Bricks Are Heavy

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Bricks Are Heavy
Studio album by L7
Released	April 14, 1992
Recorded	1991 & 1992
Genre	Grunge
Length	37:28
Label	Slash Records
Producer	L7 & Butch Vig
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Rolling Stone link Robert Christgau (A) link
L7 chronology
Smell the Magic (1990) Bricks Are Heavy (1992) Hungry for Stink (1994)

Bricks Are Heavy is the third album by the Los Angeles band L7, released in April 1992 through Slash Records. Backed by the single "Pretend We're Dead", the album became a breakthrough hit and the band became the "poster girls" of grunge music.

The album was released shortly after grunge had broken into the mainstream with the surprise success of Nirvana's Nevermind. In July 1992, the song "Pretend We're Dead" gained popularity among American rock radio stations, where it received regular airplay. By late August, the album had reached #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers album chart, and two weeks later it peaked at #160 on the Billboard 200.

Musically the album is heavier and dirtier than the band's previous recordings. While the band retained its punk and hardcore punk roots, there was more emphasis on heavy metal than before. It was produced by Butch Vig, who is renowned for his work with bands such as Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and later Garbage.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Personnel 3 Chart positions 4 Other success 5 Accolades 6 External links

[edit] Track listing

1. "Wargasm" (Sparks) – 2:40
2. "Scrap" (Sparks, Gurewitz) – 2:53
3. "Pretend We're Dead" (Sparks) – 3:53
4. "Diet Pill" (Sparks) – 4:21
5. "Everglade" (Finch, Ray) – 3:18
6. "Slide" (Gardner, Sparks) – 3:37
7. "One More Thing" (Finch) – 4:07
8. "Mr. Integrity" (Sparks) – 4:06
9. "Monster" (Gardner) – 2:56
10. "Shitlist" (Sparks) – 2:55
11. "This Ain't Pleasure" (Gardner, Caivano) – 2:52

[edit] Personnel

• Donita Sparks - Guitar, Lead vocals on tracks 1,2,3,4,8,10,
• Suzi Gardner - Guitar, Lead vocals on tracks 6,9,11
• Jennifer Finch - Bass, Lead vocals on tracks 5 and 7
• Demetra Plakas - Drums, Backing vocals on Pretend We're Dead
• Butch Vig - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
• Howie Weinberg - Mastering
• Steve Marker - Engineer
• Mr. Colson - Engineer
• Elizabeth Hale - Art Direction
• Jeff Price - Art Direction
• Randall Martin - Artwork
• Vicki Berndt - Photography
• Arlan E. Helm - Photography
• Damion Romero - Photography
• Paul Ryan - Bongos

[edit] Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1992	Billboard Heatseekers	1
1992	Billboard 200	160

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1992	"Pretend We're Dead"	Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	8

[edit] Other success

The song Pretend We're Dead was featured on the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

[edit] Accolades

• Rolling Stone: "The Essential Recordings of the 1990s"
• The Village Voice: "Pazz & Jop 1992 Critics Poll: Albums" – #32
• The Village Voice: "Pazz & Jop 1992 Critics Poll: Singles" – #11 ("Pretend We're Dead")

[edit] External links

• Album review on All Music Guide