Smart (Sleeper album)
Smart is the debut studio album by English rock band Sleeper, released on 13 February 1995[1] by Indolent Records. It was mixed by Stephen Street. The album's sleeve photo is of the Mercury Seven astronauts. A 25th anniversary deluxe edition was released in 2020 on both vinyl and CD. The CD version has 10 extra tracks.
| Smart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 February 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Britpop | |||
| Label | Indolent/Arista | |||
| Producer |
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| Sleeper chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Smart | ||||
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Background
Vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener came across guitarist Jon Stewart while the pair were attending Manchester University in 1992. The following year, they moved to London and formed a band with bassist Diid Osman and drummer Andy Maclure of the Crawl. The band, christened Surrender Dorothy, started performing live by mid-1993; they signed to Indolent, who were impressed with the track "Stay", and changed their name to Sleeper. Stewart said there were "about a dozen Surrender Dororthys" in the United States. They played a few shows under this new name prior to the release of the "Alice in Vain" single,[2] in November 1993.[3] "Swallow" was then released as a single in February 1994, followed by "Delicious" in May 1994, the latter of which peaked at number 75 on the UK Singles Chart.[2] Soon afterwards, they went on tour supporting Blur,[4] and released the Bucket & Spade EP in June 1994.[5]
Release
"Inbetweener" was released as a single in January 1995.[6] Author Dave Thompson, in his book Alternative Rock (2000), wrote that it was the most anticipated album of the year that overcame the "hype, hope, and hubris which attended it", despite the tabloid press focusing its efforts "searching for details of Wener's mid-album split" from Stewart.[4] "Vegas" was released as a single in March 19995.[7]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Alternative Rock | 7/10[4] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [9] |
| Q | [10] |
| Record Collector | [11] |
| Select | 4/5[12] |
| Uncut | 7/10[13] |
Thompson said the band's "quietly seething indy-pop" positively accentuates Wener's "tough vulnerability. Right now, the focus is squarely on the lyrics' vivid tales of sex, death, and the vanities and vagaries of modern life."[4]
Track listing
Credits per booklet.[14]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Inbetweener" | Louise Wener | Paul Corkett, Sleeper | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Swallow" | Wener, Jon Stewart | Corkett, Sleeper | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Delicious" | Wener, Stewart | Ian Broudie | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Hunch" | Wener, Stewart | Corkett, Sleeper | 3:38 |
| 5. | "Amuse" | Wener | Corkett, Sleeper | 2:09 |
| 6. | "Bedhead" | Wener | Corkett, Sleeper | 3:00 |
| 7. | "Lady Love Your Countryside" | Wener | Corkett, Sleeper | 2:40 |
| 8. | "Vegas" | Wener | Corkett, Sleeper | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Poor Flying Man" | Wener, Stewart | Corkett, Sleeper | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Alice in Vain" | Wener, Stewart | Corkett, Sleeper | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Twisted" | Wener, Stewart | Corkett, Sleeper | 3:01 |
| 12. | "Pyrotechnician" | Wener, Stewart | Corkett, Sleeper | 3:26 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Bedside Manners" | 2:53 |
| 14. | "Tatty" | 3:56 |
| 15. | "Little Annie" | 2:48 |
| 16. | "It's Wrong Of You To Breed" | 3:00 |
| 17. | "One Girl Dreaming" | 4:19 |
| 18. | "Alice In Vain" (Single Version) | 3:31 |
| 19. | "Hymn To Her" | 3:33 |
| 20. | "Big Nurse" | 4:08 |
| 21. | "Ha Ha You're Dead" | 3:31 |
| 22. | "Bank" | 1:26 |
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.[14]
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Sleeper
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Production and design
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References
Citations
- Sexton 1995, p. 10
- Thompson 2000, p. 626
- "Alice - Sleeper / Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- Thompson 2000, p. 627
- "Bucket & Spade - Sleeper / Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- "Inbetweener - Sleeper / Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- "Vegas - Sleeper / Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Smart – Sleeper". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- Christgau, Robert (2000). "Sleeper: Smart". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- Anon. 1995, p. 102
- "Sleeper: Smart". Record Collector. p. 96.
[A] double-entendre laden statement of intent delivered with a sharp eye and plenty of lip.
- Wilkinson 1995, p. 90
- Sharp 2020, p. 50
- Sleeper (1995). Smart (booklet). Indolent Records. SLEEPCD 007.
Sources
- Anon. (March 1995). "Sleeper: Smart". Q. No. 102.
- Sexton, Paul (11 February 1995). "Arista's Sleeper Awakens Interest: U.K. group seen as 'international band'". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 6. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
In the U.K. where Sleeper has been signed to Indolent Records since mid-1993, Smart is due Feb. 13.
- Sharp, Johnny (August 2020). "Sleeper: Smart". Uncut. No. 279.
- Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.
- Wilkinson, Roy (March 1995). "Sleeper: Smart". Select. No. 57.