Sparkle and Fade

Last updated

Sparkle and Fade
Everclear-Sparkle.jpg
Studio album by
Everclear
ReleasedMay 23, 1995
RecordedSeptember 1994
Studio
Genre
Length42:47
Label Capitol
Producer
Everclear chronology
World of Noise
(1993)		Sparkle and Fade
(1995)		 White Trash Hell
(1997)
Singles from Sparkle and Fade
  1. "Heroin Girl"
    Released: 1995
  2. "Santa Monica"
    Released: December 5, 1995
  3. "Heartspark Dollarsign"
    Released: March 23, 1996
  4. "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 10/10 [6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Great Rock Discography 9/10 [8]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Village Voice A− [12]

Sparkle and Fade is the second album by American rock band Everclear, released in 1995. [13] It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, World of Noise , was re-released on Capitol after its introduction through the Portland, Oregon based label, Tim/Kerr Records. The album produced the singles "Heroin Girl", "Santa Monica", "Heartspark Dollarsign", and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore". The album's music follows themes like addiction and romance through a loosely defined narrative similar to Art Alexakis' own troubled life when he was in his twenties. [14]

Contents

The album's cover features childhood pictures of the three members of the band. It is Everclear's third-best-selling album to date. [15] It climbed to the top of the Heatseekers Chart in January 1996 [16] and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in May 1996. [17] By December 2001, the album had sold 1,190,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [18]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "the sheer radiance of songs like 'Santa Monica' (which demands repeated listens) adds to the luster of this unexpected gem." [13]

30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

In November 2025 the band released a remastered deluxe edition to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary. Also included in the deluxe edition were unreleased tracks, alternate versions of fan favorites, original demos and cover songs that were recorded during the Sparkle and Fade sessions. [19]

Track listing

All songs written by Art Alexakis, Craig Montoya, and Greg Eklund, except where noted. [20]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Electra Made Me Blind"
  • Alexakis
  • Scott Cuthbert
  • Montoya
3:43
2."Heroin Girl"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
2:23
3."You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" 2:47
4."Santa Monica" 3:11
5."Summerland" 3:42
6."Strawberry" 2:35
7."Heartspark Dollarsign" 2:52
8."The Twistinside"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
4:37
9."Her Brand New Skin" 2:02
10."Nehalem" 1:53
11."Queen of the Air"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
2:59
12."Pale Green Stars" 4:17
13."Chemical Smile" 1:49
14."My Sexual Life"
  • Alexakis
  • Cuthbert
  • Montoya
3:51
30th Anniversary bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
15."Hateful"1:36
16."Rocket Tattoo"2:34
17."Annabella's Song"3:26
18."Happy Hour"2:10
19."American Girl (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)"3:35
20."Don't Change (INXS)"3:43
21."Sin City (AC/DC)"4:34
22."Walk, Don't Run (Johnny Smith)"2:01

Personnel

Personnel per liner notes. [20]

Everclear

Production

Artwork

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [28] Platinum70,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [29] Platinum100,000^
United States (RIAA) [30] Platinum1,190,000 [18]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Everclear - Sparkle and Fade". Punknews.org. October 16, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  2. ↑ Cizmar, Martin (November 17, 2015). "It's a Real Small Town: The story behind Everclear's Sparkle and Fade—and why everyone hates the man behind it". Williamette Week. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  3. ↑ Brodsky, Rachel (June 11, 2015). "Everclear's Art Alexakis: "Sparkle And Fade' Was My Escape Route'". Spin . Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sparkle & Fade – Everclear". AllMusic . Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  5. ↑ Prevatt, Mike (October 7, 1997). "Everclear clarifies style with 'Sparkle'". Daily Bruin. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 144. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Everclear". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 1016. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  8. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Everclear". The Great Rock Discography. Canongate. pp.  512–513. ISBN   9781841956152.
  9. ↑ Brannigan, Paul (March 9, 1996). "Albums". Kerrang! . No. 587. EMAP. p. 44.
  10. ↑ Holtje, Steve (1999). "Everclear". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp.  399–400. ISBN   1-57859-061-2.
  11. ↑ Harris, Keith (2004). "Everclear". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  285–86. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ↑ Christgau, Robert (November 14, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Sprague, Deborah. "Everclear". Trouser Press . Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  14. ↑ Colburn, Randall (September 15, 2015). "On Sparkle And Fade, Everclear found universality in drug-addled intimacy". The A.V. Club.
  15. ↑ Phalen, Tom (December 1, 1997). "Everclear, Electric And Acoustic, Shows Sparkle, No Fade". Seattle Times . Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  16. ↑ Borzillo, Carrie (February 3, 1996). "Everclear Won't "Sparkle and Fade"". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Basham, David (December 13, 2001). "Got Charts? Usher's Platinum Mine; A Tolkien Spell; An Ill-Fated Concept". MTV News . Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Everclear Release Expanded 'Sparkle And Fade' 30th Anniversary Edition". antimusic. November 22, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  20. 1 2 Sparkle and Fade (booklet). Capitol Records. 1995. 7243 8 30929 2 5.
  21. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2902". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Charts.nz – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Everclear Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  25. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1996". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  28. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Music Canada . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  30. ↑ "American album certifications – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
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