Whitechocolatespaceegg

Whitechocolatespaceegg
Studio album by Liz Phair
Released	August 11, 1998 (1998-08-11)
Recorded	1996–1998
Studio	CRC (Chicago) Chicago Trax (Chicago) Louie's Clubhouse Ocean Way (Hollywood) Velvet Shirt
Genre	Indie rock [1]
Length	51:10
Label	Matador Capitol
Producer	Jason Chasko Scott Litt Liz Phair Brad Wood
Liz Phair chronology
Whip-Smart (1994) Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998) Liz Phair (2003)
Singles from Whitechocolatespaceegg
"Polyester Bride" Released: 1998 "Johnny Feelgood" Released: 1998

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Baltimore Sun	[3]
Chicago Sun-Times	[4]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	A [5]
Entertainment Weekly	A− [6]
The Guardian	[7]
Los Angeles Times	[8]
Pitchfork	6.4/10 [9]
Rolling Stone	[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.

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.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"White Chocolate Space Egg"	Liz Phair, Jason Chasko, Doug Stoley	4:35
2.	"Big Tall Man"	Phair, Jason Chasko	3:49
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.	Title	Length
17.	"Hurricane Cindy"	2:54
Total length:		54:04

Personnel

• Liz Phair – guitar, piano, vocals
• Leroy Bach – acoustic bass
• Scott Bennett – organ, bass guitar, drums
• Bill Berry – bongos
• Peter Buck – guitar
• Jason Chasko – bass, guitar, piano, drums, background vocals
• Nathan December – guitar, electric guitar
• Tommy Furar – bass
• John Hiler – organ, piano, keyboards, background vocals
• Scott Litt – acoustic guitar, bass, harmonica, violin, drums, keyboards, background vocals
• Scott McCaughey – guitar
• Mike Mills – bass
• Troy Niedhart – accordion
• Ed Tinley – guitar, clapping
• Randy Wilson – keyboards
• Brad Wood – organ, bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, background vocals, clapping, drum machine

Production

• Producers: Liz Phair, Jason Chasko, Scott Litt, Brad Wood
• Engineers: John Hiler, Liquid Grooves, Chris Sabold, David Schiffman, Ed Tinley, Brad Wood
• Assistant engineers: Victor Janacua, Matt Judah, Brad Kopplin, Julie Last, Chris Sabold, Al Sanderson, David Schiffman
• Mixing: Victor Janacua, Tom Lord-Alge, Brad Wood
• Mastering: Ted Jensen, Katrin Thomas
• Programming: John Hiler, Randy Wilson
• Loops: Liquid Grooves
• Treatments: Scott Litt
• Art direction: Liz Phair, Frank Longo, Jon Mathias, Mark O.

Charts

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

References

1. 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. allmusic ((( whitechocolatespaceegg > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
12. "Ask Billboard: Kylie 'Fever'". Billboard . July 16, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
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 . July 17, 2013.