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Sparkle and Fade

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Sparkle and Fade
Photographs of the band members at a young age
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 23, 1995
RecordedSeptember 1994
Studio
Genre
Length42:47
LabelCapitol
Producer
Everclear chronology
World of Noise
(1993)
Sparkle and Fade
(1995)
White Trash Hell
(1997)
Singles from Sparkle and Fade
  1. "Heroin Girl"
    Released: 1995
  2. "Santa Monica"
    Released: December 5, 1995 (airplay)
  3. "Heartspark Dollarsign"
    Released: 1996
  4. "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
The Great Rock Discography9/10[8]
Kerrang![9]
MusicHound Rock[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]
The Village VoiceA−[12]

Sparkle and Fade is the second album by Everclear, released in 1995.[13] It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, World of Noise, was re-released on Capitol after its introduction through the Portland, Oregon based label, Tim/Kerr Records. The album produced the singles "Heroin Girl," "Santa Monica," "Heartspark Dollarsign," and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore." The album's music follows themes like addiction and romance through a loosely defined narrative similar to Art Alexakis' own troubled life when he was in his twenties.[14]

The album's cover features childhood pictures of the three members of the band. It is Everclear's third-best-selling album to date.[15] It climbed to the top of the Heatseekers Chart in January 1996[16] and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in May 1996.[17] By December 2001, the album had sold 1,190,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[18]

Critical reception

[edit]

Trouser Press wrote that "the sheer radiance of songs like 'Santa Monica' (which demands repeated listens) adds to the luster of this unexpected gem."[13]

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Art Alexakis, Craig Montoya, and Greg Eklund, except where noted.[19]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Electra Made Me Blind"
  • Alexakis
  • Scott Cuthbert
  • Montoya
3:43
2."Heroin Girl"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
2:23
3."You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" 2:47
4."Santa Monica" 3:11
5."Summerland" 3:42
6."Strawberry" 2:35
7."Heartspark Dollarsign" 2:52
8."The Twistinside"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
4:37
9."Her Brand New Skin" 2:02
10."Nehalem" 1:53
11."Queen of the Air"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
2:59
12."Pale Green Stars" 4:17
13."Chemical Smile" 1:49
14."My Sexual Life"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
3:51

Personnel

[edit]

Personnel per liner notes.[19]

Everclear

Production

  • Art Alexakis – production
  • Brian Malouf – co-producer, mixing (at Electric Lady)
  • Michael Douglass – co-producer, recording (at Smart and A&M)
  • Mike Urkell – assistant engineer (at Smart Studios)
  • Brian Sperber – assistant engineer, recording (at Electric Lady)
  • Alex Reed – recording assistant (at A&M)
  • P. Castellano – recording assistant (at Electric Lady)
  • Nick Brophy – recording (at Rondor)
  • Bill Jackson – recording assistant (at Rondor)
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering (at Gateway Mastering), sequencing (8-14)
  • Rich Breen – sequencing (1-7)

Artwork

  • Art Alexakis – cover design concept
  • Steven Birch – graphic design, layout
  • Marc Tunz – band photography
  • Debbie Desantes –live photo

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,190,000[18]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Everclear - Sparkle and Fade". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Cizmar, Martin. "It's a Real Small Town: The story behind Everclear's Sparkle and Fade—and why everyone hates the man behind it". Williamette Week. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  3. ^ Brodsky, Rachel. "Everclear's Art Alexakis: "Sparkle And Fade' Was My Escape Route'". Spin. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sparkle & Fade – Everclear". AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  5. ^ Prevatt, Mike (October 7, 1997). "Everclear clarifies style with 'Sparkle'". Daily Bruin. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Everclear". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 1016. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  8. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Everclear". The Great Rock Discography. Canongate. pp. 512–513. ISBN 9781841956152.
  9. ^ Brannigan, Paul (March 9, 1996). "Albums". Kerrang!. No. 587. EMAP. p. 44.
  10. ^ Holtje, Steve (1999). "Everclear". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 399–400. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  11. ^ Harris, Keith (2004). "Everclear". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 285–86. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 14, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Sprague, Deborah. "Everclear". Trouser Press. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  14. ^ Colburn, Randall (September 15, 2015). "On Sparkle And Fade, Everclear found universality in drug-addled intimacy". The A.V. Club.
  15. ^ Phalen, Tom (December 1, 1997). "Everclear, Electric And Acoustic, Shows Sparkle, No Fade". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  16. ^ Borzillo, Carrie (February 3, 1996). "Everclear Won't "Sparkle and Fade"". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  17. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Basham, David (December 13, 2001). "Got Charts? Usher's Platinum Mine; A Tolkien Spell; An Ill-Fated Concept". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Sparkle and Fade (booklet). Capitol Records. 1995. 7243 8 30929 2 5. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  20. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2902". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  22. ^ "Charts.nz – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  23. ^ "Everclear Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  24. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  25. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1996". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  26. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  28. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Music Canada. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  29. ^ "American album certifications – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 16, 2021.