Pacer (album)

Last updated
Pacer
TheAmps.jpg
Studio album by
The Amps
ReleasedOctober 1995
Recorded1995
Genre Alternative rock, lo-fi
Length33:47
Label 4AD (UK), Elektra (US)

Pacer is the only album by the Amps, led by Kim Deal. It was released in October 1995. The album was recorded as a side project to Kim Deal's group the Breeders. She recruited new musicians and naming the group the Amps, recorded Pacer at several studios in the US and Ireland, with different engineers, including Steve Albini, Bryce Goggin, and John Agnello.

Contents

The album received mixed reviews. Despite radio airplay for its single, "Tipp City", Pacer did not sell well. The Amps toured in 1995 and 1996 with Sonic Youth, Guided by Voices, and Foo Fighters. In 1996, Deal changed the band's name back to the Breeders, making Pacer the Amps' only album.

Background

Kim Deal's band the Breeders released Last Splash in August 1993; [1] the album was very successful, and its release was followed by much touring. [2] The Breeders then took an extended break from activity. [2] One reason was that Deal's sister Kelley, who was also in the group, was arrested on drug charges in November 1994. [3] Member Josephine Wiggs likewise took time away from the band, although Wiggs and Deal have different memories of the circumstances surrounding this. [4] Wiggs recalls offering to be involved if Deal's next album was going to be a Breeders record, but having the impression that Deal wanted to do a solo release; [4] [5] Deal remembers Wiggs declining to be part of any immediate Breeders' recording, but offering to be on the one after that. [4]

Regardless, Deal envisioned her next album as a solo effort, and intended to play all instruments herself. [6] Back at her home in Dayton, Ohio, she practiced the drums and initially prepared six songs for recording. Around the same time, she produced some tracks for Guided by Voices at Easley-McCain Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. [3] While there, Deal used a portion of the studio time to record demos for some of her new songs. [3] As an attempt to distract her sister from her drug problems, Deal recruited Kelley to play on three songs at this initial recording session. [3] [6] Kelley's involvement changed Deal's mind about playing all the instruments herself, and she began to conceptualize the album as a band project. [6]

After the Easley recording session, Deal returned to Dayton. [3] She asked Breeders' drummer Jim Macpherson to play drums in the new project, and Dayton musicians Luis Lerma and Nate Farley to play bass and guitar, respectively. [3] [7] Deal adopted a stage persona for herself named Tammy Ampersand, and called the band "Tammy and the Amps"; this later evolved into simply "the Amps". [6] The group began by performing at small shows, [6] and learned the songs well to prepare for recording the album. [3] At some point during the recording sessions, Kelley's drug difficulties and rehabilitation prevented her from continuing as a member of the band. [6] [8]

Recording

John Agnello was one of several engineers who helped to record Pacer. Scholar John.jpg
John Agnello was one of several engineers who helped to record Pacer.

Pacer was recorded at seven studios in total, [3] with different engineers each time. [9] The track "Tipp City" was used from the original session at Easley-McCain Studios, [3] [10] recorded in February 1995 and engineered by Doug Easley and Davis McCain. [10] The Amps' next session was with engineer Steve Albini at his Chicago studio. [3] [n 1] Deal had previously worked with Albini on the Pixies' Surfer Rosa and the Breeders' Pod releases. [12] [13] The Amps and Albini recorded songs including further versions of "Tipp City", which are unreleased, and "Hoverin"; [3] an earlier version of the latter song had previously been released on the Breeders' "Divine Hammer" single in October 1993. [14] Other recording sessions, whose various engineers included Bryce Goggin and John Agnello, took place at studios in Long Island and Woodstock, New York, as well as Dayton, Los Angeles, and Dublin, Ireland. [9]

In a 1996 interview, Deal said that for Pacer, she focused on the vocals: "Usually, I tend to spend more time with the instruments. Last Splash had quite a few instrumentals and quite a few songs where I might say five words. [On Pacer, the] songs are all vocal-heavy. The vocal leads, and if you take the vocal away, you don't have much of a song." [6] The sound of the album has been described as "lo-fi". [15] [16]

Release

Pacer was released in late October 1995. [17] [18] It was promoted with a full-page advertisement in NME in the UK, [19] where it peaked at No. 60 on the UK Albums Chart, [20] and No. 29 on the American Heatseekers Album chart. [21] "Tipp City" was released as the album's single and included an alternate version of "Empty Glasses", as well as a cover of the Tasties' "Just Like a Briar". [10] The single received some radio airplay in the USA, [22] and reached No. 61 on the UK Singles Chart, [20] but Pacer did not sell well. [6] Although Elektra pressed 300,000 copies of the album, [23] The New York Times reported in 2002 that it had sold 25,000 copies. [24] The album became prominent in second-hand shops. [23]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [17]
Entertainment Weekly C+ [25]
NME 7/10 [26]
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [16]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [27]
Spin (1996)7/10 [28]
Spin (2008)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [29]
The Village Voice B+ [30]

Critical appraisal of Pacer has been mixed. Reviewing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes the album as "exciting, gut-level rock & roll". [17] The Rough Guide to Rock calls Pacer "satisfyingly lo-fi". [15] In Spin magazine, reviewer Joy Press writes that the album includes "a half-dozen gems" but that its overall "foggy sound" and "indecipherable lyrics" prevent the listener from fully embracing the work. [28] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau considers the album's songs to be "definitely slight" and "uneven" but praises the vocals, stating that "speedy or dreamy, Kim Deal sounds so sane, so unpretentious, so goddamn nice that you want to take her home and give her a shampoo". [30] In The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock , critic Ira Robbins writes that "Other than the fine title track and a few others, the performances are forced and lackluster; the production varies between flat and colorless." [31] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide similarly praises the title song while dismissing the rest of the album as "forgettable". [32] In the first ever Pitchfork review, [33] Ryan Schreiber found the album's lo-fi sound initially off-putting but praised the lyrics and "awesome rock". [16]

Pacer is a favorite album of actor Elijah Wood, who said "I think Pacer has everything. It's kind of experimental; there's a lot of vocal experimentation on the record. I love the recording. [...] The drums are very abrasive and raw, and it has everything. There's an incredible mix of pop songs and weird, kind of abrasive almost punk rock songs, and there's real beauty I think on this record." [34] In 2003, Chris Ott of Pitchfork included the album in a list of "The 20 Worst Post-Breakup Debacles", arguing that the Amps were "an interim project" whose album should not have been released; "clamoring for pennies still falling from a sky 'Cannonball' had blown open, their sloppily assembled, barely written album was a mistake." [23]

Aftermath

Kim Deal playing guitar with the Amps in 1995 Kim Deal playing guitar with The Amps.jpg
Kim Deal playing guitar with the Amps in 1995

The Amps toured in 1995 and 1996, supporting Guided by Voices, Sonic Youth, Helium, [35] and Foo Fighters. [6] Later in 1996, they recruited Carrie Bradley (who had played on Pod), and Deal changed its name back to the Breeders. [2] [35] The band's lineup continued to evolve, and within a few years, Deal was the only of the former Amps left in the group. [2] [35] Pacer is the sole album that the Amps released. [35]

A number of artists have covered songs from Pacer. The Muffs included a version of "Pacer" on their compilation albums Hamburger [36] and Kaboodle. [37] On Gigantic: A Tribute to Kim Deal, released on American Laundromat Records, the German Art Students covered "Bragging Party" and Tara King Theory, "Tipp City". [38] Musician Girl Talk included a sample of "Tipp City" on "Touch 2 Feel" on his album Unstoppable . [39] The Breeders themselves released a new version of "Full on Idle" on Title TK (2002) [40] and over the years have sometimes performed Amps' songs at their concerts. [n 2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kim Deal, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Pacer" 2:31
2."Tipp City" 2:08
3."I Am Decided" Robert Pollard, Kim Deal [9] [n 3] 2:28
4."Mom's Drunk" 1:42
5."Bragging Party" 4:32
6."Hoverin'" 2:46
7."First Revival" 2:53
8."Full on Idle" 2:18
9."Breaking the Split Screen Barrier" 3:07
10."Empty Glasses" 2:39
11."She's a Girl" 1:50
12."Dedicated" 4:12

Chart positions

Chart (1995)Peak
position
UK Album Chart 60 [20]
US Heatseekers Album Chart 29 [21]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Pacer liner notes list the engineer for this session as "Fluss". [9] AllMusic writer Mark Derning notes that this was the name of Albini's cat, and that Albini sometimes used this name for his engineering and production work. [11]
  2. ↑ Reviews of Breeders' concerts in 1997, [41] 2000, [42] 2001, [43] 2002, [44] 2008, [45] [46] 2009, [47] [48] 2010, [49] and 2017 [50] [51] have noted the inclusion of Amps' songs in the band's set lists.
  3. ↑ Former Guided by Voices bassist James Greer notes that the Amps' "I Am Decided" was an amalgamation of two Guided by Voices songs: "I Am Decided" and "Are You Faster", both of which Deal was given permission to use. [52] The Guided by Voices versions later appeared on the compilation Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow, where they are credited to band songwriter Robert Pollard. [53]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Phares: Last Splash Review
  2. 1 2 3 4 Erlewine: The Breeders Biography
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Moore 1996
  4. 1 2 3 Petrusich 2013
  5. ↑ Aston 2013 , p. 481
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gettelman 1996
  7. ↑ Ashare 1995
  8. ↑ Aaron 1995 , pp. 86–88
  9. 1 2 3 4 Pacer liner notes
  10. 1 2 3 "Tipp City" single liner notes
  11. ↑ Derning
  12. ↑ Surfer Rosa Credits
  13. ↑ Pod Credits
  14. ↑ The Breeders: Divine Hammer
  15. 1 2 Clifton 2003 , pp. 136–137
  16. 1 2 3 Schreiber 1996
  17. 1 2 3 Erlewine: Pacer Review
  18. ↑ The Amps (4AD)
  19. ↑ Pacer (advertisement) , p. 2
  20. 1 2 3 Amps: Singles/Albums
  21. 1 2 The Amps: Chart History (Billboard)
  22. ↑ Borzillo 1995
  23. 1 2 3 Ott 2003
  24. ↑ Smith 2002
  25. ↑ Browne 1995
  26. ↑ Kessler 1995, p. 53
  27. ↑ Appleford 1998
  28. 1 2 Press 1996, pp. 82–83
  29. ↑ Kandell 2008, p. 74
  30. 1 2 Christgau 1996
  31. ↑ Robbins 1997 , pp. 115–116
  32. ↑ Brackett 2004 , p. 104
  33. ↑ Dombal et al. 2021
  34. ↑ Graham 2016 , p. 8
  35. 1 2 3 4 Phares: The Amps Biography
  36. ↑ Mason
  37. ↑ Kaboodle Overview
  38. ↑ Gigantic: A Tribute to Kim Deal Overview
  39. ↑ Stewart 2004
  40. ↑ Bryant 2002
  41. ↑ Outhier 1997, p. SHOW 10
  42. ↑ Freek 2000
  43. ↑ Klein 2001
  44. ↑ Dentler 2002, p. 9
  45. ↑ Schroeder 2008
  46. ↑ Herrera 2008
  47. ↑ Stryker 2009
  48. ↑ Dosanjh 2009)
  49. ↑ Horn 2010
  50. ↑ Blackcondorguy 2017
  51. ↑ iChris 2017
  52. ↑ Greer 2011
  53. ↑ Bealmear

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixies (band)</span> American alternative rock band

The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed in 1986 by Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal and David Lovering (drums). The pop sound influenced acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Breeders</span> American alternative rock band

The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal, her twin sister Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Deal</span> American musician (born 1961)

Kimberley Ann Deal is an American musician. She was the original bassist and co-vocalist in the alternative rock band Pixies from 1986 to 1993 and 2004 to 2013, and is the frontwoman of the Breeders, which she formed in 1989.

<i>Last Splash</i> 1993 studio album by the Breeders

Last Splash is the second album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on August 30, 1993. Originally formed as a side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal, the Breeders quickly became her primary recording outlet. Last Splash peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and by June 1994, the album had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of one million units.

<i>Surfer Rosa</i> 1988 studio album by Pixies

Surfer Rosa is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British label 4AD. It was produced by Steve Albini. Surfer Rosa contains many of the elements of Pixies' earlier output, including Spanish lyrics and references to Puerto Rico. It includes references to mutilation and voyeurism alongside experimental recording techniques and a distinctive drum sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Amps</span> American alternative rock band

The Amps were an American alternative rock band formed by Kim Deal in 1995, while her band the Breeders went on hiatus. The group consisted of Deal, on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Luis Lerma on bass; Nate Farley on lead guitar; and Jim Macpherson of the Breeders on drums. Kelley Deal, Kim's sister, was also briefly involved, but had to leave the band due to drug problems. The group was named when Kim Deal started calling herself Tammy Ampersand for fun, and the band Tammy and the Amps. They recorded the album Pacer in the United States and Ireland.

<i>Pod</i> (The Breeders album) 1990 studio album by the Breeders

Pod is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released by 4AD records on May 29, 1990. Engineered by Steve Albini, the album features band leader Kim Deal on vocals and guitar, Josephine Wiggs on bass, Britt Walford on drums, and Tanya Donelly on guitar. Albini's production prioritized sound over technical accomplishment; the final takes favor the band's spontaneous live "in studio" performances.

<i>Title TK</i> 2002 alternative rock album by The Breeders

Title TK is the third studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on May 20 and 21, 2002 by 4AD in the United Kingdom and Elektra Records in the United States, and on May 10 by P-Vine Records in Japan. The album—whose name means "title to come" in journalistic shorthand—generated three singles: "Off You", "Huffer", and "Son of Three". Title TK reached the top 100 in France, Germany, the UK, and Australia, and number 130 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephine Wiggs</span> British musician

Miranda Cordelia Susan Josephine Wiggs, simply known as Josephine Wiggs, is an English multi-instrumentalist rock musician, best known for her work as bassist in the alternative rock bands The Breeders and The Perfect Disaster. She has also formed multiple side-projects, including her own bands Honey Tongue, The Josephine Wiggs Experience, and Dusty Trails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannonball (The Breeders song)</span> 1993 single by the Breeders

"Cannonball" is a song by American alternative rock band the Breeders from their second studio album, Last Splash (1993). It was released as a single on August 9, 1993, on 4AD and Elektra Records, reaching No. 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart. In November 1993, the single was released in France, where it charted for 30 weeks, peaking at No. 8. The song demo was originally called "Grunggae" as it merged "island riffs and grunge". This demo was later included in the 20th anniversary re-release of the album LSXX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Son of Three</span> 2002 single by the Breeders

"Son of Three" is a song by the American group the Breeders. Composed and sung by Kim Deal, its original version was recorded at Grandmaster Recording Ltd. in Hollywood, and was released in May 2002 on the album Title TK. The Breeders—then consisting of Deal, Kelley Deal, Jose Medeles, Richard Presley, and Mando Lopez—later re-recorded "Son of Three" at a different Hollywood studio as Title TK's third European single. This subsequent recording is shorter and faster than the album track, and matches how they were playing the song in concert in 2002.

<i>Safari</i> (EP) 1992 EP by the Breeders

Safari is an EP by the Breeders, released in 1992 on 4AD/Elektra Records. By the time of its release, Kim Deal had enlisted her twin sister Kelley to play guitar for the band. It is the only Breeders recording that features both Kelley Deal and Tanya Donelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britt Walford</span> American musician (born 1970)

Britt Walford is an American musician best known for being the drummer, co-founder, and occasional guitarist for the post-rock band Slint.

<i>Mountain Battles</i> 2008 studio album by the Breeders

Mountain Battles is the fourth studio album by American band The Breeders. It was released in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2008, and in the United States on April 8, 2008. The album was gradually recorded in a number of different locales including Refraze Recording Studios in Dayton, Ohio, by engineers including Steve Albini, Erika Larson, Manny Nieto and Ben Mumphrey.

<i>Fate to Fatal</i> 2009 EP by the Breeders

Fate to Fatal is an EP by the American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on Period Music, on April 21, 2009. It was recorded in three different locations by multiple engineers: the title track was recorded at the Fortress Studios, London with producer Gareth Parton; "The Last Time", which features lead vocals by Mark Lanegan, and "Pinnacle Hollow" were recorded by Ben Mumphrey in Dayton, OH; "Chances Are", a cover of a Bob Marley song, was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago.

The American alternative rock band the Breeders played a tour of thirteen concerts in the central and western United States in September 2014. After the group's "classic" lineup reunited in 2013 for a tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of Last Splash, they began working on new material. Ahead of opening for Neutral Milk Hotel at the Hollywood Bowl, they planned a tour leading up to this show, using the opportunity to practice recent compositions that would appear on their 2018 album All Nerve.

The Breeders' 2009 tour consisted of sixteen North American dates in August 2009. The tour was in support of their EP Fate to Fatal. The lineup for the band in 2009 consisted of sisters Kim and Kelley Deal, Mando Lopez, Jose Medeles, and Cheryl Lindsey. Former member Josephine Wiggs played bass for the final three shows, because Lopez's wife was having a baby. Songs the group performed included "The She", "Little Fury", "Night of Joy", "New Year", "Fate to Fatal", "Divine Hammer", "No Aloha", "Iris", and "Walk It Off". They also played the Amps' "I Am Decided" and "Tipp City".

<i>All Nerve</i> 2018 studio album by the Breeders

All Nerve is the fifth full-length studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on March 2, 2018, 10 years after their previous album Mountain Battles (2008). A Stereogum article in June 2016 reported that the band was recording new material at their Ohio studio and in October 2017 they released the first single from the album titled "Wait in the Car". 4AD announced on January 9, 2018, that the new album would be made available on March 2, 2018, and released the album's second single, All Nerve on the same day. The album also marks the band's first in 25 years with their Last Splash lineup. Courtney Barnett guests on one song on the album; "Howl at the Summit".

The Breeders' 2017 tour consisted of twenty-one concerts in Europe and the United States. A date in Dublin was canceled due to Hurricane Orphelia. They opened for Arcade Fire at two of the dates. Compositions that the Breeders played on the tour included their 2017 single "Wait in the Car", the Pixies' "Gigantic", and songs by the Amps.

The LSXX Tour was a series of sixty concerts by the Breeders in 2013 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the release of their 1993 album Last Splash.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.