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Perfect from Now On

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Perfect from Now On
Studio album by
Built to Spill
ReleasedJanuary 28, 1997 (1997-01-28)
StudioAVAST! Recording Co. (Seattle, Washington)
Genre
Length54:13
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerPhil Ek
Built to Spill chronology
There's Nothing Wrong with Love
(1994) 		Perfect from Now On
(1997) 		Keep It Like a Secret
(1999)

Perfect from Now On is the third full-length album released by Built to Spill, and the band's first major label (Warner Bros.) release. It was recorded at the Avast! Recording Company in Seattle, Washington by Phil Ek. Stylistically, the album was marked by its experimentation with longer song structures and philosophical lyrics.

The album was essentially recorded three times. The first time, frontman Doug Martsch attempted to play all the instruments except drums. He and Ek were dissatisfied with the results, so Martsch brought in bassist Brett Nelson and drummer Scott Plouf and recorded the album again. However, these tapes were destroyed by heat when Ek was driving from Seattle to Boise to record additional overdubs. The band rehearsed some more, then recorded the album a third time.

In September 2008, the band embarked on a three-month tour to perform the album in its entirety.[3]

Background

In contrast to Built to Spill's first two albums, Perfect from Now On contains mostly long, sprawling songs. Martsch wrote the album as a result of his distaste of grunge music such as Nirvana, making the songs long and unconventional on purpose in order to prevent them from being played on the radio. "I didn’t want us to have a hit. I was a little nervous that we might accidentally have a hit, and that our music would be shoved into people’s faces," he said. Martsch wanted Built to Spill's popularity to spread organically through word-of-mouth rather than being promoted heavily.[4]

Despite the length of the album's songs, Martsch rejected comparisons to progressive rock, stating that he listened to Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 instead. Perfect from Now On was Built to Spill's first album released on Warner Bros. Records, which Martsch signed with because they offered health insurance to his family, including his newborn son at the time.[5]

The album was recorded three times. Martsch played all of the instruments except drums on the first version, but he was not satisfied with the results. Only one song from that recording, "Made-Up Dreams", made the final version. The second recording was made with bassist Brett Nelson and drummer Scott Plouf, but the tapes were damaged. The two failed albums cost $20,000 to make. Discouraged, Beat Happening singer Calvin Johnson convinced Martsch to keep trying.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Alternative Press[7]
Chicago Tribune[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[9]
NME8/10[10]
Pitchfork9.2/10[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
Spin8/10[14]
The Village VoiceB+[15]

Perfect from Now On was released to widespread critical acclaim and is widely regarded as an indie rock masterpiece as well as Built to Spill's magnum opus. Pitchfork ranked this album at #22 on its "Top 100 Albums of the 90s" list. This album, along with 1999's Keep It Like a Secret and 1994's There's Nothing Wrong with Love, is frequently cited as one of the greatest indie rock albums of all time, and has come to influence many modern alternative, rock, and indie acts.[16]

Track listing

All songs written by Doug Martsch.

No.TitleLength
1."Randy Described Eternity"6:09
2."I Would Hurt a Fly"6:15
3."Stop the Show"6:26
4."Made-Up Dreams"4:52
5."Velvet Waltz"8:33
6."Out of Site"5:33
7."Kicked It in the Sun"7:32
8."Untrustable / Part 2 (About Someone Else)"8:53
Total length:54:18
Vinyl edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
9."Easy Way"6:45
Total length:61:03

Personnel

Musicians

  • Doug Martsch - vocals, guitar, Moogs, bass on "Made-Up Dreams"
  • Brett Nelson - bass, Moog on "Untrustable / Part 2 (About Someone Else)", Optigan on "Kicked In The Sun"
  • Scott Plouf - drums, percussion, piano on "Randy Described Eternity", Moog on "Stop the Show" and "Kicked In The Sun"

Additional musicians

  • Brett Netson - guitar on "Randy Described Eternity," "I Would Hurt a Fly," "Stop the Show," "Velvet Waltz," and "Out of Site"
  • John McMahon - cello on "I Would Hurt a Fly," "Stop the Show," "Velvet Waltz," "Out of Site," and "Untrustable/Pt. 2 (About Someone Else)"
  • Robert Roth - Mellotron on "Made-Up Dreams," "Velvet Waltz," and "Untrustable/Pt. 2 (About Someone Else)"
  • Peter Lansdowne - drums on "Made-Up Dreams" and "Easy Way"
  • Karena Youtz - "title and some words" on "Velvet Waltz", "Out Of Site", and "Kicked It In The Sun"; backing vocals on "Made-Up Dreams" and "Kicked It in the Sun"

Production

  • Phil Ek - producer, recording, engineer
  • Howie Weinberg - mastering
  • Kip Beelman, Sam Hofstedt - engineer assistant
  • Chris Takino - mixing assistant
  • Tae Won Yu - design, art direction

Sampling

Rapper Cage's song "Ballad of Worms" sampled "I Would Hurt a Fly". The song appeared on Eastern Conference All-Stars, Vol. 3 and Purple Rain Mix CD Vol. 1.

References

  1. ^ Bort, Ryan; Schonfeld, Zach; Scott, H. Alan; Shaffer, Claire; Ziv, Stav (June 18, 2017). "'OK Computer' and Beyond: The 23 best albums of 1997". Newsweek. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. "Built to Spill | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  3. ^ Skruck, Jeff (May 20, 2008). "Built to Spill to Play Perfect from Now On This Fall on Tour | Prefix". prefixmag.com. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Hyden, Steven (2022-09-07). "Doug Martsch Reviews Every Built To Spill Album". UPROXX. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  5. ^ Roberts, Michael. "Built to Spill flashback: Our 1997 Doug Martsch interview". Westword. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  6. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Perfect from Now On – Built to Spill". AllMusic. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  7. ^ "Built to Spill: Perfect from Now On". Alternative Press (105): 65. April 1997.
  8. ^ Knopper, Steve (January 31, 1997). "Built to Spill: Perfect From Now On (Warner)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  9. ^ Brunner, Rob (January 31, 1997). "Perfect From Now On". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  10. ^ Oldham, James (February 1, 1997). "Built To Spill – Perfect From Now On". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  11. ^ Kandell, Steve (April 28, 2018). "Built to Spill: Perfect From Now On". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  12. ^ Kot, Greg (November 9, 1998). "Perfect From Now On". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  13. ^ Randall, Mac (2004). "Built to Spill". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 118–19. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ^ Weisbard, Eric (February 1997). "Built to Spill: Perfect From Now On". Spin. 12 (11): 84. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 27, 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  16. ^ Morris, William (November 17, 2003). "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
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