Smell the Magic
| Smell the Magic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Studios |
| |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 29:36 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | Jack Endino | |||
| L7 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Smell the Magic | ||||
| ||||
Smell the Magic is the second studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1990 by Sub Pop. Originally issued as a 12" EP containing only the first six songs, it was reissued on CD in July 1991, expanded to album length with three more tracks: "Packin' a Rod," "Just Like Me," and "American Society." The opening track "Shove" was released as the band's first single.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A |
| The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10 |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Kerrang! | |
| Metal Hammer | 5/5 |
| MusicHound Rock | |
| NME | 8/10 |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music called the album "a raucous, grunge-flavored blast." Trouser Press wrote that "L7 still brings the noise, but with a melodicism that isn’t as evident on the first album."
Rolling Stone placed Smell the Magic at No. 37 on their list of the 50 Greatest Grunge Albums, noting that "they were one of the few non-Seattle bands signed to Sub Pop," and the album "was an electric shock in a sea of grey." Likewise, the article mentions L7's formation out of Los Angeles' metal scene, then acting as a crossover act, and states conclusively that Smell the Magic is one of the "most widely cited as an inspiration by the next wave of punk and riot grrrl bands".
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shove" | Suzi Gardner, Donita Sparks | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Fast and Frightening" | Gardner, Sparks | 2:37 |
| 3. | "(Right On) Thru" | Jennifer Finch | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Deathwish" | Sparks, Finch, Demetra Plakas | 3:45 |
| 5. | "Till the Wheels Fall Off" | Gardner, Sparks | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Broomstick" | Gardner, Sparks, Finch | 3:49 |
| 7. | "Packin' a Rod" | Scott Morrow | 2:08 |
| 8. | "Just Like Me" | Gardner, Sparks, Finch, Plakas, Dusty | 3:32 |
| 9. | "American Society (Eddie and the Subtitles cover)" | Eddie Joseph, Mike Patton | 3:53 |
| Total length: | 29:36 | ||
Personnel
L7
- Donita Sparks – guitar, vocals, lead vocals on tracks 2,4,5,7,9
- Suzi Gardner – guitar, lead vocals on tracks 1,5,6,9
- Jennifer Finch – bass guitar, lead vocals on tracks 3,8,9
- Demetra Plakas – drums
Guest
- Mike Patton – guest vocals
Production
- Jack Endino – producer
- Michael James – engineer
- Daniel Rey – engineer
- Randall Martin – logo
- Charles Peterson – photography
- Howard Rosenberg – photography
- Jeff Price – art director
References
- ↑ "L7's Smell the Magic: 30th Anniversary Edition featuring all 9 songs remastered & available together on vinyl for the first time". Sub Pop Records.
- 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 698.
- ↑ "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides. November 8, 2003.
- ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Smell the Magic - L7". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "L7: Smell the Magic". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. p. 185. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
- ↑ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 48.
- ↑ Wilding, Phil (November 24, 1990). "Rekordz". Kerrang!. No. 317. Spotlight Publications. p. 26.
- ↑ The Technicolor Twins (March 18, 1991). "LP Reviews". Metal Hammer. Vol. 6, no. 6. UK: Rock Team Publishing. p. 37. ISSN 0955-1190.
- ↑ Wells, Steven (November 17, 1990). "Long Play". NME. IPC. p. 35.
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 500. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 231.
- ↑ "L7". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ↑ Grant, Sarah. "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
