Search - Sloan :: Smeared

They Weren't Just R's

Evan A Genest | Hsinchu Taiwan | 08/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm going on record as being astounded that Sloan's debut has only been reviewed three times. This is a runner up for my list of discs to take to a desert island! You may not love it as much as me but know this: I played it to death and every subsequent Sloan release, for me, is not the same. [First Frank Black solo did the same thing, so maybe it is just me.]



You should start with Take It In or Sugartune, great all-time power-pop.



Finally, in a clarification of good lyrics, can I be the first on the entire Internet [I've checked, even at Sloan dot com] to note the great play on words of the first song, "Overwhelmed", an all time jilted-nerd peon, which glorified rejection, way before Dashboard Confessional, though closer to Wonder Years in sitcomishness?



The line is



"She rolled her eyes, her beautiful eyes"

which later reappears, kind of like Shakespeare:

"She rolled her R's, her beautiful arse""

Not their best

Derek V. | Vancouver, BC, CA | 12/29/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Excellent for its time, very good now

Steve Edge | Morganton, NC, United States | 08/10/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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"