Smeared

smeared

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
At the start of Smeared, their 1992 debut album, Canadian power-poppers Sloan parody the confessional: "She was underwhelmed, if that's a word / I know it's not 'cause I looked it up / It's one of those skills I learned in my school / I was overwhelmed / I'm sure of that one 'cause I learned it back in grade school." The knowing wit and bite hardly let up on the rest of the disc, which further upends the expected niceness quotient with titles like "I Am the Cancer" and guitars that rip as much as they shimmer. Posies fans, take note. --Rickey Wright

Smeared,Sloan,Murder Records,Alternative Pop/Rock,Indie Rock,Noise Pop,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Smeared
Smeared
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good Stuff
  • Amazing
  • Excellent Intro CD
 Smeared
Sloan
Manufacturer: Geffen Gold Line Sp.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
NoiseNoise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Pop General | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Twice Removed
  2. One Chord to Another
  3. Pretty Together
  4. Between The Bridges
  5. Navy Blues

ASIN: B000000P0M
Release Date: 1996-03-19

Tracks:

  1. Underwhelmed
  2. Raspberry
  3. I Am the Cancer
  4. Median Strip
  5. Take It In
  6. 500 Up
  7. Marcus Said
  8. Sugartune
  9. Left of Centre
  10. Lemon Zinger
  11. Two Seater
  12. What's There to Decide?

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Good Stuff.......1998-10-10

I'm not hardcore and foolishly insistent in claiming that a band's first album is always its best. In this case, it may be their best, although Twice Removed is pretty darn good. This is an honest album, unashamed of modeling their sounds after the likes of My Bloody Valentine and the Beatles, while still stylizing and creating a sound of their own. "I am the Cancer" and "Underwhelmed" and "Raspberry" are a pretty good indication of where the band was and why they're where they are today.

5 out of 5 stars Amazing.......1998-10-04

I picked up this cd solely on the recommendation that I would like them. I loved it. A year later, they're becoming my favorite band of all.

3 out of 5 stars Excellent Intro CD.......1998-06-20

Sloan's musical variety is perhaps their greatest asset. With the release of their latest CD, Navy Blues, their expertise has only grown to encompass an even wider array of music.

Navy Blues - 5 stars!
Smeared
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Can-Rock Classic
  • Excellent for its time, very good now
  • Not their best
  • It's not the grammar, it's the feeling...
  • HORRIBLE
 Smeared
Sloan
Manufacturer: Murder Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
NoiseNoise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000DD4M
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

  1. Underwhelmed
  2. Raspberry
  3. I Am The Cancer
  4. Median Strip
  5. Take It In
  6. 500 Up
  7. Marcus Said
  8. Sugartune
  9. Left Of Centre
  10. Lemonzinger
  11. Two Seater
  12. What's There To Decide?

Amazon.com

At the start of Smeared, their 1992 debut album, Canadian power-poppers Sloan parody the confessional: "She was underwhelmed, if that's a word / I know it's not 'cause I looked it up / It's one of those skills I learned in my school / I was overwhelmed / I'm sure of that one 'cause I learned it back in grade school." The knowing wit and bite hardly let up on the rest of the disc, which further upends the expected niceness quotient with titles like "I Am the Cancer" and guitars that rip as much as they shimmer. Posies fans, take note. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Can-Rock Classic.......2005-03-10

Although this may not be Sloan's best album (most would suggest Twice Removed) it is an excellent collection of songs. Fans of My Bloody Valentine would appreciate this album as it is full of nicely distorted guitar work with light vocal harmonies on top. This album is similar to other sloan albums in that it contains excellently crafted songs but is quite different from other Sloan albums in style. Heavier, grunge-noise symphony replaces their later pop-rock anthem-esque stylings. Definetly an album that's enjoyable.

4 out of 5 stars Excellent for its time, very good now.......2004-08-10

First of all, if you are a Sloan fan, you need to hear this one if only to see what kind of work Sloan did in the early 90s. A friend of mine introduced me to this band with this CD in the summer of 1994. It stood head and shoulders above other bands I was into at the time with the clever, well written lyrics and anticipation in songs such as Underwhelmed and most importantly 500 Up. A special nod goes to "The Distortion Song", my name for "I Am The Cancer" before I knew what it was really called; memories of summer '94 wouldn't be the same without this song on the soundtrack. I can't agree with those who say this is not the true Sloan. Ten years ago it was, and what an accomplishment for a young band. 4.5 Stars

3 out of 5 stars Not their best.......2003-12-29

Even the members of Sloan would acknowledge that this is not their best album. Their original sound is all but lost under heavy overproduction that turned their song into something geared towards the popularity of early 90s Grunge. The end result is fairly dissatisfying, with the exception of a few tracks where true Sloan sound manages to shine through the grime. If you're new to Sloan and are looking for good early albums, I'd stay away from this one. Instead, look for Twice Removed, or One Chord to Another, which are all-time favorites of mine.

4 out of 5 stars It's not the grammar, it's the feeling..........2000-10-18

Sloan began life with Peppermint, an indie-produced (oh does it sound it!) power pop album. Three of its songs were cleaned up, re-recorded, and included on this major label debut. 'Marcus Said' ("...or at least he might have said" as the song cheekily intones) chugs along lazily, with an ethereal vocal track. Its scratchy guitars can sometimes be jarring, but it rocks nonetheless. 'Sugartune' is aptly named. Sticky sweet, it's built around a simple power-chord riff. "I wrote for you this sugartune to help you through what you've gotta do," it states simply enough. A pop song with desires to better the world -- a noble concept.

But the killer carryover from Peppermint is the lead track, 'Underwhelmed'. It opens with ominous end-of-the-world guitar feedback and a melodic killer hook: "She was underwhelmed if that's a word/I know it's not cause I looked it up/that's one of those skills I learned in my school". Once the drums kick in, the song's narrator is correcting his girl's grammar, dodging her dirty looks, and realizing that she's a heartless bitch. And that's all before the first chorus! It's the classic boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-misses-the-point pop song. And as always Chris Murphy (bass/vox) has such fun with his lyrics. You've got to love a song where the narrator, upon reading an autobiographical story about his girl's life, only says, "affection has two F's, especially when you're dealing with me". And the love interest rolls her eyes in the first verse, and rolls her R's in the last. This is still my fave Sloan song.

The rest of the album fails to measure up, though. There are some good moments, such as 'I Am The Cancer', 'Take It In' (which does Nirvana proud with it's soft verse/loud chorus structure), and '500 Up' (which features a nifty little bass breakdown). But the remainder of the disc relies too heavily on guitar distortion rather than melody. Sloan would later realize that all four members are exquisite songwriters, and they didn't have to rely as heavily on the fine work of Mr. Murphy. Thus, the later albums are jam-packed with great tunes. Here, the latter half of the album is filler. Doesn't matter, though. 'Underwhelmed' is worth the price of admission on its own.

1 out of 5 stars HORRIBLE.......2000-07-09

Stay far away from this terrible CD. There is not ONE good song on it. Save your money!
Smeared
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Smeared
    Sloan
    Manufacturer: Koch Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    NoiseNoise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B0009YNRW0
    Release Date: 2005-08-09

    Tracks:

    1. Underwhelmed
    2. Raspberry
    3. I Am The Cancer
    4. Median Strip
    5. Take It In
    6. 500 Up
    7. Marcus Said
    8. Sugartune
    9. Left Of Centre
    10. Lemonzinger
    11. Two Seater
    12. What's There To Decide?
    Smeared
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Smeared
      Sloan
      Manufacturer: Geffen
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      NoiseNoise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
      Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
      RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
      Similar Items:
      1. Pretty Together
      2. Navy Blues
      3. Action Pact
      4. Twice Removed
      5. Peppermint

      ASIN: B00005ATDW
      Release Date: 2007-01-08

      Tracks:

      1. Underwhelmed
      2. Raspberry
      3. I Am the Cancer
      4. Median Strip
      5. Take It In
      6. 500 Up
      7. Marcus Said
      8. Sugartune
      9. Left of Centre
      10. Lemon Zinger
      11. Two Seater
      12. What's There to Decide?

      Album Description

      The Canadian indie rock/power pop act's cheerful 1993 debut album. Murder Records.
      Smeared
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Smeared
        Sloan
        Manufacturer: Geffen
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
        Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B000LY650E
        Smeared
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Smeared
          Sloan
          Manufacturer: Universal Japan
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
          Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
          NoiseNoise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
          Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
          RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
          ASIN: B00000I5SB
          Release Date: 1998-12-19

          Tracks:

          1. Underwhelmed
          2. Raspberry
          3. I Am the Cancer
          4. Median Strip
          5. Take It In
          6. 500 Up
          7. Marcus Said
          8. Sugartune
          9. Left of Centre
          10. Lemon Zinger
          11. Two Seater
          12. What's There to Decide?
          13. Rag Doll [*]
          14. Laying Blame [*]

          Album Details

          Japanese Version featuring Two Bonus Tracks:rag Doll and Laying Blame.

          Rock Music:

          1. Smile A While
          2. Smile Like You Mean It [CD-single] [Import]
          3. Smooth Classical
          4. Smugglers [Import]
          5. Snafu 10-31-'91 [Live]
          6. Snapshot
          7. Sneakers and Rockfield Sessions
          8. Soda Shop Pop: American Classics [Import]
          9. So Far Away [CD-single] [Enhanced] [Import]
          10. Soft Rock Anthems [Import]

          Rock Music

          rock music