''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' is the debut studio album by American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an alternative rock jam band that originated in Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s. The band is widely known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars''. Their music contains ...

, released on August 9, 1988 by

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

. The album went 2× platinum in the United States. "

What I Am "What I Am" is a song written by Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow and recorded by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians for their debut album, ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' (1988). The song is highlighted by a guitar solo that notably features an ...

" was the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

and big hit from the album, reaching #7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Circle," was about strained relationships. Although described by author Brent Mann as "the perfect follow up single to 'What I Am'" and which "had 'smash' written all over it," it stalled at #48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and fared slightly better on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

chart, reaching #32. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said of "Circle" that "The key to this gentle song is Brickell’s breathy intensity. Supported by an acoustic-slanted track, she manages to sell the unusually dark lyric shadings." Another song from the album, "Little Miss S." was inspired by

Edie Sedgwick Edith Minturn Sedgwick Post (April 20, 1943 – November 16, 1971) was an American actress and fashion model, known for being one of Andy Warhol's superstars.Watson, Steven (2003), "Factory Made: Warhol and the Sixties" Pantheon Books, pp. 210& ...

and reached #38 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #14 on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart.

Track listing

Song notes

Excerpted from a "songbook" included with a box set of the "What I Am" single, presumed to be annotated and illustrated by Brickell herself: What I Am "What I Am is a smart-alec's way out of a deep discussion on the universe as it relates to the

self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhood ...

." Little Miss S. "Little Miss S. is just another one of those famous dead people." Air of December "People change & affect you just like the weather." The Wheel "Your kind's always gonna be a-round." Love Like We Do "We're broke & we're ugly." Circle "That weird lost feeling can get you even when you're hangin' round with friends." Beat the Time "Time Divides." She "She's just about a homegirl." Nothing "There's something about nothing – but it's nothing I wanna talk about." Now "When your heart occupies your head." Keep Coming Back "Some people get right on your mind & just stay there." I Do "I Do is a song for my cat."

Personnel

The New Bohemians *

Edie Brickell Edie Arlisa Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'', the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart. ...

– vocals *

Kenny Withrow Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an alternative rock jam band that originated in Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s. The band is widely known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars''. Their music contains ...

– guitars *

Brad Houser John Bradley Houser (born September 7, 1960) is an American bass guitar, baritone saxophone and bass clarinet player, originally from Dallas, Texas. He was a co-founding member of the New Bohemians, later to become known as Edie Brickell & New Boh ...

– bass * Brandon Aly – drums * John Bush – percussion ;with: *

Paul "Wix" Wickens Paul Wickens (born 27 March 1956) is an English musician, composer, and record producer, professionally known as Wix. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Wickens has worked with artists including Nik Kershaw, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bon ...

– keyboards *

Robbie Blunt Robert William Blunt (born 4 March 1951) is a rock guitarist who has worked with a variety of bands, most notably with Robert Plant's solo band in the 1980s. Since leaving Plant's band in the mid 1980s, Blunt has provided session work for a numb ...

– guitars *

Chris Whitten Chris Whitten (born 26 March 1959) is a British session drummer who provided drums for the hit singles "What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, "World Shut Your Mouth" by Julian Cope and "The Whole of the Moon" by the Waterboys. Two notab ...

– drums * John Henry – backing vocals Both Chris Whitten and Paul "Wix" Wickens were/are members of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

's band; Whitten from 1989 to 1990 and Wickens from 1989-present.

Production

* Pat Moran – producer, engineer *

George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

– mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York) * Barry Diament – CD mastering at Barry Diament Mastering (New York City, New York) * Gabrielle Raumberger – art coordinator * Terry Robertson – CD design * Edie Brickell – cover illustration * Mark Abrahams – solo photography * Bob Cook – band photography * Tracks 6 & 8 published by Geffen Music-Withrow Publishing-Edie Brickell Songs. * Tracks 11 & 12 published by Geffen Music-Edie Brickell Songs. * All other tracks published by Geffen Music-Strangemind Productions-Enlightened Kitty-Withrow Publishing-Edie Brickell Songs.

Reception

"''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' is almost impossible to be cynical about (I tried)," remarked '' Time Out'', "and the band are so likeable it's almost unreal."'' Time Out'', June 21–28, 1989

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Edie Brickell & New Bohemians albums 1988 debut albums Geffen Records albums Albums produced by Pat Moran Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios