''I'd Rather Eat Glass'' is the debut studio album by American actress, model and singer
Bijou Phillips
Bijou Lilly Phillips Masterson (born April 1, 1980) is an American actress, model and singer. The daughter of musician John Phillips and Geneviève Waïte, she began her career as a model. Phillips made her singing debut with '' I'd Rather Eat ...
, released on May 11, 1999 by
Almo Sounds
Almo Sounds was a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to PolyGram. The intent for the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label.
The label ...
. It also remains her only full-length music release to date. The album's title refers to her past as a fashion
model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure.
Models c ...
, saying she would "rather eat glass" than go back to modeling. Produced by
Jerry Harrison
Jeremiah Griffin Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American songwriter, musician, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his professional music career as a member of the cult band the Modern Lovers before becoming keyboardist and guitarist ...
, ''I'd Rather Eat Glass'' is an
alternative pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
album with
post-grunge
Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush, Candlebox and Collective Soul that emulated t ...
,
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
and
trip hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow temp ...
elements. Phillips collaborated with a number of artists when writing songs for the album, including
Eric Bazilian
Eric M. Bazilian (born July 21, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Bazilian is a founding member of the rock band The Hooters. He wrote "One of Us", a song first recorded by Joan Osborne in 1 ...
,
Greg Wells
Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, record producer, songwriter and audio engineer. Wells has songs on over 130 million albums sold. He has worked with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana Grande, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Adele, Rufus ...
,
Dave Bassett
David Thomas Bassett (born 4 September 1944 in Stanmore) is an English football manager and a former player. During his career he has managed Wimbledon, Watford, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley, Leicester City ...
,
Howard Jones, and
Jill Cunniff
Jill Cunniff (born August 17, 1966) is an American musician and artist, best known as the lead singer of the band Luscious Jackson. Cunniff was born in New York City and attended college in San Francisco. After returning to New York in 1991, she ...
.
Upon its release, ''I'd Rather Eat Glass'' received mixed reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, mostly criticising the work for being immature. Her musical style has been compared to
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing care ...
or
Kay Hanley
Kay Hanley is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as the vocalist for the alternative rock band Letters to Cleo.
Life and career
Hanley grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts across the street from the Wahlberg family. She at ...
of
Letters to Cleo
Letters to Cleo is an American alternative rock band originating from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for the 1994 single, "Here & Now", from their full-length debut album, ''Aurora Gory Alice''. The band's members are Kay Hanley, Greg Mc ...
.
[Lanham, Tom]
I'd Rather Eat Glass
''Hartford Courant'', May 13, 1999. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
"When I Hated Him (Don't Tell Me)" was released as 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 ...
from the album. Directed by Lori Hoeft, the music video was shot in a
trailer park
A trailer park,caravan park, mobile home park, mobile home community or manufactured home community is a temporary or permanent area for mobile homes and travel trailers. Advantages include low cost compared to other housing, and quick and ea ...
where Phillips portrays a
stripper
A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event.
Mo ...
who caught her boyfriend cheating on her. "Hawaii" was released as a
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
. The song "Polite" was featured on the soundtrack to the film ''
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1998 slasher film directed by Danny Cannon and written by Trey Callaway. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson reprise their roles, with Brandy, Mekhi Phifer and Matthew Settle j ...
'' (1998).
Track listing
Personnel
* Bijou Phillips – vocals, guitar
Additional musicians
*
Jerry Harrison
Jeremiah Griffin Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is an American songwriter, musician, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his professional music career as a member of the cult band the Modern Lovers before becoming keyboardist and guitarist ...
– guitar
*
Eric Bazilian
Eric M. Bazilian (born July 21, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Bazilian is a founding member of the rock band The Hooters. He wrote "One of Us", a song first recorded by Joan Osborne in 1 ...
– guitar
* Joe Gore – guitar
*
Michael Lockwood – guitar
* Dave Bassell – guitar
* Aishlia Harrison – background vocals
*
Mackenzie Phillips – background vocals
* Frank Howard Swart – bass guitar
*
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Rol ...
– keyboards
*
Patrick Warren
Patrick Warren (born March 26, 1957) is an American musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Magnolia'', ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', ''Boogie Nights'' and ''Red State'', as well as the television series '' ...
– keyboards
*
Prairie Prince
Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince (born May 7, 1950) is an American drummer and graphic artist. He came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the San Francisco–based rock group The Tubes, was a member of Jefferson Starship from 1992 to ...
– drums
* Stephanie Spruill – tambourine
*
Philip Steir –
loops
* Doug McKean – loops
Production
* Jerry Harrison – producer
* Doug McKean – engineer
* Mauricio Iragorri – assistant engineer
* Josh Richardson – assistant engineer
* Kent Matcke – assistant engineer
*
Tom Lord-Alge
Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1963) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at The Hit Factory in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground ...
– mixing
*
Bob Ludwig
Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Quee ...
– mastering
* Bob Bortnick – direction
* Robin Sloane – creative director
* Christy Bush – photography
* P. E. Raske – illustrations
References
External links
*
''I'd Rather Eat Glass''at
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
*
{{Authority control
1999 debut albums
Albums produced by Jerry Harrison
Almo Sounds albums
Alternative rock albums by American artists
Pop rock albums by American artists