Whitechocolatespaceegg

Last updated

Whitechocolatespaceegg
Liz Phair - whitechocolatespaceegg.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 11, 1998 (1998-08-11)
Recorded1996–1998
Studio
  • CRC (Chicago)
  • Chicago Trax (Chicago)
  • Louie's Clubhouse
  • Ocean Way (Hollywood)
  • Velvet Shirt
Genre Indie rock [1]
Length51:10
Label
Producer
Liz Phair chronology
Whip-Smart
(1994)
Whitechocolatespaceegg
(1998)
Liz Phair
(2003)
Singles from Whitechocolatespaceegg
  1. "Polyester Bride"
    Released: 1998
  2. "Johnny Feelgood"
    Released: 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Baltimore Sun Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Chicago Sun-Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Christgau's Consumer Guide A [5]
Entertainment Weekly A− [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
Pitchfork 6.4/10 [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Spin 6/10 [10]

Whitechocolatespaceegg is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1998. It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200. [11] As of July 2010, the album had sold 293,000 copies. [12] Unlike her previous two albums, 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.

Contents

Reception

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. [13] 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." [14]

Billboard praised the album, noting "droll in her truth-telling, devastating in her offhand insights, and dazzling in her homespun rock dominion, Liz Phair is arguably the most original talent of the decade, as Whitechocolatespaceegg powerfully reaffirms. For track-to-track subtlety, poignant wit, and no- bullshit pronouncements that carry real poetic weight, Phair is the backstairs bard without peer...Phair is a truly affecting songmaker. Moreover, she can take the pop vernacular in all its jukebox/folk-pop/dancefloor familiarity and make it subversive again on superb material like "Uncle Alvarez," "Only Son," "Ride," and "What Makes You Happy." [15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Liz Phair, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."White Chocolate Space Egg" Liz Phair, Jason Chasko, Doug Stoley4:35
2."Big Tall Man"Phair, Jason Chasko3:49
3."Perfect World" 2:15
4."Johnny Feelgood" 3:22
5."Polyester Bride" 4:05
6."Love Is Nothing" 2:16
7."Baby Got Going"Phair, Scott Litt 2:02
8."Uncle Alvarez" 3:52
9."Only Son" 5:08
10."Go on Ahead" 2:53
11."Headache" 2:53
12."Ride" 3:04
13."What Makes You Happy" 3:36
14."Fantasize" 1:55
15."Shitloads of Money" 3:39
16."Girls' Room" 1:46
Total length:51:10
Japan bonus track [16]
No.TitleLength
17."Hurricane Cindy"2:54
Total length:54:04

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [11] 35
Canada Albums Chart [17] 69

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Phair</span> American singer-songwriter

Elizabeth Clark Phair is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, California, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly-Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records.

<i>Exile in Guyville</i> 1993 studio album by Liz Phair

Exile in Guyville is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released on June 22, 1993, by Matador Records. It was recorded at Idful Music Corporation in Chicago between 1992 and 1993 and produced by Phair and Brad Wood. The album received critical acclaim and in 2020, it was ranked No. 56 by Rolling Stone in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. It was certified gold in 1998.

<i>Cmon, Cmon</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Sheryl Crow

C'mon, C'mon is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on April 8, 2002, in the United Kingdom and April 16, 2002 in the United States. Lead single "Soak Up the Sun" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of her biggest hits since "All I Wanna Do". The album was arguably her most pop-influenced to date, a big departure from the folk and rock sound on her previous release, The Globe Sessions.

<i>Whip-Smart</i> 1994 studio album by Liz Phair

Whip-Smart is the second album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1994, the follow-up to Phair's critically well received debut, 1993's Exile in Guyville. Despite not being as critically well received as her previous record, Whip-Smart debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 and ultimately achieved gold status. As of July 2010, it had sold 412,000 copies.

<i>Liz Phair</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Liz Phair

Liz Phair is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released on June 24, 2003, on Capitol Records. It was produced by Phair, Michael Penn, Pete Yorn, R. Walt Vincent and the Matrix songwriting team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Litt</span> American record producer

Scott Warren Litt is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most successful period.

<i>Day I Forgot</i> 2003 studio album by Pete Yorn

Day I Forgot is the second studio album by Pete Yorn, released on April 15, 2003. It contained the single "Come Back Home," and featured R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck on a number of tracks. The album peaked at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums.

<i>Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles</i> 1993 compilation album by various artists

Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles is a tribute album to American rock band Eagles. It was released in 1993 on Giant Records to raise funds for the Walden Woods Project. The album features covers of various Eagles songs, as performed by country music acts. It was certified 3× Platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 27, 1994, honoring shipments of three million copies in the United States. Several cuts from the album all charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts after the album's release, the most successful being Travis Tritt's rendition of "Take It Easy" at number 21. Common Thread won all of its performers a Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year at the 1994 ceremony.

<i>Bayleaf</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Stone Gossard

Bayleaf is the first studio album by American musician Stone Gossard, best known as the guitarist for Pearl Jam. It was released on September 11, 2001, on Epic Records.

<i>I Know Youre Married But Ive Got Feelings Too</i> 2008 studio album by Martha Wainwright

I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too is the second full-length album of Canadian singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright. It was released in Australia on May 10, 2008, with other countries to follow. The 14-track album features 12 original tracks and cover versions of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" and, as a bonus track in some countries, the Eurythmics' "Love Is a Stranger".

<i>Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakams Greatest Hits from the 90s</i> 1999 greatest hits album by Dwight Yoakam

Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's [sic] is the second compilation album by American country music singer Dwight Yoakam. It includes 11 of his hit singles from the 1990s, as well as three new recordings. These new songs are a cover of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", as well as an adapted rendition of Rodney Crowell's "Thinking About Leaving" and "I'll Go Back to Her", originally by Waylon Jennings. “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” which hit #12 on the country singles chart and rose to #64 on Billboard’s Hot 100, was Yoakam's biggest hit single since 1993's "Fast as You." Last Chance for a Thousand Years has been certified gold by the RIAA.

<i>Bringing Back the Funk</i> 2008 studio album by Brian Culbertson

Bringing Back the Funk is a studio album by Brian Culbertson released in 2008 on GRP Records. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and No. 15 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

<i>American Love</i> 2016 studio album by Jake Owen

American Love is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on July 29, 2016, through RCA Nashville. It includes the #1 single "American Country Love Song".

<i>Hits Alive</i> 2010 compilation album / Live Album by Brad Paisley

Hits Alive is the first compilation album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. This album contains two CDs of a collection of Paisley's greatest hits spanning his entire career. The first disc contains studio versions, and the second disc contains live versions. It was released on November 2, 2010, on Arista Nashville. It sold 31,000 copies in its first week. As of the chart dated April 16, 2011, the album has sold 235,881 copies in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supernova (Liz Phair song)</span> 1994 single by Liz Phair

"Supernova" is a song by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair from her second album, Whip-Smart, released in 1994.

"Never Said" is a song by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair from her debut studio album Exile in Guyville (1993). It was released as the lead single from the album in 1993 by Matador Records.

<i>Meat and Candy</i> 2015 studio album by Old Dominion

Meat and Candy is the debut studio album by American country music band Old Dominion. It was released on November 6, 2015 by RCA Nashville. The album includes the single "Break Up with Him", which has charted No. 1 on Country Airplay. The album's second single, "Snapback" released to country radio on January 11, 2016. The album's third single, "Song for Another Time" released to country radio on June 20, 2016.

<i>Soberish</i> 2021 studio album by Liz Phair

Soberish is the seventh studio album from American singer, Liz Phair. It is her first studio album in close to eleven years since 2010's Funstyle and was preceded by five singles: "Good Side", "Hey Lou", "Spanish Doors", "In There", and "The Game". The album was released on June 4, 2021, and is produced by Brad Wood.

"Spanish Doors" is a single by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair. The song was written by Phair, with Brad Wood producing the song. It was released on April 14, 2021, by Chrysalis Records as the third single from Phair's seventh studio album, Soberish. The song speaks about the struggles of divorce, and about how a life can be fractured in its wake. "Spanish Doors" received mixed reviews from critics, with some saying that the song harkened back to her earlier releases, while others criticised the mixing of the track. The single received airplay on US adult album alternative radio, peaking at number 31 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart.

<i>Bell Bottom Country</i> 2022 studio album by Lainey Wilson

Bell Bottom Country is the fourth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Lainey Wilson. Released on October 28, 2022, by BBR Music Group, the album serves as the follow-up to her third studio album, Sayin' What I'm Thinkin' (2021). It was preceded by the single "Heart Like a Truck". Sonically, the album combines country with elements of '70s rock, funk and soul.

References

  1. 1 2 Chonin, Neva (July 30, 1998). "Whitechocolatespaceegg". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "whitechocolatespaceegg – Liz Phair". AllMusic . Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  3. Considine, J. D. (September 13, 1998). "A shocking, conflicted Phair to remember". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  4. DeRogatis, Jim (August 11, 1998). "Fun Phair // New album soars despite slow start". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  5. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Liz Phair: Whitechocolatespaceegg". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s . Macmillan Publishers. ISBN   0-312-24560-2 . Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  6. Browne, David (August 14, 1998). "whitechocolatespaceegg". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  7. Sullivan, Caroline (March 5, 1999). "Liz Phair: Whitechocolatespaceegg (Matador)". The Guardian .
  8. Hochman, Steve (August 9, 1998). "Liz Phair, 'Whitechocolatespaceegg,' Matador/Capitol". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  9. Moll, Susan (August 1998). "Liz Phair: Whitechocolatespaceegg". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on December 17, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  10. Lukas, Paul (September 1998). "Liz Phair: whitechocolatespaceegg". Spin . 14 (9): 186–87. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  11. 1 2 allmusic ((( whitechocolatespaceegg > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
  12. "Ask Billboard: Kylie 'Fever'". Billboard . 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  13. Whitechocolatespaceegg : Liz Phair : Review : Rolling Stone
  14. Liz Phair grows confident about music. (Arts) | Article from The Washington Times [ dead link ]
  15. "Reviews & Previews" (PDF). Billboard Music Week. No. 1 August 1998. p. 18. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  16. "ホワイトチョコレートスペースエッグ | リズ・フェア".
  17. "Item". Library and Archives Canada . 17 July 2013.