Recorded 1996 Length 34:27 Producer Jared Kotler | Genre Alternative rock Label Capitol | |
Released February 25, 1997 (original issue)
October 7, 1997 (reissue) | ||
Marcy Playground is the self-titled album by Marcy Playground, released on February 25, 1997 with EMI. It was reissued later that year on October 7 on Capitol Records with a large amount of promotion for the single "Sex and Candy," which became the band's breakthrough single, spending a then-record 15 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart during the first few months of 1998. The album also includes the singles "St. Joe on the Schoolbus" and "Sherry Fraser" both of which received moderate radio and MTV2 airplay during the latter half of 1998.
Contents
Critical reception
Marcy Playground garnered a mixed reception from music critics. A writer for NME said that, "What is surprising is how enjoyable this window on Wozniak's soul is: his lazy drawl and gentle melodies coating his misery in a pop sheen....the mood remains resolutely downbeat but the angst is not imposing." AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that some of the tracks don't quite match up to "Sex and Candy", saying that "only a handful [of the songs] on the album are as memorable as the single. Still, those moments are what make Marcy Playground a promising, albeit imperfect, debut." Robert Christgau graded the album as a "dud", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought." Chuck Eddy of Rolling Stone heavily panned the album for Wozniak's post-grunge pop having subpar musicianship, saying that it "sets icky new standards for commercial-post-alternative callowness."
Track listing
All tracks written by John Wozniak, except where noted.
Personnel
Marcy Playground
Additional personnel
Note: though not credited as a member, Jared Kotler plays drums on every song except "Saint Joe on the School Bus," and bass on "Sherry Fraser," "One More Suicide" and "The Vampires of New York."
Production
Recorded and mixed at Sabella Recording Studio, Roslyn NY
Mastered at Masterdisk, New York City NY
Songs published by Wozniak Publishing (ASCAP)