Slanted and Enchanted
Slanted and Enchanted is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on April 20, 1992, by Matador Records. It is the only Pavement album to feature drummer Gary Young.
Slanted and Enchanted
April 20, 1992
- December 24, 1990
- January 13–20, 1991
- Louder Than You Think (Stockton, California)
- South Makepeace (Brooklyn, New York)
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Pavement
The album received critical acclaim and is seen as a landmark for indie rock, with Rolling Stone ranking it 199th on its 2020 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. As of 2007, the album had sold 150,000 copies. In 2022, Alex Ross Perry adapted the album into a rock opera titled Slanted! Enchanted![4][5]
Background[edit]
Slanted and Enchanted was distributed to critics as early as 1991, months before its official release; the original distribution did not feature the entire band, as several members joined during its production.[6] The recording sessions were split between South Makepeace Studios in Brooklyn, New York (recorded December 24, 1990) and Louder Than You Think Studios in Stockton, California (recorded January 13–20, 1991).
Release[edit]
Singles[edit]
The album’s first single, "Summer Babe", appeared in August 1991.[2][3] It was Pavement’s last release of new material for the Chicago-based Drag City label before the band moved to Matador Records. The single contained the B-sides "Mercy Snack (The Laundromat)" and "Baptist Blacktick" that were included on Japanese versions in the CD, and later on the deluxe version of the album. A different mix of "Summer Babe," entitled "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," became the first track on the album. The song would go on to be ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as number 286 in its 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time,[7][8] and as number 292 in the 2011 update of the list.[9]
The album’s second single, "Trigger Cut", was first released in the UK by Big Cat Records on July 13, 1992, before appearing in the US market through Matador the following month.
Album[edit]
Slanted and Enchanted was officially released on 20 April 1992 to critical acclaim, originally reaching a peak of number 72 on the UK Albums Chart.[10] As of 2007, the album had sold 150,000 copies.[11]
Packaging[edit]
The title Slanted and Enchanted is taken from the title of a cartoon made by Silver Jews frontman David Berman.[12] Its cover art was created by appropriating that of an existing album, Ferrante & Teicher's Keyboard Kapers.
Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Reduxe[edit]
In 2002, Matador released Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe, a compilation containing Slanted and Enchanted in its entirety, as well outtakes and other rarities from the same era.[13]
Matador Records released Luxe & Reduxe on October 20, 2002,[14] alongside the Slow Century DVD.[13] It features 48 songs, including the entire original disc and, in addition, 3 outtakes of which one is an unreleased song and the other two are alternate takes, plus the B-sides from the "Summer Babe" and "Trigger Cut" singles, 5 songs from two different John Peel sessions, the 4-track EP Watery, Domestic, and 13 tracks of a live performance of the band held at the Brixton Academy in London on December 14, 1992.[15][16]
Luxe & Reduxe reached number 5 in the US Billboard Top Independent Albums[17][18] and number 152 in the US Billboard 200 charts.[17][19]
Pavement
Additional Personnel