It Girl

Sleeper | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 1996)
• Original Release Date: July 16, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B000002VQM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,242 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition of the 1996 sophomore album from this Britpop band led by Louise Wener. Sleeper were massive: hit singles, sell out tours, and at one point you could not open a magazine or a newspaper without seeing a picture of the band. Packed with singles and presented here with a hatful of B-sides and live tracks, the time is right to dip your toe back in the Britpop waters. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars some albums you just love because you do, May 9, 2006

By 

M. Lohrke (Saratoga Springs, UT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Girl (Audio CD)

it wasn't very difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff when it came to mid 1990's britpop. for every stinker like menswe@r and the bluetones, you had pulp's cleverness, blur's gleeful laddism, suede's dark cynicism, supergrass' goofiness (although they've since proven themselves among the finest musicians ever), and elastica's rawness. and then there was sleeper.

sleeper didn't really fit the within the confines of traditional britpop. first of all, sleeper was one of the few female-fronted bands (along with elastica, echobelly, and catatonia) to actually make a name for themselves. what's more, damon albarn wasn't dating justine from elastica, and louise wener (while certainly not bad looking in the least) lacked sonya aurora maden's overt sexuality and feminist stance. maybe that's why sleeper never quite reached the same heights as their britpop peers.

it's a shame, really, because sleeper's second album, 'the it girl,' is one of the finest britpop albums--right up there with 'parklife,' 'urban hymns, 'dog man star,' and 'different class.' what sleeper *did* have going for them were incredibly good, catchy, melodic songs. 'the it girl' built on the success of their first single, 'inbetweener,' and the result was one of the most consistently gratifying albums of the era. stephen street (uber-britpop producer) should be given credit for harnessing louise wener's and andy mcclure's considerable writing talents. however, although mcclure was undoubtedly indispensable, it's clear 'the it girl' is louis wener's show. her narratives on 'the it girl,' are compelling and biting, revealing a woman coming to terms with loser boyfriends ('nice guy eddie'), uncertainty ('what do i do now?'), lost love and betrayal ('sale the century'). no, louise wener did have the greatest of voices, but her voice serves the songs well and she certainly can carry a nice melody. ultimately, 'the it girl,' is an album full of immediately memorable songs by a band, i fear, lost in the ashes of the britpop meltdown. it's a shame because i absolutely adore this album. it didn't leave my cd player for the better part of 1997. whenever i listen to it i have nothing but great memories of what it was like to be smack dab in the middle of the britpop explosion. it was the best summer of my life and this was my soundtrack.

thanks, louise.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely overlooked immense talent., December 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: It Girl (Audio CD)

This is one of the best CDs I got. Nothin better. If you like English UK kinda stuff or Garbage or Elastica or Republica this is even better. Check out their first CD for some rougher, but high quality stuff. Their third CD has quality, but not with the feel of the first one or the emotion of the second. Pick this one up if you like it buy all the rest.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleeper's Sophmore album- Sleeper polishes their sound., August 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: It Girl (Audio CD)

Sleeper is one of the bands from Britain who were labeled part of a new wave of British Pop. The band is guitar pop or power pop oriented, but has many transcendant moments. This album is more polished (not necessarily better) than their freshman effort-Smart. The It Girl is less guitar oriented and more song oriented. Sleeper has several gems on this album. The gimmick, if there is one, is vocalist Louise Wener's treatment of innuendo and dynamic relationships (love/hate). Her voice suits the position between grrrl and pop rock that Sleeper occupies.