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.[6] 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.

Smeared
Studio album by Sloan
Released	October 1, 1992 (Canada) January 13, 1993 (US)
Recorded	1992
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock
Length	46:19
Label	Geffen, murderecords
Producer	Terry Pulliam, Sloan
Sloan chronology
Peppermint EP (1992) Smeared (1992) Twice Removed (1994)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[2]
NME	7/10[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
The Village Voice	B+[5]

Overview

Like their first release, the Peppermint EP, Smeared received comparisons to Sonic Youth and Beatles. 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.[7]

Music videos were produced for the tracks "Underwhelmed" and "500 Up", with both receiving 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.[8] The album was certified Gold in Canada on July 12, 1995. By February 1997, the album had sold 60,000 units in Canada.[6]

Track listing

All songs credited to Sloan.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Underwhelmed"	Chris Murphy	4:41
2.	"Raspberry"	Chris Murphy	4:02
3.	"I Am the Cancer"	Chris Murphy	3:39
4.	"Median Strip"	Chris Murphy	3:34
5.	"Take It In"	Chris Murphy	3:56
6.	"500 Up"	Andrew Scott	4:21
7.	"Marcus Said"	Chris Murphy	4:32
8.	"Sugartune"	Patrick Pentland	3:27
9.	"Left of Centre"	Chris Murphy	2:34
10.	"Lemonzinger"	Jay Ferguson	4:10
11.	"Two Seater"	Chris Murphy	3:04
12.	"What's There to Decide?"	Jay Ferguson	4:19

Japanese Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Laying Blame"	Chris Murphy	3:42
14.	"Rag Doll"	Patrick Pentland	3:11

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")

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Smeared – Sloan". AllMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
2. Arnold, Gina (February 19, 1993). "Smeared". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
3. "Sloan: Smeared". NME: 30. February 6, 1993.
4. Robbins, Ira (April 15, 1993). "Sloan: Smeared". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 30, 2003. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
5. Christgau, Robert (June 1, 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
6. SLOAN REUINTES FOR ENCLAVE SET. Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
7. "Sloan 1994 Public Access TV interview". Retrieved September 27, 2019.
8. Smeared campaign. Maclean's. Retrieved March 6, 2019.