Elastica (album)

Elastica is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Elastica. It was released in March 1995 through Deceptive Records in the UK and DCG/Geffen Records internationally.^[2] The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.^[3] This is the only album to feature the original line-up, and guitarist Donna Matthews.

Elastica
Studio album by Elastica
Released	March 1995
Recorded	1994
Studio	Konk (London)
Genre	Britpop post-punk[1]
Length	38:08
Label	Deceptive (UK) DGC (US)
Producer	Marc Waterman Elastica
Elastica chronology
Elastica (1995) 6 Track EP (1999)
Singles from Elastica
"Stutter" Released: 1 November 1993 "Line Up" Released: 31 January 1994 "Connection" Released: 10 October 1994 "Waking Up" Released: 2 February 1995 "Car Song" Released: January 1996 (US)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[5]
The Guardian	[6]
NME	9/10[7]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[8]
Q	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
Spin	9/10[12]
The Village Voice	A−[13]

Elastica was well-received critically. The Los Angeles Times opined that "the smart, sassy savagings of losers and poseurs are a refreshing advance from grunge's gloomy self-absorption."^[14] The Independent concluded that "it is, yes, new new wave, and sometimes too close to old new wave: 'Vaseline' is Blondie and 'Waking Up' the Stranglers."^[15] Select ranked the album at number 9 in its list of the "50 albums of the year".^[16] In the U.S., the album was ranked as the sixth best album of the year by Mike Boehm in the Los Angeles Times,^[17] and the album was also highly rated by Rolling Stone,^{[citation needed]} Spin^[18] and The Village Voice.^{[citation needed]}

In their retrospective review, AllMusic praised the album, writing "what makes Elastica such an intoxicating record is not only the way the 16 songs speed by in 40 minutes, but that they're nearly all classics" and that "hardly any new wave band made records this consistently rocking and melodic".^[4] BBC Music wrote "As albums that fall off a genre's radar go, Elastica's eponymous debut ranks high", calling it "a neglected gem" and the "blueprint for what Britpop should sound like".^[3]

Commercial performance

Elastica hit number one on the UK Albums Chart,^[19] becoming, at the time, the fastest-selling debut since Oasis' Definitely Maybe the previous year.^[20][21] The record also did well in the US, climbing to a peak of number 66 on the Billboard 200 after 11 weeks on the chart.^[22] Two months after its release, it had sold over 59,000 units in the US according to Nielsen Soundscan.^[23] By the end of 1995 it had sold approximately 1 million copies worldwide according to Billboard.^[24] Around half of these sales were in America where it was certified as gold in December 1995.^[25] By April 2000, sales in the UK were estimated by the band's Deceptive label at 270,000 copies.^[26]

Legacy

In 2013, NME called it the 191st greatest album of all time.^[27] The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[28] In 2014, American LGBT magazine Metro Weekly ranked the album at number 38 in its list of the "50 Best Alternative Albums of the 90s".^[29] In 2017, Pitchfork listed the album at number six in its list "The 50 Best Britpop Albums".^[30]

Track listing

Original version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Line Up"	Frischmann, Elastica	3:15
2.	"Annie"	Matthews, Jane Oliver, Elastica	1:15
3.	"Connection"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:22
4.	"Car Song"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:24
5.	"Smile"	Frischmann, Matthews, Elastica	1:40
6.	"Hold Me Now"	Frischmann, Matthews, Elastica	2:33
7.	"S.O.F.T."	Frischmann, Elastica	3:59
8.	"Indian Song"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:48
9.	"Blue"	Matthews, Elastica	2:23
10.	"All-Nighter"	Frischmann, Elastica	1:31
11.	"Waking Up"	The Stranglers, Frischmann, Elastica	3:16
12.	"2:1"	Matthews, Elastica	2:31
13.	"Vaseline"	Frischmann, Elastica	1:20
14.	"Never Here"	Frischmann, Elastica	4:27
15.	"Stutter"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:23

US version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Line Up"	Frischmann, Elastica	3:15
2.	"Annie"	Matthews, Jane Oliver, Elastica	1:15
3.	"Connection"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:22
4.	"Car Song"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:24
5.	"Smile"	Frischmann, Matthews, Elastica	1:40
6.	"Hold Me Now"	Frischmann, Matthews, Elastica	2:33
7.	"S.O.F.T."	Frischmann, Elastica	3:59
8.	"Indian Song"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:48
9.	"Blue"	Matthews, Elastica	2:23
10.	"All-Nighter"	Frischmann, Elastica	1:31
11.	"Waking Up"	The Stranglers, Frischmann, Elastica	3:16
12.	"2:1"	Matthews, Elastica	2:31
13.	"See That Animal"	Brett Anderson, Frischmann, Elastica	2:23
14.	"Stutter"	Frischmann, Elastica	2:23
15.	"Never Here"	Frischmann, Elastica	4:27
16.	"Vaseline"	Frischmann, Elastica	1:20

Personnel

Elastica

• Justine Frischmann – vocals, guitar
• Donna Matthews – vocals, guitar
• Annie Holland – bass guitar
• Justin Welch – drums

Additional personnel

• Dan Abnormal (Damon Albarn) – Additional keyboards on tracks 4, 8 & 11

Production

• Marc Waterman – production, engineering, mixing
• Phil Vinall – mixing
• Alan Moulder – mixing
• Paul Tipler – mixing
• Bruce Lampcov – mixing
• John Leckie – mixing
• Mitti – mixing
• Juergen Teller – album photography
• Steve Lamacq – A&R
• Mark Kates – A&R

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[31] 20 Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] 1 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 34 UK Albums (OCC)[34] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position UK Albums (OCC)[35] 51

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[37]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[25]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Hunt, El (3 September 2020). "The story of post-punk in 15 classic albums". NME. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
2. "Elastica's DGC Set Connects with Fans". Billboard. 20 May 1995.
3. Leaver, Anthony. "Elastica Elastica Review". BBC Music. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Elastica – Elastica". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
5. Eddy, Chuck (7 April 1995). "Elastica". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
6. Sullivan, Caroline (17 March 1995). "Elastica: Elastica (Deceptive)". The Guardian.
7. Dee, Johnny (11 March 1995). "Children of the Cornwell". NME. p. 50.
8. Berman, Judy (24 September 2017). "Elastica: Elastica". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
9. Maconie, Stuart (April 1995). "Brisk: never has such blatant thievery been such fun". Q. No. 103.
10. Panahpour, Nilou (18 May 1995). "Elastica: Elastica". Rolling Stone. No. 708. pp. 88–90.
11. Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Elastica". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 274. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
12. Aaron, Charles (May 1995). "Elastica: Elastica". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 2. p. 94. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
13. Christgau, Robert (11 April 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
14. Hochman, Steve (12 March 1995). "Elastica, 'Elastica'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 62.
15. Barber, Nicholas (10 March 1995). "Records". Review. The Independent. London. p. 17.
16. "50 Albums of the Year". Select. January 1996. pp. 78–79. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
17. Boehm, Mark (29 December 1995). "1995: THE YEAR IN REVIEW : MIKE BOEHM'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 1995". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
18. Aaron, Charles (January 1996). "20 Best Albums of '95". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 10. p. 62.
19. "Artist Chart History: Elastica". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
20. Bloch, Sam (1 September 2003). "Elastica – Artist Profile". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
21. DeRemer, Leigh Ann, ed. (2006). "Contemporary Musicians". Elastica. Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 29. Gale Cengage, 2000. Elastica Become Pop Stars. Archived from the original on 4 November 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
22. "Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 23. 10 June 1995. p. 84. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
23. Borzillo, Carrie (20 May 1995). "Elastica's DGC Set Connects With Fans". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 20. p. 42. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
24. "Brits Around The World". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 7. 17 February 1996. p. 58. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
25. "American album certifications – Elastica – Elastica". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
26. Sexton, Paul (1 April 2000). "Elastica bounces back with 2nd set". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 14. p. 14. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
27. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 200–101". NME. 25 October 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
28. Dimery, Robert, ed. (2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
29. Gerard, Chris (4 April 2014). "50 Best Alternative Albums of the '90s". Metro Weekly. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
30. "The 50 Best Britpop Albums". Pitchfork. 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
31. "Charts.nz – Elastica – Elastica". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
32. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
33. "Swedishcharts.com – Elastica – Elastica". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
34. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
35. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
36. "Canadian album certifications – Elastica – Elastica". Music Canada. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
37. "British album certifications – Elastica – Elastica". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 November 2023.

External links

• Elastica at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
• Elastica (US version) at AllMusic