Marcy Playground (album)

Marcy Playground
Studio album by Marcy Playground
Released February 25, 1997 (original issue)
October 7, 1997 (reissue)
Recorded 1996
Genre Alternative rock
Length 34:27
Label Capitol
Producer Jared Kotler
Marcy Playground chronology
Marcy Playground
(1997)		 Shapeshifter
(1999)
Singles from Marcy Playground
  1. "Poppies"
    Released: 1997
  2. "Sex and Candy"
    Released: November 4, 1997
  3. "Saint Joe on the School Bus"
    Released: 1998
  4. "Sherry Fraser"
    Released: 1998

Marcy Playground is the self-titled album by Marcy Playground, released on February 25, 1997 with EMI. It was reissued later that year on October 7 on Capitol Records with a large amount of promotion for the single "Sex and Candy," which became the band's breakthrough single, spending a then-record 15 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart during the first few months of 1998. The album also includes the singles "St. Joe on the Schoolbus" and "Sherry Fraser" both of which received moderate radio and MTV2 airplay during the latter half of 1998.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
NME(7/10)[2]
Robert Christgau[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Marcy Playground garnered a mixed reception from music critics. A writer for NME said that, "What is surprising is how enjoyable this window on Wozniak's soul is: his lazy drawl and gentle melodies coating his misery in a pop sheen....the mood remains resolutely downbeat but the angst is not imposing."[2] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that some of the tracks don't quite match up to "Sex and Candy", saying that "only a handful [of the songs] on the album are as memorable as the single. Still, those moments are what make Marcy Playground a promising, albeit imperfect, debut."[1] Robert Christgau graded the album as a "dud",[3] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."[5] Chuck Eddy of Rolling Stone heavily panned the album for Wozniak's post-grunge pop having subpar musicianship, saying that it "sets icky new standards for commercial-post-alternative callowness."[4]

Track listing

All tracks written by John Wozniak, except where noted. 

No. Title Length
1. "Poppies"   2:49
2. "Sex and Candy"   2:53
3. "Ancient Walls of Flowers" (John Wozniak, Sherry Fraser) 3:16
4. "Saint Joe on the School Bus"   3:20
5. "A Cloak of Elvenkind"   2:59
6. "Sherry Fraser"   2:50
7. "Gone Crazy"   2:45
8. "Opium"   3:07
9. "One More Suicide"   2:39
10. "Dog and His Master"   2:12
11. "The Shadow of Seattle"   2:48
12. "The Vampires of New York"   2:55

Personnel

Marcy Playground

Additional personnel

Note: though not credited as a member, Jared Kotler plays drums on every song except "Saint Joe on the School Bus," and bass on "Sherry Fraser," "One More Suicide" and "The Vampires of New York."

Production

Recorded and mixed at Sabella Recording Studio, Roslyn NY
Mastered at Masterdisk, New York City NY
Songs published by Wozniak Publishing (ASCAP)

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Marcy Playground - Marcy Playground". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Marcy Playground CD". CD Universe. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "CG: Marcy Playground". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Eddy, Chuck (April 22, 1998). "Marcy Playground: Marcy Playground". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
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