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Smell the Magic

Smell the Magic
Studio album by
L7
ReleasedAugust 1, 1990 (1990-08-01)[1]
Recorded1989[citation needed]
Studio
Genre
Length29:36
LabelSub Pop[2]
ProducerJack Endino[3]
L7 chronology
L7
(1988) 		Smell the Magic
(1990) 		Bricks Are Heavy
(1992)
Singles from Smell the Magic
  1. "Shove"
    Released: 1 January 1990[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA[6]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[10]

Smell the Magic is the second studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1990 by Sub Pop.[11] Originally issued as a 12" EP containing only the first six songs, it was reissued on CD in July 1991, expanded to album length with three more tracks: "Packin' a Rod," "Just Like Me," and "American Society." The opening track "Shove" was released as the band's first single.

Critical reception

[edit]

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music called the album "a raucous, grunge-flavored blast."[8] Trouser Press wrote that "L7 still brings the noise, but with a melodicism that isn’t as evident on the first album."[12]

Rolling Stone placed Smell the Magic at #37 in their list of the 50 Greatest Grunge Albums, noting that "they were one of the few non-Seattle bands signed to Sub Pop," and the album "was an electric shock in a sea of grey." Likewise, the article mentions L7's formation out of Los Angeles' metal scene, then acting as a crossover act, and states conclusively that Smell the Magic is one of the "most widely cited as an inspiration by the next wave of punk and riot grrrl bands".[13]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shove"Suzi Gardner, Donita Sparks3:10
2."Fast and Frightening"Gardner, Sparks2:37
3."(Right On) Thru"Jennifer Finch3:13
4."Deathwish"Sparks, Finch, Demetra Plakas3:45
5."Till the Wheels Fall Off"Gardner, Sparks3:43
6."Broomstick"Gardner, Sparks, Finch3:49
7."Packin' a Rod"Scott Morrow2:08
8."Just Like Me"Gardner, Sparks, Finch, Plakas, Dusty3:32
9."American Society (Eddie and the Subtitles cover)"Eddie Joseph, Mike Patton3:53
Total length:29:36

Personnel

[edit]

L7

Guest

  • Mike Patton – guest vocals

Production

  • Jack Endino – producer
  • Michael James – engineer
  • Daniel Rey – engineer
  • Randall Martin – logo
  • Charles Peterson – photography
  • Howard Rosenberg – photography
  • Jeff Price – art director

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "L7/Smell The Magic". Sub Pop.
  2. ^ "L7's Smell the Magic: 30th Anniversary Edition featuring all 9 songs remastered & available together on vinyl for the first time". Sub Pop Records.
  3. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 698.
  4. ^ Shove by L7 on Sub Pop Records, retrieved August 16, 2025
  5. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Smell the Magic - L7". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "L7: Smell the Magic". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. p. 185. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  7. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  8. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 48.
  9. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 500. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone l7 album guide.
  10. ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 231.
  11. ^ "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides. November 8, 2003 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "L7". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  13. ^ Grant, Sarah. "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 20, 2023.