Everclear and Intervention Records are thrilled to bring the platinum-selling Songs from An American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile to vinyl for the very first time!
Featuring the smash hits “AM Radio", " Wonderful” and “Brown Eyed Girl,” this first-ever vinyl release is Artist-Approved by Art Alexakis and pressed on “Everclear” transparent yellow 140G vinyl by boutique press Gotta Groove Records.
This numbered edition is limited to 2,000 copies and comes in a beautiful deluxe gatefold by Stoughton printing and includes an authentic booklet.
Everclear’s Art Alexakis enthuses, "I am so stoked that after 25 years, this album is finally going to be available on vinyl…for the first time ever! When this record was originally released on Capitol, it was supposed to be released on vinyl, but vinyl sales were down so much that the label absolutely refused to honor our contract. I can’t wait for the fans to get a hold of this record. It’s exactly how I envisioned it to be almost 25 years ago, down to the yellow vinyl and the original artwork! I hope fans of this record and vinyl enthusiasts enjoy it as much as I do."
SFAAM Vol One is 100% analog mastered by Kevin Gray from the Original Master Tapes, but that’s just the beginning of this story! Working with Chris Walch and the archive team at Universal Music Group, Intervention discovered that although the original audio was digitally captured (mostly at frontman Art Alexakis’ Basement Studio) the final mixdown format is analog tape. The big “but” here is that because this was never released on vinyl, it was never sequenced to A/B master tapes- UMG had over a DOZEN reels with only a few tracks marked as masters! And that’s when original engineer Neal Avron came to the rescue! Art’s team contacted Neal who quickly identified the masters. Universal then graciously set Kevin Reeves to making a beautiful sounding new set of ¼” A/B master tape reels so Intervention could master this release 100% analog from these brand new master tapes!
Intervention’s vinyl reissue of Songs from An American Movie will startle Everclear fans who are only used to how the original 2000 CD sounds! The audio from these tapes is so much more representative of the performance from Art and the band! Much more open sounding, with wide dynamic range, but with much sweeter highs and incredible vocal purity. After 25 years it’s finally possible to hear this amazing album exactly as Art and the band truly intended.
Intervention’s fanatical quality standards have precluded the use of colored vinyl previously, but Matt Earley and his team are now able to deliver 140G transparent colored vinyl that’s as stunningly ultra-quiet as the black 180G we’re used to! Stampers will be replaced every 500 units as always, and customers can rest assured Intervention Founder and resident audiophile crank Shane Buettner tested this transparent vinyl himself and only then put IR’s name on it!
Because the original album art was CD only, that presented a challenge for the jackets as well. 5” CD art doesn’t blow up to large sizes very well, so Art’s team pointed Intervention to original photographer Frank Ockenfels, and art director Tom Vadakan was able to rebuild the jacket art from ultra high-res scans of the original photography! Printed on heavy blanks as a beautiful, chunky “Old Style” gatefold by Stoughton these jackets are simply stunning!
