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Revision as of 14:21, 20 October 2023 by Dgh2125(talk | contribs)(→Critical reception: Referenced the Rolling Stone article 50 Greatest Grunge Albums for this album.)
Smell the Magic is the second studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1990 by Sub Pop.[8] 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."[5]Trouser Press wrote that "L7 still brings the noise, but with a melodicism that isn’t as evident on the first album."[9]
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".[10]