Fun Trick Noisemaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fun Trick Noisemaker | ||
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| Studio album by The Apples in Stereo | ||
| Released | May 2, 1995 | |
| Recorded | October 1994 – February 1995 | |
| Genre | Indie Pop | |
| Length | 39:54 44:35 (Japanese release) |
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| Label | SpinART Records (spart 42), Elephant 6 |
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| Producer(s) | Robert Schneider | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Apples in Stereo chronology | ||
| Hypnotic Suggestion (1994) |
Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995) |
Science Faire (1996) |
Fun Trick Noisemaker is the debut studio album from The Apples in Stereo, recorded in a house in Los Angeles, in Robert Schneider's (at the time) portable Pet Sounds Studio. The album is perhaps the most raw example of the Apples, with the certainly rather lo-fi recording values being eclipsed somewhat by their later efforts. Despite this, or possibly partly because of this, this is one of the band's most critically lauded albums.
Though the album is an early effort in production by Schneider, he had previously had experience producing with The Apples in Stereo and his own solo project, Marbles. Learning to be a record producer since he was fifteen years old, his influence from producers such as Phil Spector and Brian Wilson led him to use the popular "Wall of Sound" production technique on Fun Trick Noisemaker. Several tracks (notably the opening song "Tidal Wave") have as many as ten guitars playing at any one time (usually eight rhythm guitars and two guitars used for solos).
The Japanese version of Fun Trick Noisemaker contains the extra tracks "Shine (In Your Mind)" and "Thank You Very Much". These tracks can be found in mp3 format on the Elephant 6 website.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All tracks written by Robert Schneider except where noted.
- "The Narrator" – 0:35
- "Tidal Wave" (R. Schneider/C. Parfitt) – 3:26
- "High Tide" – 2:33
- "Green Machine" – 2:50
- "Winter Must Be Cold" (H. Sidney) – 3:16
- "She's Just Like Me / Talking Time" – 4:36
- "Glowworm" – 3:02
- "Dots 1-2-3" (J. McIntyre/R. Schneider) – 2:31
- "Lucky Charm" – 3:26
- "Innerspace" (R. Schneider/J. Hill) – 2:36
- "Show The World" – 2:29
- "Love You Alice / D" – 4:27
- "Pine Away" – 4:07
- "Shine (In Your Mind)" – 3:36 (Japanese release only)
- "Thank You Very Much" – 1:05 (Japanese release only)
[edit] Personnel
[edit] The Apples in Stereo
As they appear on the sound recording:
- Hilarie Sidney - drums, vocals, guitar, maraca, bells
- Robert Schneider - vocals, guitars, piano, melodica, Jupiter and Moog keyboards, bass
- John Hill - guitars, vocals, bass
[edit] Other performers
- Jim McIntyre - bass on tracks 2, 4, 8 and 12
- Kurt Heasley - guitar on track 3, vocals, tambourine
- Joel Evans - bass on track 10
- Jeff Mangum - bass on track 7
- Kyle Jones - vocals
[edit] Production
Fun Trick Noisemaker was produced by Robert Schneider and engineered by The Apples in Stereo with technical assistance from Kurt Heasley. The album was recorded on an 8-track analog from October 1994 to February 1995 at Brendt Larson's house (Glendora, CA) and Kyle Jones' house (Denver, CO). The LP was mastered by Paul Brekus, Aardvark Records. The CD was mastered by Park Peters, Audio Park.
[edit] Additional notes
[edit] References to Relay 2 communications satellite
The first track entitled "The Narrator" is an old 1960s recording describing the Relay 2 communications satellite. "Glowworm" and "Love You Alice / D" contain continuing excerpts from this recording.
- The Narrator: "This program is coming to you via Relay 2 satellite; a spacecraft orbiting the earth at a speed of over seventeen thousand miles per hour. The musical selections you are about to hear were first tape recorded and fed into a transmitter where they were beamed to Relay 2 spacecraft. As you listen to the musical selections, note the clarity and excellent stereophonic separation between the left and right channels even after traversing twelve thousand miles through space."
- Glowworm (as an outro): "You are listening to the first stereo broadcast as it was relayed through outer space and received and recorded back on Earth."
- Love You Alice/D: "Ladies and gentlemen, you have just heard the first stereo program from outer space."
[edit] Other trivia
- "Tidal Wave" was featured in an episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete[1].
- The cover art for Fun Trick Noisemaker is from prolific artist Steve Keene. Keene is known for his assembly-line painting style, so it should come as no surprise that when Robert Schneider contacted him about doing the cover, Keene sent him several paintings (about thirty six). Owners of the original CD packaging note that instead of choosing one cover, Robert included eight of the paintings so that the CD owner could unfold and re-fold the CD insert to show a different cover.
- The back cover art was done by William Cullen Hart.
- In 1992, Schneider recorded interpreted vocal overdubs for "Trombone Dixie", an unfinished track by The Beach Boys during their Pet Sounds sessions. The song contains harmonies that would later be used in "High Tide". "High Tide" also features an opening hook similar to that of The Apples' 1994 song "Running in Circles".
