Smell the Magic
Studio album by
L7
ReleasedSeptember 1, 1990
Recorded1989
Studio
Genre
Length29:36
LabelSub Pop[1]
ProducerJack Endino[2]
L7 chronology
L7
(1988)		 Smell the Magic
(1990)		 Bricks Are Heavy
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[8]

Smell the Magic is the second studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1990 by Sub Pop.[9] Originally issued as a 12" EP containing only the first six songs, it was reissued on CD in July 1991, expanded to album length with three more tracks: "Packin' a Rod," "Just Like Me," and "American Society." The opening track "Shove" was released as the band's first single.

Critical reception

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music called the album "a raucous, grunge-flavored blast."[6] Trouser Press wrote that "L7 still brings the noise, but with a melodicism that isn’t as evident on the first album."[10]

Rolling Stone placed Smell the Magic at #37 in their list of the 50 Greatest Grunge Albums, noting that "they were one of the few non-Seattle bands signed to Sub Pop," and the album "was an electric shock in a sea of grey." Likewise, the article mentions L7's formation out of Los Angeles' metal scene, then acting as a crossover act, and states conclusively that Smell the Magic is one of the "most widely cited as an inspiration by the next wave of punk and riot grrrl bands".[11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shove"Suzi Gardner, Donita Sparks3:10
2."Fast and Frightening"Gardner, Sparks2:37
3."(Right On) Thru"Jennifer Finch3:13
4."Deathwish"Sparks, Finch, Demetra Plakas3:45
5."Till the Wheels Fall Off"Gardner, Sparks3:43
6."Broomstick"Gardner, Sparks, Finch3:49
7."Packin' a Rod"Scott Morrow2:08
8."Just Like Me"Gardner, Sparks, Finch, Plakas, Dusty3:32
9."American Society (Eddie and the Subtitles cover)"Eddie Joseph, Mike Patton3:53
Total length:29:36

Personnel

L7
Guest
  • Mike Patton - guest vocals
Production
  • Jack Endino - producer
  • Michael James - engineer
  • Daniel Rey - engineer
  • Randall Martin - logo
  • Charles Peterson - photography
  • Howard Rosenberg - photography
  • Jeff Price - art director

References

  1. ↑ "L7's Smell the Magic: 30th Anniversary Edition featuring all 9 songs remastered & available together on vinyl for the first time". Sub Pop Records.
  2. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 698.
  3. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Smell the Magic - L7". Allmusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "L7: Smell the Magic". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. p. 185. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  5. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  6. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 48.
  7. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 500. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone l7 album guide.
  8. ↑ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 231.
  9. ↑ "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides. November 8, 2003 – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ "L7". Trouser Press. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  11. ↑ Grant, Sarah. "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
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