Whitechocolatespaceegg
Whitechocolatespaceegg | ||||
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Studio album by Liz Phair | ||||
Released | August 11, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1995-1998 | |||
Genre | Indie rock, lo-fi | |||
Length | 51:10 | |||
Label |
Matador Capitol | |||
Producer |
Jason Chasko Scott Litt Liz Phair Brad Wood | |||
Liz Phair chronology | ||||
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Singles from Whitechocolatespaceegg | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The A.V. Club | (positive)[2] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[3] |
Los Angeles Times | [4] |
People Magazine | (positive)[5] |
Pitchfork Media | (6.4/10)[6] |
Robert Christgau | A[7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
"Headache"
"Headache" by Liz Phair | |
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Whitechocolatespaceegg (or whitechocolatespaceegg as typeset on the cover art) is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1998 (See 1998 in music). whitechocolatespaceegg peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200.[9] As of July 2010, the album had sold 293,000 copies.[10]
Album information
Unlike her previous two albums, which dealt heavily with themes of sex and relationships, Whitechocolatespaceegg focused more on motherhood and family, as Phair had recently gotten married and given birth to a son.
The album received generally positive reviews. Rolling Stone called it "engagingly intimate" while at the same time "playful and pop-y, with just enough dry humor." The magazine also praised the album for its storytelling-esque lyrics.[11] The Washington Times wrote that Phair had successfully proved she was "no longer an unbridled twentysomething but now, at 31, a wife and mother, [who] has grown as an artist as well as a woman."[12]
Track listing
All songs written by Liz Phair, except where noted.
- "White Chocolate Space Egg" (Jason Chasko, Liz Phair, Doug Stoley) – 4:35
- "Big Tall Man" (Chasko, Phair) – 3:49
- "Perfect World" – 2:15
- "Johnny Feelgood" – 3:22
- "Polyester Bride" – 4:05
- "Love Is Nothing" – 2:16
- "Baby Got Going" (Scott Litt, Phair) – 2:02
- "Uncle Alvarez" – 3:52
- "Only Son" – 5:08
- "Go on Ahead" – 2:53
- "Headache" – 2:53
- "Ride" – 3:04
- "What Makes You Happy" – 3:36
- "Fantasize" – 1:55
- "Shitloads of Money" – 3:39
- "Girls' Room" – 1:46
Advance Promo Copy
- "Freak of Nature" - 2:03
- "Hurricane Cindy" - 2:48
Outtakes
There exist several circulating outtakes from the album. Most of them have never been commercially released, however, several bootlegs include these songs, which are listed below:
- "Oh My God"
- "Desperado Theme"
- "Hurricane Cindy"
- "Rocket Boy"
- "Russian Girl"
- "Stuck on an Island"
- "Tell Me You Like Me"
- "I'm Like That"
- "White Bird of Texas"
- "Freak of Nature"
- "Bars of the Bed"
- "Blood Keeper"
- "Greased Lightning"
- "Wasted"
- "I'll Get You High"
- "Beginning to See the Light"
- "You Have No Idea"
"Blood Keeper" was supposedly presented for the Scream 2 soundtrack, but was later shelved. "Hurricane Cindy" was included in the Japanese import, and later re-recorded and released on the comeandgetit EP five years later. "White Bird of Texas" and "Greased Lightning" were released as b-sides to "Polyester Bride." "Oh My God" was performed with another song as "Oh My God/That's the Way I Like It" on a television network in 1996. "Rocket Boy" was re-recorded and released as a promotional single, and was included in the Stealing Beauty movie soundtrack. "Stuck on an Island" was released on the "What's Up Matador?" compilation. "Freak of Nature" appeared on a radio sampler, Local 101, sold in the greater Chicago area,[13] and along with "Hurricane Cindy," was included on the advanced promotional copy of the album. "Wasted," "I'll Get You High," "Beginning to See the Light," and "You Have No Idea" were all performed at several shows throughout Phair's 1995 solo tour. The songs "Tell Me You Like Me," "Bars of the Bed," "Desperado Theme," "Russian Girl," and "I'm Like That" have yet to receive an official release or performance.
Personnel
- Liz Phair - guitar, piano, vocals
- Leroy Bach - acoustic bass
- Scott Bennett - organ, bass, drums
- Bill Berry - bongos
- Peter Buck - guitar
- Jason Chasko - bass, guitar, piano, drums, background vocals
- Nathan December - guitar, electric guitar
- Tommy Furar - bass
- John Hiler - organ, piano, keyboards, background vocals
- Scott Litt - acoustic guitar, bass, harmonica, violin, drums, keyboards, background vocals
- Scott McCaughey - guitar
- Mike Mills - bass
- Troy Niedhart - accordion
- Ed Tinley - guitar, clapping
- Randy Wilson - keyboards
- Brad Wood - organ, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, background vocals, clapping, drum machine
Production
- Producers: Liz Phair, Jason Chasko, Scott Litt, Brad Wood
- Engineers: John Hiler, Liquid Grooves, Chris Sabold, David Schiffman, Ed Tinley, Brad Wood
- Assistant engineers: Victor Janacua, Matt Judah, Brad Kopplin, Julie Last, Chris Sabold, Al Sanderson, David Schiffman
- Mixing: Victor Janacua, Tom Lord-Alge, Brad Wood
- Mastering: Ted Jensen, Katrin Thomas
- Programming: John Hiler, Randy Wilson
- Loops: Liquid Grooves
- Treatments: Scott Litt
- Art direction: Liz Phair, Frank Longo, Jon Mathias, Mark O.
Charts
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1998 | Billboard 200 | 35 |
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ The A.V. Club review
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
- ↑ Los Angeles Times review
- ↑ People review
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ Robert Christgau review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ allmusic ((( whitechocolatespaceegg > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
- ↑ "Ask Billboard: Kylie 'Fever'". Billboard. 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ↑ Whitechocolatespaceegg : Liz Phair : Review : Rolling Stone
- ↑ Liz Phair grows confident about music.(Arts) | Article from The Washington Times | HighBeam Research
- ↑ "Matador Records - Liz Phair".