Blender (The Murmurs album)

Last updated
Blender
Blender-Murmurs.jpg
Studio album (reissue)by
ReleasedAugust 4, 1998 (1998-08-04)
Recorded1997–1998
Genre Alternative pop
Length33:37
Label MCA
Producer Larry Klein
k.d. lang
Matthew Wilder
The Murmurs chronology
Pristine Smut
(1997)
Blender
(1998)

Blender is the reissue of the second studio album by American alternative pop band The Murmurs, Pristine Smut (1997). It was released on August 4, 1998 on MCA. The album was produced by Larry Klein, k.d. lang and Matthew Wilder. [1] Blender primarily consists of tracks from their second album Pristine Smut , originally released in June 1997. One of them, "I'm A Mess", was remixed; additionally, three new songs written around the time of Pristine Smut's release are included. [2] [3] All of the tracks were written by band members Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody. One, "Smash", was co-written with members of rock band The Go-Go's, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey. [4]

Contents

Reception

In a review for Allmusic, Alex Henderson gave Blender a star rating of four out of five, calling it "power-pop heaven". Henderson compared the sound of the album to that The Go-Go's and praised "Underdog", "Sucker Upper" and "La Di Da" in particular as "first-class ... fun, melodic offerings". [4] Robert Christgau gave the album a B− rating and compared it negatively to its predecessor, Pristine Smut . He criticized the band's "pusillanimity", and said "they were cuter with slime on their pudenda". [5]

Kentucky paper Daily News wrote in 1998, "MCA Records is giving The Murmurs a rare second chance to score with Pristine Smut. If any album deserves another shot, it's this superb, but overlooked, 1997 release by the duo of Heather Grody and Leisha Hailey. And The Murmurs have made their release all the more tempting; they've replaced three throwaway tracks with three vital new songs, and they've overhauled one of the better cuts from the original, revamping "I'm a Mess" into a beefier rendition with tougher lead vocals and melodic countervocals." [3] They also commented, "Grody and Hailey themselves have been made over. Their glossy new look adorns the Blender cover — more inviting than the goofy retro matron on the cover of Pristine Smut and more flattering than the candid snapshot of the duo on the back of the previous release." [3]

In 2011, Pride.com ranked it 35th on their list of "The 100 Greatest Lesbian Albums of All Time". [6]

Track listing

  1. "La Di Da" — 2:57
  2. "I'm a Mess" — 3:13
  3. "Big Talker" — 2:58
  4. "Misfit" — 4:03
  5. "Smash" — 2:35
  6. "Genius" — 3:42
  7. "Don't Lie" — 2:56
  8. "Underdog" — 2:56
  9. "Sucker Upper" — 3:00
  10. "Country Song" — 2:28
  11. "About Nothin'" — 2:49

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Murmur</i> (album) 1983 studio album by R.E.M.

Murmur is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on April 12, 1983, by I.R.S. Records. Murmur drew critical acclaim upon its release for its unusual sound, defined by lead singer Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics, guitarist Peter Buck's jangly guitar style, and bass guitarist Mike Mills's melodic basslines.

<i>Diary of a Mad Band</i> 1993 studio album by Jodeci

Diary of a Mad Band is the second studio album from American R&B group Jodeci, released December 21, 1993, on Uptown Records and distributed through MCA Records. The album also featured the first-ever album appearances from Timbaland, Missy Elliott and Sista, two years before the latter group became known in the music industry. New Jersey rapper Redman also makes a guest appearance on the album. It was Jodeci's second album to reach number one on the R&B album chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It spawned the number 1 R&B hit "Cry for You"; the number 2 R&B hit "Feenin'", and the Top 15 R&B hit "What About Us". Despite not being released as a single, the album's opening track, "My Heart Belongs To U", was also an urban radio hit with it peaking at #55 & charting for 20 weeks on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. To date, the album has sold over four million copies in the United States and six million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leisha Hailey</span> American musician and actress (born 1971)

Leisha Hailey is an American actress and musician known for playing Alice Pieszecki in the Showtime Networks series The L Word and The L Word: Generation Q. Hailey first came to the public's attention as a musician in the pop duo The Murmurs and has continued her music career as part of the band Uh Huh Her.

<i>Rufus Wainwright</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright is the debut studio album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released in the United States on May 19, 1998, through DreamWorks Records. The album was produced by Jon Brion, with the exception of "In My Arms", which was produced and mixed by Pierre Marchand, and "Millbrook" and "Baby", which were produced by Brion and Van Dyke Parks. Lenny Waronker was the album's executive producer.

<i>The Living End</i> (The Living End album) 1998 studio album by The Living End

The Living End is the debut studio album of Australian punk rock band The Living End, released on 12 October 1998. It was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne with Lindsay Gravina producing for Modular Recordings. The cover art, as described by front man Chris Cheney, is based on a photograph of a World War I all-female bomb factory. The album reached No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and remained in the top 50 for 63 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Murmurs</span> American pop duo

The Murmurs were an American alternative pop music duo composed of singer-songwriters Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody.

<i>The London Chuck Berry Sessions</i> 1972 studio album / Live album by Chuck Berry

The London Chuck Berry Sessions is the sixteenth studio album by Chuck Berry, and consists of studio recordings and live recordings released by Chess Records in October 1972 as LP record, 8 track cartridge and audio cassette. Side one of the album consists of studio recordings, engineered by Geoff Calver; side two features three live performances recorded by the Pye Mobile Unit, engineered by Alan Perkins, on February 3, 1972, at the Lanchester Arts Festival in Coventry, England. At the end of the live section, the recording includes the sounds of festival management trying in vain to get the audience to leave so that the next performers, Pink Floyd, can take the stage; the crowd begins chanting "We want Chuck!". His backing band were Onnie McIntyre (guitar), Robbie McIntosh (drums), Nic Potter (bass) and Dave Kaffinetti (piano). Both McIntosh and McIntyre would later form The Average White Band.

<i>Im Still in Love with You</i> (Al Green album) 1972 studio album by Al Green

I'm Still in Love with You is the fifth studio album by the American gospel and soul singer Al Green, released on October 23, 1972, on Hi Records. Recording sessions took place during 1972. The album was produced solely by Willie Mitchell. The album peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and produced four singles: "Love and Happiness" which was rated ninety-eight on Rolling Stones's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time as well as "I'm Still in Love with You" and "Look What You Done for Me" which were top five hits on the US Pop Chart. In 2003, the album was ranked number 285 on the 500 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone, 286 in a 2012 revised list, and number 306 in a 2020 revised list. The introductory drum break to the album's second track, "I'm Glad You're Mine", was sampled by The Notorious B.I.G. in his later-posthumous single "Dead Wrong".

<i>Love Always</i> 1997 studio album by K-Ci & JoJo

Love Always is the debut album of American R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, released on June 17, 1997, by MCA Records. It was recorded at various studios in New York and the Los Angeles area in 1996 and 1997. It was produced by JoJo and several others, including DeVante Swing, Jon-John Robinson, James Mtume, and Jeff Redd. The duo were originally a part of Jodeci before this album.

<i>Hard Again</i> 1977 studio album by Muddy Waters

Hard Again is a studio album by American blues singer Muddy Waters. Released on January 10, 1977, it was the first of his albums produced by Johnny Winter. Hard Again was Waters's first album on Blue Sky Records after leaving Chess Records and was well received by critics.

<i>Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective</i> 2004 compilation album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective is a double compilation album by American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, released in 2004. The album is a best-of compilation spanning the band's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uh Huh Her (band)</span> American pop/rock band

Uh Huh Her is an American indie/rock/electropop band that was formed in January 2007. The band's name came from an album by artist PJ Harvey, titled Uh Huh Her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camila Grey</span> American musician (born 1981)

Camila Grey is an American musician. As of 2023, she is part of the duo Rogues with Luke Brandonfield and plays the keys for Adam Lambert and, most recently, Morrissey's touring band. She's also part of the supergroup Summer Moon composed of Nikolai Fraiture, Stephen Perkins, and Noah Harmon and plays the keys for Minke. Grey was formerly the bassist and keyboardist for the band Mellowdrone as well as the half of the duo Uh huh her with Leisha Hailey. She has also worked with such artists as Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, Big Black Delta, Tricky, Linda Perry, Kanye West, Melissa Auf der Maur, Hans Zimmer, Kelly Osbourne, and Adam Lambert.

<i>Masterjam</i> 1979 studio album by Rufus & Chaka

Masterjam is the platinum-selling eighth studio album by funk band Rufus, their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records, released in 1979.

<i>Memorial Collection</i> 2009 compilation album by Buddy Holly

Memorial Collection is a 2009 compilation album of American singer–songwriter and rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly's master takes and hit singles, including some rare recordings. Along with Down the Line: Rarities, this album was released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Holly's death.

<i>Wild Animal</i> 1984 studio album by Vanity

Wild Animal is the 1984 debut studio album by Canadian singer Vanity. Released by Motown Records in November 1984, the album yielded two hit singles on the US R&B Songs chart, with "Pretty Mess" and "Mechanical Emotion". The album's third single, "Samuelle" scored minor radio play but failed to chart on either Hot 100 or R&B singles.

<i>Pristine Smut</i> 1997 studio album by The Murmurs

Pristine Smut is an album released by American alternative pop band the Murmurs; it was released on June 24, 1997, by MCA. The album was produced by Larry Klein and k.d. lang and all tracks on the album were written by The Murmurs members Heather Grody and Leisha Hailey. The track "Squeezebox Days" featured on the soundtrack to the 1997 film All Over Me.

"Turn On the News" is a song by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü. Written by Grant Hart, it is the 22nd track on their 1984 double album Zen Arcade. The song was never released as a single, but is considered one of their best songs. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame placed "Turn On the News" on its list of "500 songs that shaped rock and roll".

<i>I See Red</i> (EP) 2007 EP by Uh Huh Her

I See Red is the debut extended play by indie band Uh Huh Her. I See Red was released on July 24. 2007, on Plaid Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Suck (song)</span> 1994 single by the Murmurs

"You Suck" is a song by American alternative pop duo the Murmurs, released as the second single from their second studio album, Murmurs (1994). The song is about a New Yorker who ripped off band members Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody sometime during the 1990s. Composed by the Murmurs, the track is an acoustic punk song with lyrics about betrayal written by Hailey.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Blender — Murmurs — Credits", Allmusic , Rovi Corporation , retrieved June 12, 2011
  2. The Murmurs press kit. MCA Records, 1998.
  3. 1 2 3 "Overlooked 'Smut' Gets Second Shot", Daily News, Kentucky, p. 5, August 26, 1998, retrieved June 12, 2011
  4. 1 2 Henderson, Alex, "Blender — Murmurs — Review", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved June 12, 2011
  5. Christgau, Robert, "CG: The Murmurs", robertchristgau.com, retrieved June 12, 2011
  6. "The 100 Greatest Lesbian Albums (Of All Time): 50-26". 25 March 2011.