No, Virginia...

No, Virginia... is the first compilation album by American dark cabaret band The Dresden Dolls. It was released in Europe on May 19, 2008 and North America on May 20, 2008.^[5] A special edition was released in the US via the iTunes Store and Amazon.com's MP3 service on June 10, 2008. The compilation is a companion piece to the band's second studio album, 2006's Yes, Virginia..., and contains tracks left over from recording sessions dating back to 2003,^[6] along with B-sides and tracks released on compilations. Singer Amanda Palmer has emphasized that the unreleased tracks from Yes, Virginia... were left off the album due to issues with the flow of the album, and not with the tracks themselves.^[7] Five tracks from No, Virginia... were recorded with Sean Slade in January 2008 at Mad Oak Studios. The songs themselves were written years ago but had not been recorded until the session with Slade. One song from the album, "The Kill", has been made available for streaming on the band's MySpace profile.

No, Virginia...
Compilation album by The Dresden Dolls
Released	May 17, 2008
Recorded	2003 – January 2008
Studio	Mad Oak, Allston, Massachusetts
Genre	Dark cabaret alternative rock
Length	48:46
Label	Roadrunner
Producer	Sean Slade Paul Q. Kolderie
The Dresden Dolls chronology
Yes, Virginia... (2006) No, Virginia... (2008)
Singles from No, Virginia...
"Night Reconnaissance" Released: May 12, 2008
Special edition cover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
PopMatters	^[2]
Pitchfork	7.1/10^[3]
Spin	^[4]

On April 4, 2008, the band began taking pre-orders for the album. Those who pre-ordered the album directly from the band were able to download a live recording of "Glass Slipper" during the week the album was released. The track may be one of the two live tracks the band considered adding to the standard track listing of the album.^[8]

Critical reception

Favorable reviews came from Billboard,^[9] The Boston Globe,^[10] The New York Times,^[11] and Paste.^[12]

Track listing

1. "Dear Jenny" – 3:07
2. "Night Reconnaissance" – 3:56
3. "The Mouse and the Model" (demo) – 6:02
4. "Ultima Esperanza" – 4:33
5. "The Gardener" (Yes, Virginia... B-side) – 5:08
6. "Lonesome Organist Rapes Page-Turner" (Yes, Virginia... B-side) – 3:42
7. "Sorry Bunch" – 3:09
8. "Pretty in Pink" (The Psychedelic Furs cover) – 3:57
9. "The Kill" (Yes, Virginia... B-side) – 3:49
10. "The Sheep Song" – 3:59
11. "Boston" (Yes, Virginia... B-side) – 7:20

Pre-order bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Glass Slipper" (live in St. Louis, January 6, 2008)	9:00

Special edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Glass Slipper" (live in St. Louis, January 6, 2008)	9:00
13.	"A Night at the Roses" ("Good Day" B-side)	4:43
14.	"I Would for You" (Yes, Virginia... B-side; Jane's Addiction cover)	4:33

The special edition was digital only, whereas the standard edition was published both in CD and vinyl formats.

Personnel

• Amanda Palmer – piano, vocals, lyricist, composer, songwriter
• Brian Viglione – drums, guitar, backing vocals
• Sean Slade – production, mixing
• George Marino – mastering
• Benny Grotto – mixing, engineering
• Brian Koerber – assistant engineer

Charts

Chart performance for No, Virginia...

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[13]	78
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[14]	70
US Billboard 200^[15]	94

References

1. Jason Lymangrover. "No, Virginia... - The Dresden Dolls". Allmusic. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
2. Adrien Begrand (May 23, 2008). "The Dresden Dolls: No, Virginia..." PopMatters. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
3. Adam Moerder. "The Dresden Dolls: No, Virginia..."
4. Shannon Zimmerman. "The Dresden Dolls, 'No, Virginia' (Roadrunner)". Spin. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
5. . Indiependent Music. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
6. "Yes, Virginia... 101". Amanda Palmer. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
7. "Re: No, Virginia: May 20th". Amanda Palmer. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
8. "Re: What do you think/hope will be on the new EP??". Amanda Palmer. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
9. Todd Martens (May 17, 2008). "No, Virginia . . ". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
10. "The Dresden Dolls collect themselves". The Boston Globe. May 20, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
11. Nate Chinen (May 19, 2008). "Bun B, "Il Trill"; Donna Summer, "Crayons"; "Julianne Hough"; Dresden Dolls, "No, Virginia..."". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
12. Christina Hansen. "Review :: No, Virginia :: [Roadrunner]". Paste. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
13. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 87.
14. "Austriancharts.at – The Dresden Dolls – No, Virginia..." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
15. "Billboard 200: Week of June 7, 2008". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2022.