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Courtesy Photos
Matthew Sweet released his newest album, uln Reverse,” on Oct. 12 to positive reviews.
Rolling Stone named Sweet* third album, “Girlfriend,” one of “The Essential Recordings of
4he '90s.” - “
Matthew Sweet
“In Reverse”
Volcano Entertainment
Grade: A
The wind has changed for
Matthew Sweet.
For eight years he has pro
- duced good records that nave
never quite been able to escape
the shadow of his titan record
“Girlfriend.”
But, like all things, this too
did pass.
Enter “In Reverse.”
After laboring for eight
long years to supersede
“ ""MU
“Girlfriend,” “In Reverse”
finally succeeds. Sweet fans,
rejoice.
“In Reverse” is a record
that marks a significant shift in
Sweet’s direction. The dry,
crisp sounds of records past
are jettisoned for bellowing
sounds of reverb and echo and
walls of wet-textured
acoustics.
As a whole, the album is a
diverse blend of 1950s Phil
Spector, ’60s Beach Boys har
monies, ’70s psychedelia and
Sweet’s own sharp songwrit
ing abilities.
Much of the psychedelic
touches come from reverse
guitars, reverse horns and
pedal steel guitars, but the
focus of die album is where it
belongs - on the songs.
In many ways, Sweet’s last
album, “Blue Sky On Mars,”
was a slight misstep. It was
short and lacking the flashy
lead guitars usually accompa
frying Sweet’s fine songs.
Sweet isn’t the greatest
guitarist in the world, tut this is
no insult. His gifts merely he
elsewhere, so the decision to
gain a new lead guitarist (in
this case Pete Phillips) was a
wise one, and Phillips holds
his end of the bargain up in a
legacy of great guitarists.
Also coming back to the
fold is Greg Leisz, who plays
die reverse guitars and co-pro
duces.
But it all boils down to the
songs. Oh, the lovely songs.
The album offers a little of
something for everyone: soft
ballads (“Worse To Live” and
“If Time Permits”), hard rock
ers (“Split Personality” and
“Write Your Own Song”) and
flowing epics (the 9,/2-minute
“Thunderstorm”).
Sweet also gets a few
points for writing a good song
Please see IN on 10
Sweet success follows
Lincoln-native musician
'
_ - _i_:_
By Cliff Hicks
Staffwriter
Even though he’s sold millions of records,
played to sold-out concerts for years - both across
America and overseas - and made one of what
Rolling Stone called “The Essential Recordings of
the ’90s,” power-pop musician Matthew Sweet
retains that most admirable of traits - humbleness.
“I don’t feel ever like it’s a given I’ll get to
make a record,” the Lincoln native said in a tele
phone interview.
“With this record, more than ever, I feel like
I’m lucky to be in making a record. For artists like
me, right now, it’s a really tough time,” he said.
“And a lot of them are seen making albums that
are really good that aren’t even coming out,
because of the state of the industry, the pressure on
things commercially, how narrow radio has
become.”
During the telephone interview, Sweet was a
pleasure to talk to, gracious and amiable. He
laughed several times, especially when a noon
wake-up call to his hotel room gave us pause at the
beginning of die conversation.
Sweet’s most recent album, “In Reverse,” was
released Oct. 12 to overwhelmingly positive
reviews. In some ways, the album marks a turning
point for his career, which at one point looked as if
it might never get off the ground.
Matthew Sweet began his career as a musician
in Lincoln, where he grew up. Playing guitar in
high school, he would eventually move to Athens,
Ga., enroll in the University of Athens and join
Oh-OK, a band formed by Lynda Stipe, sister to
Michael Stipe of R.E.M.
f From there, Sweet left with David Pierce, Oh
OK’s drummer, and formed Buzz of Delight. The
band cut a record that caught the attention of
Columbia Records, for whom Sweet recorded his
first solo record, “Inside,” which was released in
1986. Sweet also moved from Athens to New
York. Despite generally positive reviews, “Inside”
didn’t catch the ears of listeners, and Columbia let
Sweet go.
A&M Records picked up Sweet, and he
recorded his second album “Earth,” which was
released in 1989. Again, the record failed to do
well, and Sweet was sent off in search of another
record label.
Upon hearing the demo tape for his third
record, the president of Zoo Entertainment signed
him personally, and Sweet moved to Los Angeles.
It was this 1991 album, his third, that would catch
the attention of America. It was called
“Girlfriend.”
The album, recorded with a live band, was the
first time Sweet used other musicians heavily.
Sweet played most of “Inside” and “Earth” him
self. But on “Girlfriend,” guitarists Richard Lloyd
and Robert Quine added pyrotechnical guitars,
Greg Leisz brought in soft slide guitars, and Ric
Menck held down the beats with solid drums.
In the spring of 1992, “Girlfriend” became a
bonafide hit. The first single, “Divine
Intervention,” did moderately well. But it was the
title track (which had originally been named
“Goodfriend”) that took off, supported by a flashy
video that mixed footage of Sweet with Japanese
animation from “Space Adventurer Cobra.”
Eight years after its release, while Sweet was
in the midst of recording “In Reverse,”
“Girlfriend” was named by Rolling Stone as one
of “The Essential Recordings of the ’90s.”
Alternative Press magazine had .named it in its
“Top 100 of the ’90s” late last year. These reviews
pleased Sweet but didn’t intimidate him.
“I was really happy that someone cared to put
it in such stature,” Sweet said, “but I wouldn’t say I
felt pressure because of it”
After a long tour, Sweet finally returned hofne
and went back into the studio not long after.
“There’s a lot of angst in ‘Altered Beast,’”
Sweet said. “I had a lot of turmoil in my feelings
during that time. I was really overwhelmed with
what went on for ‘Girlfriend.’ I wasn’t expectingit
I wasn’t very prepared for it. My life really
changed pretty dramatically at that time.
“‘Altered Beast’... I was really venting. I did
n’t have any time off. I cameoff the road, and I was
in the studio three weeks later to make thattecord,
so it was very much a product of me at that time.”
The album had moderate success with two
modem rock hits, “The Ugly Truth” and “Time
fcfc
I wanted it really
to be more m3
I wanted to be
ambitious and
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matthew sweet
Capsule,” and Sweet went back out on tour again.
In 1994, Sweet released an EP called “Son Of
Altered Beast” that included live tracks as well as
a few remixes and B-sides. It was mainly intended
to serve as a stop-gap until the next record came
out
“100% Fun,” released in 1995, once again
gained Sweet solid reviews and popular record
play. This album, Sweet’s first with producer
Brendan O’Brien, captured Sweet’s blistery
power-pop rock well. The singles “Sick of
Myself” and “We’re The Same” both did moder
ately well, and Sweet played both a solo tour and
opened for Soul Asylum.
un nis next album, the 19V7 "Blue Sky On
Mars,” Sweet made a major change. He parted
ways with Lloyd and Quine and played almost all
the instruments himself. O’Brien again produced
“I mainly change just to do something differ
ent each time,” Sweet said. “I’ve tried not to use
exactly the same group of people every time.
“It’s kind of like you can’t win, y’know? If I
made every record with Richard Lloyd or Quine,
then everyone would Say ‘Oh, he’s always the
same,’ and when I don’t, they complain I don’t
have them. It’s hard to win with that, but I’ve
always tried to do what I felt like doing and weath
er whatever everyone else says,” he said with a
laugh.
Regardless of the reason, “Blue Sly On Mars”
did not do as well commercially as his past three
records. That, added to die tumultuous times of die
record industry, did not make for a great break for
Sweet. Sweet’s label Zoo Entertainment became
Volcano as much of the industry went through
giant shifts, mergers and heavy artist layoffs.
“I spent about a year trying to get out of the
contract, and we didn’t want to be in a situation
where it was a brand new label and a fledgling sort
of thing,” Sweet said. “But by the time we were
making the record for (Volcano), we were glad
that it was them, because of just the way that die
record industry had become. To be on a big label
for me right now - this record could easily not get
the kind of care it needs to find its way onto the
radio and out into the world.
Please see SWEET onlO
