High as a Kite

High as a Kite is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band St. Johnny.

High as a Kite
Studio album by St. Johnny
Released	1993 (1993)
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	45:27
Language	English
Label	Caroline Rough Trade
Producer	St. Johnny
St. Johnny chronology
High as a Kite (1993) Speed Is Dreaming (1994)

Reception

Editors at AllMusic Guide rated this album three out of five stars, with critic Nitsuh Abebe noting the lack of production and polish on the album, which could be an asset for listeners who prefer that sound, but the quality is still as high as their other releases and will be interesting for fans of their later releases.^[1] Andrew Earles highlighted this album in Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996, calling this "straight-ahead but excellent Sonic-Youth-meets-Pavement-meets-Dinosaur, Jr. indie mope-rock".^[2] In an overview of the band's career for Trouser Press, Deborah Sprague considers the band's early recordings "less nihilistic than they are just plain bored" and notes that the band's sound improved after signing to DGC.^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Jim Elliott, Tom Leonard, Wayne Letitia, and Bill Whitten

1. "Go to Sleep – 3:44
2. "God in My Head – 3:55
3. "Highway – 3:45
4. "Velocity – 3:40
5. "My Father's Father – 3:36
6. "Matador – 3:29
7. "Black – 3:46
8. "Stupid – 3:16
9. "High as a Kite – 3:53
10. "Ashes/Slashes – 3:18
11. "Unclean" – 9:00

Personnel

St. Johnny

• Jim Elliott – bass guitar, production
• Tom Leonard – guitar, production
• Wayne Letitia – drums, production
• Bill Whitten – guitar, vocals, production

Additional personnel

• Mike Deming – engineering, saxophone
• Joe Elliott – photography
• Grasshopper – guitar
• Steve Wytas – engineering

See also

• List of 1993 albums

References

1. Abebe, Nitsuh. "St. Johnny – High as a Kite". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
2. Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. p. 306. ISBN 9781627883795.
3. Sprague, Deborah. "St. Johnny". Trouser Press. Retrieved April 5, 2023.

External links

• High as a Kite at Discogs (list of releases)
• High as a Kite at MusicBrainz (list of releases)