Smeared

Smeared is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Sloan. It was released in Canada on October 1, 1992, and in the United States in January, 1993, on Geffen Records. The album was recorded at a low cost of $1,200.<ref name="Billboard">Template:Cite book</ref> The album is ranked 86th in the 2007 book The Top 100 Canadian Albums by music journalist Bob Mersereau and is widely considered a seminal album of Canada's 1990s alternative rock scene. In an interview with GuitarWorld, in December 2022, Patrick Pentland stated that a Smeared 30th Anniversary reissue is in the works, slated for 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The deluxe edition reissue was eventually released in May 2024, which featured a 44-page book, concert poster, unreleased demos & outtakes from the Smeared sessions, as well as a previously unreleased live concert from June 1993 at McGill University, in Montreal.

Overview

Like their first release, the Peppermint EP, Smeared received comparisons to Sonic Youth and Beatles.Template:Citation needed Three songs from Peppermint re-appear on Smeared; one of these ("Underwhelmed") was entirely re-recorded, while the other two ("Marcus Said" and "Sugartune") are the same recordings with new mixing. The band had originally intended to name the album Gluegun.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

The track Median Strip, despite being principally written by Andrew Scott, was sung by Chris Murphy. An alternate version featuring Scott's vocals was included on the 2024 deluxe reissue.<ref name="powerpopaholic.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

Music videos were produced for the tracks "Underwhelmed", "500 Up", and "Sugar Tune". The music video for "Sugar Tune" was shot in the Spring of 1993, in Iowa, while the band were on their United States tour of Smeared, and was shot by Super Friendz' Matt Murphy. This video went unreleased until December 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two videos were shot for "Underwhelmed". The first version of the video, shot by Colin MacKenzie, was shot in Clayton Park, in Halifax, NS, in June of 1992, at Chris' parents house.<ref>Smeared Deluxe booklet, 2024</ref> This version of the video, was the winner of the Moonsnail Award, in the Music Video category, at the Atlantic Film Festival, in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Both "Underwhelmed" and "500 Up" received moderate rotation on MuchMusic in the early 1990s. Jennifer Pierce, of fellow Halifax band Jale, sang backing vocals on "I Am the Cancer".

Commercial performance

By September 1993, the album had sold more than 150,000 copies worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album was certified Gold in Canada on July 12, 1995. By February 1997, the album had sold 60,000 units in Canada.<ref name="Billboard"/>

Track listing

All songs credited to Sloan. Template:Track listing Japanese Bonus Tracks on 1998 CD Reissue Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Template:Track listing

Credits

• Jay Ferguson – guitar, vocals
• Chris Murphy – bass, vocals, erased guitar
• Patrick Pentland – guitar, vocals, bass
• Andrew Scott – drums, vocals, guitar
• Jennifer Pierce – backing vocals ("I Am the Cancer" & "Marcus Said")