Smash Mouth (album)
2001 studio album by Smash Mouth
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Smash Mouth is the third studio album by American rock band of the same name. It was released on November 27, 2001, by Interscope Records. It is notable in that it was their first album with new drummer Michael Urbano and its release was delayed a few months due to the death of Steve Harwell's infant son,[1] and the September 11 attacks. The album was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 in the U.S.
| Smash Mouth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 27, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 1999–2001 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 42:51 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Producer | Eric Valentine | |||
| Smash Mouth chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Smash Mouth | ||||
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Smash Mouth held a contest on their website in the fall of 2000 to name their third album, with the winning suggestion being to self-title the album. Other suggested titles included A Fan Named The Record, The Ups Of The Downs, Sway, Words That End In Amberger, and Better Living Through Gambling. [2] It was released in the fall of 2001 along with the single "Pacific Coast Party".
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 67/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Blender | [5] |
| Boston Phoenix | [6] |
| E! Online | B−[7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[8] |
| Maxim | [9] |
| Melodic |  [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| Spin | 6/10[12] |
Smash Mouth received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, based on 7 reviews.[3]
Entertainment Weekly writer Tom Sinclair praised the album for Steve Harwell's "real Zen wisdom" vocals and the band's "sunny, goofball approach" to creating "hooks, humor, and high jinks" throughout the track listing.[8] J. D. Considine of Blender wrote that "even though there's nothing new, the album offers enough in the way of big-beat guitar and sing-along choruses to keep Smash Mouth on the charts (and MTV) for another two years."[5] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also found "no new tricks" on the record but felt it was done "sharply, melodically, and happily", especially on the album cuts, concluding that: "If you've grooved on Smash Mouth's singles and want more of the same, this delivers reliably, which may be an unadorned pleasure for some and a guilty one for others."[4]
Sean Richardson of the Boston Phoenix wrote that: "Underneath all the bells and whistles, Harwell shows more lyrical depth than your average family-themed rocker — Smash Mouth aren't meant to be taken too seriously, but they're not easily written off, either."[6] A writer for E! Online critiqued that the record's "Xeroxed batch of overproduced, hyperactive pop songs" was prepared for backyard parties and mass media consumption, but highlighted "Out of Sight" and "Sister Psychic" for hinting that there's "some substance" amidst the "light-as-air pop flightiness".[7] The A.V. Club's Stephen Thompson felt the album lacked the "overdriven polish" of Astro Lounge and noted that the addition of the Monkees' cover smacked of "chart-hungry desperation", but commended the band for being able to "offset[ting] its bald-faced mercenary intentions with a refreshing lack of pretension."[13] David Peisner of Maxim was dumbfounded by the band's ability to make their songs sound "more disposable than the one before it", criticizing the "bouncy melodies and cheery demeanor" for overshadowing the "inconsequential" lyrics.[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Greg Camp, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Holiday in My Head" | 2:40 | |
| 2. | "Your Man" | 3:36 | |
| 3. | "Pacific Coast Party" |
| 2:58 |
| 4. | "She Turns Me On" | 3:12 | |
| 5. | "Sister Psychic" | 3:16 | |
| 6. | "Out of Sight" | 2:56 | |
| 7. | "Force Field" | 3:49 | |
| 8. | "Shoes 'n' Hats" | 2:48 | |
| 9. | "Hold You High" | 3:01 | |
| 10. | "The In Set" | 3:41 | |
| 11. | "Disenchanted" | 4:16 | |
| 12. | "Keep It Down" | 5:31 | |
| 13. | "I'm a Believer" (the Monkees cover) | Neil Diamond | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 42:51 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "All Star" | 3:21 | |
| 15. | "Walkin' on the Sun" |
| 3:27 |
| 16. | "Pacific Coast Party" (Olav Basoski remix) | De Lisle | 7:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "All Star" | 3:21 | |
| 15. | "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" | 2:30 |
Personnel
Smash Mouth
- Steve Harwell – lead vocals, piano
- Paul De Lisle – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Greg Camp – guitars, backing vocals
- Michael Urbano – drums, programming
Touring members
- Michael Klooster – keyboard
- Mark Cervantes – percussion
- Sam Eigen – guitar
Additional personnel
- Lewis Castle – trumpet
- Mike Busbee – trombone
- Rich Seinhauser – trombone
- Eric Valentine – producer, engineer, mixer
- David Campbell – string arrangements
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[19] | 198 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[20] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||