 |
From the Vault...
12/20/2020
#1756 |
|
info
Everclear
"Sparkle And Fade"
© Capitol Records
Year of Release: 1994
Rating:
|
track listing
Electra Made Me Blind
Heroin Girl
You Make Me Feel
Like A Whore
Santa Monica
Summerland
Strawberry
Heartspark Dollarsign
The Twistinside
Her Brand New Skin
Nehalem
Queen Of The Air
Pale Green Stars
Chemimcal Smile
My Sexual Life
|
WSVNRadio Archives
Everclear related sites:
|
|
|
Everclear
"Sparkle And Fade"
Everclear, a band that had some good tunes. My favorite would have to be "AM Radio," and another one I like, is "Father Of Mine." This week,
Everclear marks their debut on the WSVNRadio site, with their second album of their career, Sparkle And Face, released in 1995. This CD was in the used
CDs section at Goodwill. So it's obvious, knowing of this band from the two songs mentioned, to get this, as it was from the beginning of their career.
And once again, we go to our Goodwill Section of albums to review...) If you're more familiar with the two Everclear songs mentioned, Sparkle And Fade
is quite different, as it started Everclear as having the sound of many bands would have in the 1990s. A new sound -- Grunge.
"Electra Made Me Blind" kicks off the album, and it's hard hitting rock. Almost punk'ish? No, actually, it's Grunge, as in a band that would launch
Grunge music with a force, and popularity - Nirvana. Continuing with this "new sound" of grunge, with "Heroin Girl." "You Make Me Feel Like A Whore" is
another Grunge rock tune, not as fast driving as the first two tracks, but it's hard hitting rock. "Santa Monica" slows down the pace, yet it drives into
another grunge rocker, and it works. The same for "Summerland," another song that increases into a steady rocking grunge tune.
"Strawberry" is another Nirvana-ish grunge, yet lead singer Art Alexakis' voice is rougher. "Heartspark Dollarsign" another good rocker.
"The Twistinside" is another slow-paced tune at first, then gradually increases as grunge rocking tunes turn into. Definitely Nirvana'ish hard rock grunge.
"Her Brand New Skin" keeps the hard rock grunge going, likewise "Nehalem," and "Queen Of The Air." "Pale Green Stars" is a cool grunge
rocker. "Chemical Smile" is fast, hard hitting, hard rock grunge. "My Sexual Life" is the last track, starting out slow-paced, and continues that way,
compared to the other heavy hitter tunes.
Sparkle And Fade would achieve four hits: "Heroin Girl," "Santa Monica," "Heartspark Dollarsign," and "You Make Me Feel Like A Whore."
Yet I never heard of these tunes at the time, nor have I heard of Everclear, until "AM Radio" and "Father Of Mine" would become later hits for them,
from future albums -- So Much For The Afterglow (1997; their third album; "Father Of Mine"), and Songs From An American Movie Vol. One: Learning How
To Smile (2000; their fourth albuml "AM Radio.") By 1995, both bands Nirvana and Pearl Jam were dominating the Grunge Rock music movement, as they had been
popular since 1991 -- (Nirvana, with their Nevermind album, and Pearl Jam's album Ten.
Sparkle And Fade is definitely different than the two songs I was familiar with. In the 1990s had a new sound in Rock -- Grunge. With Grunge bands
Nirvana and Pearl Jam becoming popular, other bands would follow the Grunge road. Everclear's Sparkle And Fade is definitely Grunge. Hard hitting rock Grunge.
It would be the beginning of Everclear, being their second album. World Of Noise was their first on an independent label. It was more like a demo. Sparkle
And Fade was the band's major label release, and World Of Noise was rereleased a year later on Captiol, in 1994. The language in this album's lyrics
are definitely of "parental advisory." It has very adult (foul) language, as the album's music tells lyrics of addiction, and romance. THey are loosely defined in
Art Alexakis' own issues, when he was younger, in his twenties. (He was 33 at the time of this album's release.)
For fans of Grunge Rock, Sparkle And Fade is a good album. It's adult, it's hard hitting, it's Grunge music (or some would call it Alternative Rock).
Grunge was becoming the "in" and "new" popular music at the time. Grunge made it's mark on Rock music, as it was due for a new sound. Sparkle And Fade does
sparkle, yet you can say it faded over time. Everclear would record more mainstream, and thanks to MTV, they would become more popular. "AM Radio"
and "Father Of Mine" would not be as loud, and not having vulgar lyrics. They say "you had to start somewhere." Sparkle And Fade is that, where
Everclear started as Grunge, and would develop into something better.
© WSVNRadio.net. All rights reserved.
Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Capitol Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
|
|
