Fun Trick Noisemaker

Fun Trick Noisemaker
Studio album by The Apples in Stereo
Released	May 2, 1995
Recorded	October 1994 – February 1995
Genre	Indie pop
Length	39:54 44:35 (Japanese release)
Label	SpinART Records (spart 42), Elephant 6
Producer	Robert Schneider
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau link
The Apples in Stereo chronology
Hypnotic Suggestion EP (1994) Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995) Science Faire (1996)

Fun Trick Noisemaker is the debut studio album from The Apples in Stereo, recorded in a house in Los Angeles, in Robert Schneider's (at the time) portable Pet Sounds Studio. The album is perhaps the most raw example of the Apples, with the certainly rather lo-fi recording values being eclipsed somewhat by their later efforts. It is one of the band's most critically lauded albums.

Though the album is an early effort in production by Schneider, he had previously had experience producing with The Apples in Stereo and his own solo project, Marbles. Learning to be a record producer since he was fifteen years old, his influence from producers such as Phil Spector and Brian Wilson led him to use the popular "Wall of Sound" production technique on Fun Trick Noisemaker. Several tracks (notably the opening song "Tidal Wave") have as many as ten guitars playing at any one time (usually eight rhythm guitars and two guitars used for solos).

The Japanese version of Fun Trick Noisemaker contains the extra tracks "Shine (In Your Mind)" and "Thank You Very Much". These tracks can be found in mp3 format on the Elephant 6 website. They were later included on the 2008 b-sides and rarities compilation, Electronic Projects for Musicians.

Track listing

All tracks written by Robert Schneider except where noted.

1. "The Narrator" – 0:35
2. "Tidal Wave" (R. Schneider/C. Parfitt) – 3:26
3. "High Tide" – 2:33
4. "Green Machine" – 2:50
5. "Winter Must Be Cold" (H. Sidney) – 3:16
6. "She's Just Like Me / Taking Time" – 4:36
7. "Glowworm" – 3:02
8. "Dots 1-2-3" (J. McIntyre/R. Schneider) – 2:31
9. "Lucky Charm" – 3:26
10. "Innerspace" (R. Schneider/J. Hill) – 2:36
11. "Show The World" – 2:29
12. "Love You Alice / D" – 4:27
13. "Pine Away" – 4:07
14. "Shine (In Your Mind)" – 3:36 (Japanese release only)
15. "Thank You Very Much" – 1:05 (Japanese release only)

Personnel

The Apples in Stereo

As they appear on the sound recording:

• Hilarie Sidney - drums, vocals, guitar, maraca, bells
• Robert Schneider - vocals, guitars, piano, melodica, Jupiter and Moog keyboards, bass
• John Hill - guitars, vocals, bass

Other performers

• Jim McIntyre - bass on tracks 2, 4, 8 and 12
• Kurt Heasley - guitar on track 3, vocals, tambourine
• Joel Evans - bass on track 10
• Jeff Mangum - bass on track 7
• Kyle Jones - vocals

Production

Fun Trick Noisemaker was produced by Robert Schneider and engineered by The Apples in Stereo with technical assistance from Kurt Heasley. The album was recorded on an 8-track analog from October 1994 to February 1995 at Brendt Larson's house (Glendora, CA) and Kyle Jones' house (Denver, CO). The LP was mastered by Paul Brekus, Aardvark Records. The CD was mastered by Park Peters, Audio Park.

Additional notes

References to Relay 2 communications satellite

The first track entitled "The Narrator" is an old 1960s recording describing the Relay 2 communications satellite. "Glowworm" and "Love You Alice / D" contain continuing excerpts from this recording.

• The Narrator: "This program is coming to you via Relay 2 satellite; a spacecraft orbiting the earth at a speed of over seventeen thousand miles per hour. The musical selections you are about to hear were first tape recorded and fed into a transmitter where they were beamed to Relay 2 spacecraft. As you listen to the musical selections, note the clarity and excellent stereophonic separation between the left and right channels even after traversing twelve thousand miles through space."
• Glowworm (as an outro): "You are listening to the first stereo broadcast as it was relayed through outer space and received and recorded back on Earth."
• Love You Alice/D: "Ladies and gentlemen, you have just heard the first stereo program from outer space."

Other trivia

• "Tidal Wave" was featured in an episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete[1].
• The cover art for Fun Trick Noisemaker is from prolific artist Steve Keene. Robert Schneider, familiar with Keene's work on a Silver Jews record, contacted Keene about doing the cover. Keene sent him several paintings (about thirty six), and the band picked eight for final production.^[1] The original CD packaging liner notes were printed in a manner that they could be unfolded and re-folded to show a different cover.
• The back cover art was done by William Cullen Hart.
• In 1992, Schneider recorded interpreted vocal overdubs for "Trombone Dixie", an unfinished track by The Beach Boys during their Pet Sounds sessions. The song contains harmonies that would later be used in "High Tide". "High Tide" also features an opening hook similar to that of The Apples' 1994 song "Running in Circles".

References

External links

• Japanese bonus tracks in MP3 format
• Album art and liner notes at Optical Atlas