Wowee Zowee

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Wowee Zowee is the third studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on April 11, 1995 by Matador Records. Most of it was recorded at Easley Recording in Memphis, Tennessee, where some members of the band had previously worked on Silver Jews' 1994 album Starlite Walker. The album showcases a more experimental side of the band, marking a return to the clatter and unpredictability of their early recordings after the more accessible sound of their 1994 studio album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Its eclectic nature ranges from mellow yet distorted melodies to noise and punk rock, while the lyrics generally explore humorous and cryptic themes. At nearly one hour long, Wowee Zowee is Pavement's longest studio album, filling three sides of a vinyl record. Side four was left blank.

Upon release, Wowee Zowee received mixed reviews from critics, being generally deemed as a sloppy effort in comparison to its acclaimed predecessor. However, some reviewers highlighted its adventurous style and Stephen Malkmus' lyricism. Two songs from the album, "Rattled by the Rush" and "Father to a Sister of Thought", were released as singles in 1995, but neither were successful. Despite being notable for ruining any opportunity Pavement had to capitalize on the success of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Wowee Zowee has retrospectively been reappraised in highly positive terms, with Rolling Stone including it in the magazine's 2020 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. A compilation containing the album in its entirety as well as B-sides and other rarities, titled Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition, was released in 2006.

Background and recording

Wowee Zowee is the follow-up to Pavement's acclaimed second studio album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, which was released in February 1994 and ranked No. 2 in The Village VoiceTemplate:'s Pazz & Jop critics' poll.<ref name="Matador Pavement"/><ref name="1994 Pazz & Jop"/> Although the band was starting to get some attention from the mainstream press, they were not interested in signing to a major label.<ref name="Pavement Story"/> Eight months after the release of their second album, having toured non-stop for two years, Pavement decided to record their next album at Easley Recording in Memphis, Tennessee.<ref name="Bryan Charles 30"/> Singer and guitarist Stephen Malkmus, percussionist Bob Nastanovich, and drummer Steve West were familiar with the place because they had already worked on Silver Jews' 1994 album Starlite Walker there.<ref name="Bryan Charles 30"/> Unlike previous Pavement albums, Wowee Zowee was recorded with all five members in attendance.<ref name="Online Daily"/>

Although the recording sessions only lasted from November 14 to 24, 1994,<ref name="Liner notes"/> Pavement recorded many songs. Some were outtakes from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain that were re-recorded with better equipment, while others had already been part of the band's setlist for a year.<ref name="Bryan Charles 30"/> Singer and guitarist Scott Kannberg also wrote a few songs. Previously, he would occasionally write some pieces for Malkmus to sing, but Malkmus encouraged him to sing his own songs this time.<ref name="Pavement Story"/> The recording sessions, which typically started at noon and ended by 10pm,<ref name="Pavement Story"/> were very spontaneous.<ref name="Online Daily"/> According to Malkmus, "it was just sprawl, just do whatever you want, and don't worry about it fitting together. The less it fits together, the better."<ref name="Online Daily"/> Pavement really enjoyed Memphis' relaxed vibe, and would often go out in between sessions to eat at barbecues and drink beer. When the recording sessions concluded, the band mixed and overdubbed the tracks at Random Falls in Manhattan, New York City in February 10–14, 1995,<ref name="Liner notes"/> the same studio where they had recorded Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.<ref name="Bryan Charles 30"/>

Wowee Zowee is the only Pavement album that was entirely sequenced by Malkmus.<ref name="Spiral ranks albums"/> The band ended up with more than 20 songs to choose from and originally considered the possibility of putting them all on a record.<ref name="Pavement Story"/> Kannberg, who had sequenced their previous albums, preferred a cohesive set of roughly 10 songs that would flow together, but Malkmus was keen to include songs that were considered B-sides by the band.<ref name="Spiral ranks albums"/> Ultimately, a total of 18 songs were included on the album, filling three sides of a vinyl record. Side four was left blank, with an empty thought bubble printed on the label.<ref name="Bryan Charles 30"/> At nearly one hour long, Wowee Zowee is Pavement's longest studio album.<ref name="Musicians remember"/> Malkmus explained that, in his mind, everything made sense. He also described the opening track, "We Dance", as "a little torch song thing", and felt that the track would work as a good introduction to the album because it would show that the band was doing something different.<ref name="Malkmus in 15 songs"/>

Music and lyrics

Wowee Zowee showcases a more experimental side of Pavement, returning them to the clatter and unpredictability of their early recordings after the more accessible sound of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.<ref name="RS review"/><ref name="AllMusic review"/> Distortion and feedback are often combined with mellow melodies, resulting in many songs having unusual structures and disjointed musical styles.<ref name="RS review"/><ref name="AllMusic review"/> Noise rock is prevalent on some tracks, like "Serpentine Pad" and "Best Friends Arm",<ref name="RS review"/> while "Flux = Rad" is a punk song that was described as reminiscent of Nirvana's "Territorial Pissings".<ref name="NME albums ranked"/> The opening track "We Dance" is a ballad that features acoustic guitars and piano,<ref name="Anniversary 20"/> while "Father to a Sister of Thought" is a quasi-alternative country song that uses a pedal steel guitar.<ref name="Online Daily"/><ref name="Paste 15 songs"/> Malkmus played a Gibson SG with P-90 pickups on "Rattled by the Rush",<ref name="Bryan Charles 90"/> which also features occasional harmonica at points.<ref name="Anniversary 20"/> Due to higher production values, the album generally lacks the lo-fi aesthetic of its predecessors.<ref name="Pavement Story"/>

Most lyrics on Wowee Zowee explore humorous and cryptic themes. Although many songs give the impression that their lyrics are nonsensical, they can unpack a meaning on further inspection.<ref name="Anniversary 25"/> For example, "Grounded", which suggests that something bad might happen after a doctor leaves for a routine holiday while his unsupervised teenage daughter parties, can be interpreted as an account of middle class decadence.<ref name="Anniversary 25"/> The song "Half a Canyon" mostly focuses on an over-driven guitar sound that Malkmus had never heard before. The lyrics are meaningless and were simply added for decoration; Malkmus said that he screamed so hard towards the end of the song that he scared himself. He thought that he would have an aneurysm and decided to never scream like that again.<ref name="Malkmus in 15 songs"/> Kannberg's "Kennel District", which was described as a fuzzy power pop song,<ref name="Spin Spiral songs"/> is considered one of the album's most accessible songs because it features a traditional verse-chorus-verse structure.<ref name="Vulture Spiral songs"/>

Packaging and release

The cover art for Wowee Zowee is a painting by American artist Steve Keene, who caricatured it from a photograph originally found in Life magazineTemplate:'s 1972 World Library title The Arab World. It depicts two Arab women and a goat.<ref name="Cover art"/> Omitted from Keene's photograph is a girl in a tan dress holding a baby, stationed between the two sitting women. The caption below the original photo reads, "A midday rest is enjoyed by three Arab women and a goat on an arbor-shaded porch. Fellahin women often wear black robes over their other clothing."<ref name="Bryan Charles 123"/> Malkmus saw the artwork during a live painting session at one of Keene's exhibitions. He chose the piece due to its resemblance to the front cover of Guru Guru's 1972 album Känguru, one that he had always admired. The album's title is a homage to the band's former drummer Gary Young, who would frequently yell "Wowee Zowee" when excited. The phrase "Dick-Sucking Fool at Pussy-Licking School" was originally suggested by Nastanovich as a potential title for Wowee Zowee, but it was discarded after being considered too risky. Nevertheless, the phrase was included in the album's booklet art. The would-be title was a nod to the Rolling Stones' documentary film Cocksucker Blues.<ref name="Bryan Charles 123"/>

Wowee Zowee was released on April 11, 1995, by Matador Records.<ref name="Matador Pavement"/> Big Cat Records and Domino Records issued the album in Europe, Fellaheen Records released it in Australia, and King and Pony Canyon released Wowee Zowee in Japan.<ref name="Pavement Story"/> The album peaked at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart and number 25 on the New Zealand Albums Chart.<ref name="UKAC"/><ref name="NZAC"/> Malkmus chose the songs "Rattled by the Rush" and "Father to a Sister of Thought" to be released as singles on March 30 and June 27, 1995, respectively,<ref name="Matador Pavement"/> but they were not successful. He would later recall that, while his judgment may have been clouded by excessive marijuana usage, both songs "sounded like hits" to him.<ref name="Pavement Story"/> To promote Wowee Zowee, the band was planning to organize their own festival with fellow bands such as Sonic Youth, the Breeders, and Beck. However, after Sonic Youth was chosen to headline the Lollapalooza music festival in the summer of 1995, they asked for Pavement to be on the bill. Performing at Lollapalooza became the highest profile appearance for the band and gave them an opportunity to earn a lot of money. In early 1996, they performed a few more shows in Australia, Japan, and the US.<ref name="Pavement Story"/>

Critical reception

Upon release, Wowee Zowee was met with mixed reviews from critics.<ref name="RS Masterpiece"/> Rolling Stone editor Mark Kemp described it as a "scattered and sloppy" effort with "half-baked" performances by Malkmus and Kannberg.<ref name="RS review"/> He also speculated that the relative success of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain was a reason for the album's eclectic nature, claiming that Pavement were afraid of success.<ref name="RS review"/> Similarly, the Los Angeles Times editor Lorraine Ali called Wowee Zowee "a sloppy effort, even in Pavement terms", and concluded that the album "comes off lazy and unfinished, never attempting to reach out or connect as previous albums did".<ref name="LAT review"/> Kevin McKeough of the Chicago Tribune felt that the album was inconsistent, highlighting the songs "Rattled by the Rush", "Grounded", and "Kennel District" as "thrilling pleasures", but criticized Malkmus' "insufferably mannered vocals" on "Brinx Job", his "tiresome grunge rant" on "Serpentine Pad", and his "gratuitous screaming" at the end of "Half a Canyon".<ref name="CT review"/>

In a very negative review, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian found Wowee Zowee difficult to enjoy, stating that it "probably helps to be a 15-year-old boy to appreciate Pavement", and believed the band does not "release albums so much as in-jokes and their fourth continues the tradition".<ref name="Guardian review"/> She added that Malkmus' "monotone occasionally gives way to a pained little yips" and Kannberg "sometimes hits on a lifting melody, but mostly he sounds as confused as his colleagues".<ref name="Guardian review"/> Spin writer Eric Weisbard reacted with muted praise, noting the album's "impressively distinct range of sounds and moods", while criticizing Malkmus' unconvincing vocal delivery.<ref name="Spin review"/> He concluded that the album is best enjoyed "at a casual low volume, with little attention paid to the effort and details".<ref name="Spin review"/>

Other critics were more positive. Writing for CMJ New Music Monthly, editor Michael Vazquez considered Wowee Zowee a solid and ambitious album, praising its adventurous style and Malkmus' rich lyricism, but acknowledged that several listens are required for appreciation.<ref name="CMJ review"/> Select editor Roy Wilkinson felt that the album has a lot of Pavement's "lazy elegance" and compared the "elegiac sweeps" of "We Dance" to David Bowie's 1971 album Hunky Dory.<ref name="Select review"/> Robert Christgau of The Village Voice was the album's boldest defender,<ref name="RS Masterpiece"/> praising Pavement for favoring lyricism over commerciality. He also felt that the album was mellow and rarely chaotic, concluding: "if their vocation is beguiling song-music that doesn't sound like anything else or create its own rut, this reinforces one's gut feeling that they can do it forever."<ref name="Christgau review"/> Despite the middling reviews from most critics, Wowee Zowee was ranked number 17 in the 1995 Pazz & Jop poll.<ref name="1995 Pazz & Jop"/>

Legacy

Wowee Zowee ruined any opportunity Pavement had to capitalize on the success of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.<ref name="Malkmus in 15 songs"/> By June 2009, the album had sold 129,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, a notable drop-off from its predecessor, which had sold 246,000 copies.<ref name="Bryan Charles 141"/> Kannberg acknowledged that the band felt a bit under pressure to release a follow-up to Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and that Wowee Zowee would have been much different if they had given themselves more time to think about it. As a result, Pavement decided to be more patient and work on tidier arrangements for their next studio album, Brighten the Corners (1997).<ref name="BAM article"/> Kannberg regards Wowee Zowee with mixed feelings and considers it his least favorite Pavement record.<ref name="Spiral ranks albums"/> Conversely, when asked about his favorite Pavement album, Malkmus said, "It would be one of the first three ones, but for different reasons."<ref name="Real Malkmus"/> In 1997, Nastanovich stated that Wowee Zowee is his favorite Pavement record.<ref name="Brighten Up"/>

Retrospectively, Wowee Zowee has been reappraised in highly positive terms and is frequently viewed by many "diehard" Pavement fans as the band's best work.<ref name="RS guide"/> AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that repeated listenings reveal the album to be "a dense collage of '90s rock & roll that recasts the past and present into one rich, kaleidoscopic, and blissfully cryptic world view".<ref name="AllMusic review"/> Nina Corcoran of Consequence said that Wowee Zowee has become "the beloved oddball in Pavement's discography", and assumed that the band "knew what they were doing all along, even if we were reluctant to believe them at first".<ref name="Anniversary 20"/> In 2006, Matador released Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition, a compilation containing Wowee Zowee in its entirety, as well as B-sides, outtakes, radio shots, live songs, and compilation tracks from the same era.<ref name="Sordid Sentinels"/>

According to Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield, Wowee Zowee has come to be widely viewed as a "masterpiece".<ref name="RS Masterpiece"/> Sheffield explained that people started to appreciate Wowee Zowee after the band released Brighten the Corners, a radical departure that put the album's eclectic nature into perspective.<ref name="RS Masterpiece"/> He also remarked that the former was overshadowed by other successful Matador releases, such as Alien Lanes by Guided by Voices and Electr-O-Pura by Yo La Tengo.<ref name="RS Masterpiece"/> In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album 265th in its updated list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time—ahead of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and behind Pavement's 1992 debut album, Slanted and Enchanted, which were ranked 434th and 199th, respectively.<ref name="RS 2020 Top 500"/> Several musicians, including American pianist Johnny Iguana, American multi-instrumentalist Jeff Rosenstock, and Filipino-British singer-songwriter Beabadoobee, cited the album as having a profound impact on them.<ref name="Musicians remember"/>

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.<ref name="Liner notes"/>

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Pavement

• Stephen Malkmus – vocals, guitar, drums on "AT&T",<ref name="Bryan Charles 30"/> mixing
• Scott Kannberg – guitar, vocals
• Mark Ibold – bass
• Bob Nastanovich – percussion, vocals
• Steve West – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Doug Easley – pedal steel guitar on "Father to a Sister of Thought", engineer
• Sibel Firat – cello on "Fight This Generation"

Template:Col-2 Technical

• Davis McCain – engineer
• Mark Venezia – engineer
• Bryce Goggin – mixing
• Jan BL – mixing
• Rich Costey – mixing
• Gregory Hull – mastering

Charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

1995 chart performance for Wowee Zowee

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref name="ARIA history pages">{{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.</ref>	119

External links

• Template:Discogs master