American Thighs

American Thighs
Studio album by
Veruca Salt
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1994 (1994-09-27)
StudioIdful, Chicago, Illinois
Genre
Length52:24
LabelMinty Fresh
ProducerBrad Wood
Veruca Salt chronology
American Thighs
(1994) 		Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt
(1996)
Singles from American Thighs
  1. "Seether" / "All Hail Me"
    Released: October 11, 1994
  2. "Number One Blind"
    Released: June 23, 1995
  3. "Victrola"
    Released: July 25, 1995

American Thighs is the 1994 debut studio album by American alternative rock band Veruca Salt.[3] The album features the single "Seether".

Background and release

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Singer-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louise Post started working together in 1992.[4] They eventually formed Veruca Salt with bassist Steve Lack and drummer Jim Shapiro, and the four had been a full band less than a year when they signed with the independent label Minty Fresh.[5] In 1994, they released the single "Seether"/"All Hail Me". "Seether" became a hit on college and alternative radio stations, and the band recorded the album American Thighs with producer Brad Wood.[4][5] The album was released through Minty Fresh on September 27, 1994, the title is a reference to a line from the AC/DC song "You Shook Me All Night Long".[6][7]

Veruca Salt then signed with the major label Geffen Records, which re-released the album. "Seether" became a hit on MTV. Two more singles, "Number One Blind" and "Victrola", were released from the album, but neither matched the success of "Seether". American Thighs was eventually certified gold.[4][8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
MusicHound Rock[11]
NME7/10[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]
The Village VoiceA−[15]

American Thighs received generally positive reviews from critics. Nick Kelly of Hot Press said, "Given that this is their first record, you can't help asking yourself how a band so young can sing songs so good."[16] Eric Gladstone of CMJ New Music Monthly wrote that "the album works an infectious formula: thick harmonies layered over attack-formation guitars and drums, with lyrics shifting from childlike innocence to guiltless brutality."[5] Spin ranked it number 8 on its list of the 20 best albums of 1994.[17]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called American Thighs "a pure pop album masquerading as the next big thing."[9] In 2014, Rolling Stone ranked it number 21 on its list of the 40 best alternative rock albums of 1994.[18]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Get Back"Nina Gordon3:12
2."All Hail Me"Louise Post3:05
3."Seether"Gordon3:16
4."Spiderman '79"Post5:16
5."Forsythia"Gordon4:45
6."Wolf"Post4:19
7."Celebrate You"Post4:20
8."Fly"Post3:38
9."Number One Blind"
3:43
10."Victrola"Post2:19
11."Twinstar"Gordon3:16
12."25"Gordon7:56
13."Sleeping Where I Want" (CD release only)Gordon3:19
Total length:52:24

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.

Veruca Salt

Additional musicians

Production

  • Brad Wood – production, recording, mixing
  • Casey Rice – additional engineering
  • John McEntire – additional engineering
  • Roger Seibel – mastering

Charts

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Chart (1994–95) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 26
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 47
US Billboard 200[21] 69
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 1

References

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  1. ^ a b Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs (1/3)". Paste. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1994". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 538. ISBN 9781493064601.
  3. ^ Marks, Craig (January 1995). "Thigh Masters". Spin. p. 24.
  4. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Veruca Salt". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Gladstone, Eric. "Next Big Things". CMJ New Music Monthly. February 1995. pp. 20-24.
  6. ^ Kot, Greg (September 18, 1994). "The Sound And The Flurry". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  7. ^ Borzillo, Carrie (December 10, 1994). "Veruca Salt Rocks The Charts". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 50. pp. 7, 41. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Caro, Mark. "Veruca Salt reunites years after explosive breakup". chicagotribune.com. July 3, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "American Thighs – Veruca Salt". AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Veruca Salt". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8 (4th ed.). New York : MUZE : Oxford University Press. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ^ Fuoco, Christina (1999). "Veruca Salt". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 1198 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ Dalton, Stephen (October 8, 1994). "Veruca Salt: American Thighs". NME. p. 43.
  13. ^ Ahearn, Kim (November 3, 1994). "Veruca Salt: American Thighs". Rolling Stone. No. 694. p. 100. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2004.
  14. ^ Harris, Keith (2004). "Veruca Salt". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Fireside Books. p. 849. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 21, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  16. ^ Kelly, Nick (November 2, 1994). "American Thighs". Hot Press. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  17. ^ Sheffield, Rob (December 1994). "20 Best Albums of '94". Spin. Vol. 10, no. 9. pp. 76–78. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  18. ^ Eddy, Chuck (April 17, 2014). "1994: The 40 Best Records From Mainstream Alternative's Greatest Year – 21. Veruca Salt, 'American Thighs'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  19. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Veruca Salt – American Thighs". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  21. ^ "Veruca Salt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  22. ^ "Veruca Salt Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
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