Jason J. Richardson
• Guitar technician: Joseph Miselis
• Equipment manager: John Darren Greene
• Art direction: Francesca Restrepo
• Photography: Paul Aresu, Paul LaRaia
• Cover art: Darren Greene, Chris Gross, Nicky Lindeman
• Liner notes: Cree McCree

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Pocket Full of Kryptonite Chart (1992–1993) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 3 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[16] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 13 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[18] 3 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[19] 3 Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[20] 3 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 5 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[22] 33 Irish Albums (IRMA)[23] 9 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] 2 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 4 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 7 UK Albums (OCC)[28] 2 US Billboard 200[29] 3 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[30] 1

Year-end charts 1993 year-end chart performance for Pocket Full of Kryptonite Chart (1993) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[31] 17 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[32] 33 Canadian Albums (RPM)[33] 4 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[34] 96 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[35] 20 European Debut Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[36] 3 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[37] 33 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 12 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 33 UK Albums (OCC)[40] 11 US Billboard 200[41] 7 Decade-end charts Decade-end chart performance for Pocket Full of Kryptonite Chart (1990–1999) Position US Billboard 200[42] 95

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Pocket Full of Kryptonite

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[43]	Platinum	70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[44]	Gold	25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[45]	4× Platinum	400,000^
France (SNEP)[46]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[47]	Gold	250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48]	Gold	7,500^
Sweden (GLF)[49]	Gold	50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[50]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[51]	Platinum	300,000^
United States (RIAA)[52]	5× Platinum	5,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[53]	Platinum	1,000,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.