156: SLANTED AND ENCHANTED | PAVEMENT
Slanted and Enchanted is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released in April 1992 on Matador Records. The album has received critical acclaim, and is seen as a landmark album for indie rock.
The album was distributed to critics as early as 1991, months before its official release; the original distribution did not feature the entire band, as several members joined during its production. The recording sessions were split between South Makepeace Studios in Brooklyn, New York (recorded December 24, 1990) and Louder Than You Think Studios in Stockton, CA (recorded January 13–20, 1991).
The first single (EP), "Summer Babe" appeared in August 1991. It was the last release on Chicago's Drag City label before the band moved to Matador. It contained the B-sides "Mercy Snack (The Laundromat)" and "Baptist Blacktick" that were later included on the deluxe version of the album. A different mix of "Summer Babe," entitled "Summer Babe (Winter Version)," became the first track on the band's debut album. The song was also ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as number 286 in its 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and as number 292 in the 2011 update of the list.
The title Slanted and Enchanted is taken from the title of a cartoon made by the late Silver Jews frontman David Berman. Its cover art was created by appropriating that of an existing album, Ferrante & Teicher's Keyboard Kapers. Slanted and Enchanted was officially released on 20 April 1992 to critical acclaim, originally reaching a peak of number 72 on the UK Albums Chart. A two-disc expanded version of the album, Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe, was released in 2002. In 2003, the album was ranked number 134 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,and number 135 in the 2012 update of the list. As of 2007, the album has sold 150,000 copies. Read more