Sparkle and Fade

Sparkle and Fade
Studio album by Everclear
Released	May 23, 1995
Recorded	September 1994
Studio	Smart (Madison) A&M (Hollywood) Electric Lady (New York City) Rondor (Los Angeles)
Genre	Post-grunge pop-punk[1][2][3] grunge[4][5] alternative rock
Length	42:47
Label	Capitol
Producer	Art Alexakis Brian Malouf Micheal Douglass
Everclear chronology
World of Noise (1993) Sparkle and Fade (1995) White Trash Hell (1997)
Singles from Sparkle and Fade
"Heroin Girl" Released: 1995 "Santa Monica" Released: December 5, 1995 "Heartspark Dollarsign" Released: March 23, 1996 "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" Released: 1996

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	10/10[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
The Great Rock Discography	9/10[8]
Kerrang!	[9]
MusicHound Rock	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
The Village Voice	A−[12]

Sparkle and Fade is the second album by Everclear, released in 1995.[13] It was their first album to be released exclusively on Capitol Records; their previous effort, World of Noise, was re-released on Capitol after its introduction through the Portland, Oregon based label, Tim/Kerr Records. The album produced the singles "Heroin Girl," "Santa Monica," "Heartspark Dollarsign," and "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore." The album's music follows themes like addiction and romance through a loosely defined narrative similar to Art Alexakis' own troubled life when he was in his twenties.[14]

The album's cover features childhood pictures of the three members of the band. It is Everclear's third-best-selling album to date.[15] It climbed to the top of the Heatseekers Chart in January 1996[16] and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in May 1996.[17] By December 2001, the album had sold 1,190,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[18]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "the sheer radiance of songs like 'Santa Monica' (which demands repeated listens) adds to the luster of this unexpected gem."[13]

Track listing

All songs written by Art Alexakis, Craig Montoya, and Greg Eklund, except where noted.[19]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Electra Made Me Blind"	Alexakis Scott Cuthbert Montoya	3:43
2.	"Heroin Girl"	Alexakis Cuthbert Montoya	2:23
3.	"You Make Me Feel Like a Whore"		2:47
4.	"Santa Monica"		3:11
5.	"Summerland"		3:42
6.	"Strawberry"		2:35
7.	"Heartspark Dollarsign"		2:52
8.	"The Twistinside"	Alexakis Cuthbert Montoya	4:37
9.	"Her Brand New Skin"		2:02
10.	"Nehalem"		1:53
11.	"Queen of the Air"	Alexakis Cuthbert Montoya	2:59
12.	"Pale Green Stars"		4:17
13.	"Chemical Smile"		1:49
14.	"My Sexual Life"	Alexakis Cuthbert Montoya	3:51

Personnel

Personnel per liner notes.[19]

Everclear

• Art Alexakis – guitar, lead vocals
• Greg Eklund – drums, vocals
• Craig Montoya – bass guitar, vocals

Production

• Art Alexakis – production
• Brian Malouf – co-producer, mixing (at Electric Lady)
• Michael Douglass – co-producer, recording (at Smart and A&M)
• Mike Urkell – assistant engineer (at Smart Studios)
• Brian Sperber – assistant engineer, recording (at Electric Lady)
• Alex Reed – recording assistant (at A&M)
• P. Castellano – recording assistant (at Electric Lady)
• Nick Brophy – recording (at Rondor)
• Bill Jackson – recording assistant (at Rondor)
• Bob Ludwig – mastering (at Gateway Mastering), sequencing (8–14)
• Rich Breen – sequencing (1–7)

Artwork

• Art Alexakis – cover design concept
• Steven Birch – graphic design, layout
• Marc Tunz – band photography
• Debbie Desantes –live photo

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995–1996) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 9 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[21] 39 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] 20 US Billboard 200[23] 25

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[24] 45 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 39 US Billboard 200[26] 88

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27]	Platinum	70,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[28]	Platinum	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[29]	Platinum	1,190,000[18]
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Everclear - Sparkle and Fade". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
2. Cizmar, Martin. "It's a Real Small Town: The story behind Everclear's Sparkle and Fade—and why everyone hates the man behind it". Williamette Week. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
3. Brodsky, Rachel. "Everclear's Art Alexakis: "Sparkle And Fade' Was My Escape Route'". Spin. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sparkle & Fade – Everclear". AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
5. Prevatt, Mike (October 7, 1997). "Everclear clarifies style with 'Sparkle'". Daily Bruin. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
6. Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
7. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Everclear". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 1016. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
8. Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Everclear". The Great Rock Discography. Canongate. pp. 512–513. ISBN 9781841956152.
9. Brannigan, Paul (March 9, 1996). "Albums". Kerrang!. No. 587. EMAP. p. 44.
10. Holtje, Steve (1999). "Everclear". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 399–400. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
11. Harris, Keith (2004). "Everclear". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 285–86. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
12. Christgau, Robert (November 14, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
13. Sprague, Deborah. "Everclear". Trouser Press. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
14. Colburn, Randall (September 15, 2015). "On Sparkle And Fade, Everclear found universality in drug-addled intimacy". The A.V. Club.
15. Phalen, Tom (December 1, 1997). "Everclear, Electric And Acoustic, Shows Sparkle, No Fade". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
16. Borzillo, Carrie (February 3, 1996). "Everclear Won't "Sparkle and Fade"". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
17. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
18. Basham, David (December 13, 2001). "Got Charts? Usher's Platinum Mine; A Tolkien Spell; An Ill-Fated Concept". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
19. Sparkle and Fade (booklet). Capitol Records. 1995. 7243 8 30929 2 5.
20. "Australiancharts.com – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
21. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2902". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
22. "Charts.nz – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
23. "Everclear Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
24. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
25. "Top Selling Albums of 1996". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
26. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
27. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
28. "Canadian album certifications – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Music Canada. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
29. "American album certifications – Everclear – Sparkle and Fade". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 16, 2021.