| Wowee Zowee | ||||
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| Studio album by Pavement | ||||
| Released | April 11, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | November 14-24, 1994, Easley Recording Studios, Memphis, Tennessee February 10-14, 1995, Random Falls Studio, New York December 2-5, 1994 and January 2-5, 1995, Speed Mix Studio[1] |
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| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 55:51 | |||
| Label | Matador/Warner Bros. Records (1995) Matador/Atlantic Records (1996) Matador Records (1997-present) Big Cat Records (1995) Domino Records (2003) Rough Trade Records Caroline Records Pony Canyon Fellaheen Records |
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| Producer | Pavement | |||
| Pavement chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.3/10)[3] |
| Robert Christgau | (A)[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Wowee Zowee is the third studio album by Pavement. The album showcased a more experimental and spontaneous side of the group, returning them to the clatter and unpredictability of their early recordings after the classic rock vibe of 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. The cover art was painted by New York-based artist Steve Keene and resembles the cover of Guru Guru's 1972 album, "Känguru."
Rolling Stone speculated that the relative success of their previous album (having sold 169,000 copies by this time) was a reason for this album's eclectic nature; the magazine's review claimed Pavement were afraid of success. Stephen Malkmus later refuted this, attributing the stylistic shift to excessive marijuana consumption. Rolling Stone voted Wowee Zowee the 12th Coolest Album of all time.
The songs "Grounded," "Flux=Rad," "Pueblo," and "Kennel District" were originally written at the same time as the songs that became Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and rough versions appear on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins disc 2.
The album was recorded at Easley Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, with the exception of some tracks recorded at Random Falls, in NY.
"Motion Suggests Itself" is featured on a Grandaddy compilation entitled "Below the Radio". The song is mistitled "Motion Suggests" on the original release due to a transcription error and was not corrected until the expanded reissue eleven years later.
The album's title is an homage to former drummer Gary Young, who would frequently yell "Wowee zowee!" when excited. The title is also an alternate spelling of the Frank Zappa song "Wowie Zowie" from the album Freak Out!
Matador Records released an expanded 2CD edition of this album under the title Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition on November 6, 2006. [1]
In 2010, author Bryan Charles wrote a book about the album as part of the 33⅓ book series.
Contents |
All songs written by Stephen Malkmus, otherwise noted.
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