Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Studio album by Sarah McLachlan
Released 22 October 1993
(see release history)
Recorded 1992 at Wild Sky Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec
Genre Pop rock
Length 57:50
Label Nettwerk (Canada), Arista
Producer Pierre Marchand
Sarah McLachlan chronology
Solace
(1991)		 Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
(1993)		 Surfacing
(1997)
Singles from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
  1. "Possession"
  2. "Hold On"
  3. "Good Enough"
Music sample
"Possession"

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is an album by Sarah McLachlan. It was produced by Pierre Marchand in Montreal, and released in October 1993 in Canada, and in early 1994 in the rest of the world.

The album was an immediate hit in Canada, where McLachlan was already an established star. Over the next two years, it became her breakthrough album internationally as well. However, in some countries, most notably the United States, the album was a steady seller that stayed in the middle ranges of the pop charts for almost two years, rather than the #1 smash that McLachlan would achieve with 1997's Surfacing. As of November 2003, the album had sold 2.8 million copies in the United States.[1]

"Possession", the album's first single, is written from the point of view of an obsessed fan. Following the album's release, a fan named Uwe Vandrei sued McLachlan for songwriting credit, claiming that his letters were used as the basis of the song. The case never made it to trial as Vandrei was found dead of apparent suicide in November 1994.

Some editions contain an album version of McLachlan's 1995 single used for The Brothers McMullen soundtrack, "I Will Remember You". The track's lyrics do not appear in the booklet, nor strangely does the track's crediting information.

August 5, 2008 saw the release of the 15th anniversary 3-disc edition the album. The set includes the original remastered album, The Freedom Sessions and a DVD that includes live performances, music videos and more. The album was released by Legacy Recordings.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Possession"   Sarah McLachlan 4:39
2. "Wait"   McLachlan 4:09
3. "Plenty"   McLachlan 4:05
4. "Good Enough"   McLachlan 5:03
5. "Mary"   McLachlan 3:55
6. "Elsewhere"   McLachlan 4:44
7. "Circle"   McLachlan 3:43
8. "Ice"   McLachlan 3:54
9. "Hold On"   McLachlan 4:09
10. "Ice Cream"   McLachlan 2:44
11. "Fear"   McLachlan 3:59
12. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" (1) McLachlan, Pierre Marchand 9:49
UK and Japan Bonus Track
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Blue"   Joni Mitchell 2:50

1 Fumbling Towards Ecstasy also includes a hidden track after the song has finished: "Possession" (solo piano version)


[edit] Legacy edition

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars [2]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars [3]
Slant Magazine 5/5 stars [4]
Disc 1: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
No. Title Length
1. "Possession"   4:39
2. "Wait"   4:09
3. "Plenty"   4:05
4. "Good Enough"   5:03
5. "Mary"   3:55
6. "Elsewhere"   4:44
7. "Circle"   3:43
8. "Ice"   3:54
9. "Hold On"   4:09
10. "Ice Cream"   2:44
11. "Fear"   3:59
12. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy"   4:56
13. "Possession (Piano Version)"   4:30
The Freedom Sessions
No. Title Length
1. "Elsewhere"   4:33
2. "Plenty"   3:20
3. "Mary"   3:55
4. "Good Enough"   3:20
5. "Hold On"   6:43
6. "Ice Cream"   2:30
7. "Ice"   3:58
8. "Ol' 55" (Written by Tom Waits) 4:12
9. "Hold On (Alternate Version)"   6:43
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Live DVD
No. Title Length
1. "Plenty"    
2. "Good Enough"    
3. "Wait"    
4. "Home"    
5. "Ice" (Live studio)  
6. "Ben's Song"    
7. "Out of the Shadows"    
8. "I Will Not Forget You"    
9. "Path of Thorns" (Live studio)  
10. "Hold On"    
11. "Possession"    
12. "Mary" (Live studio)  
13. "Ice Cream"    
14. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy"    
15. "Ol' 55"    

[edit] Charts

Chart Peak
position		 Certification Sales/shipments
Australian Albums Chart[5] 76
Canadian Albums Chart[6] 5 5x platinum 500,000[7]
U.S. Billboard 200[8] 50 3x platinum 3,000,000[9]

[edit] Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Japan 24 May 1994 BMG Japan CD BVCA-638
Australia 14 August 1994 Arista Records CD 07822-18725-2

[edit] Personnel

  • Sarah McLachlan: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Piano
  • Bill Dillon: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Guitorgan, Bass, Piano
  • Pierre Marchand: Bass, Piano, Keyboards, Fake B-3 Organ, Drum Machine, Percussion Machine, 808, Shaker, Found Sound
  • Brian Minato: Bass
  • David Kershaw: Hammond Organ
  • Jane Scarpantoni: Cello
  • Michel Dubeau: Saxophone
  • Ashwin Sood: Drums, Percussion
  • Jerry Marotta: Drums, Percussion
  • Lou Shefano: Drums
  • Guy Nadon: Drums

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Ask Billboard - FUMBLING TOWARDS SALES". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  2. ^ Allmusic Review
  3. ^ Rolling Stone Review
  4. ^ Slant Magazine Review
  5. ^ Australian Albums Chart
  6. ^ Canadian Albums Chart
  7. ^ CRIA
  8. ^ U.S. Albums Chart
  9. ^ RIAA

[edit] External links

Sarah McLachlan
Studio albums
Touch · Solace · Fumbling Towards Ecstasy · Surfacing · Afterglow · Wintersong · Laws of Illusion
Live albums
Other albums
Singles
"Vox" · "The Path of Thorns (Terms)" · "Into the Fire" · "Drawn to the Rhythm" · "Possession" · "I Will Remember You" · "Building a Mystery" · "Sweet Surrender" · "Adia" · "Angel" · "Fallen" · "Stupid" · "World on Fire" · "River" · "U Want Me 2" · "Loving You Is Easy"
Other songs
"Silence" · "Sing" · "Don't Let Go" w/Bryan Adams
Collaborators
Related articles
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fumbling_Towards_Ecstasy&oldid=473536869"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages