Matthew Sweet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sidney Matthew Sweet | |
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| Origin | Athens, Georgia |
| Country | USA |
| Years active | 1980s - present |
| Genres | pop-rock |
| Labels | Columbia Records A&M Records |
| Website(s) | http://www.matthewsweet.com |
Sidney Matthew Sweet (born c. October 6, 1964) is a pop-rock musician from Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s.
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[edit] Early career
As a young musician wanting to make a name for himself, Sweet set off to Athens, Georgia in the mid '80s, to attend college and join the vibrant Athens music scene, most famous as the home base for R.E.M. and The B-52's. Sweet worked with R.E.M. leader Michael Stipe at this time, joining Stipe's sister in a band called Oh-OK and then forming another band, Buzz of Delight. Before long he was signed to a solo recording contract with Columbia Records.
One album, Inside, was released by Columbia in 1986 to little success.
Sweet was then picked up by A&M Records where he released his second album, Earth (1989), again without commercial success. This period marked a personal and professional low point for Sweet, as A&M lost interest and his marriage failed.
Sweet quickly recovered, and put together a new band including Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, Greg Leisz, Lloyd Cole, and Fred Maher. The new group spent 1990 putting together Sweet's next work, originally titled Nothing Lasts.
[edit] Commercial breakthrough
In 1990, A&M released Sweet from his contract, and he signed with rival Zoo Entertainment. The album, still under construction, was retitled Girlfriend and released in October 1991. This album featured a classic set of pop-rock songs, was considered by many to be an artistic breakthrough, and quickly garnered impressive U.S. sales (spawning a top-10 single with the title track). The video for the title track was aired on MTV and MuchMusic and features Anime-style animation, of which Sweet is a fan. The animated clips in the video for "Girlfriend" are taken from the movie Space Adventure Cobra, and the video for "I've Been Waiting" uses clips of the Urusei Yatsura character Lum, of whom Sweet has a tattoo.
Sweet's follow-up album, 1993's Altered Beast, was borne out of an apparent determination not to become mainstream. A more diverse and less immediately accessible album than Girlfriend, the album divided fans and critics who had mixed reactions to emotionally intense and brooding tracks like "Someone to Pull the Trigger" and "Knowing People."
In 1995, Sweet released 100% Fun. The album mixed bouncy pop style with darker lyrics, including a leadoff track, the self-deprecating "Sick of Myself." The track has frequently been covered live by fellow '90s power poppers The Posies.
[edit] Recent history
Decidedly out of the musical mainstream, Sweet would issue a few more albums in the second half of the decade and maintain a devoted core of fans, but critical acclaim and chart success would be hard to come by.
Sweet's international success had been somewhat limited by his fear of flying; however he gained a significant following in Japan and his 2003 album Kimi Ga Suki * Raifu, was initially a Japan-only release.
In 2000, Sweet worked with the Canadian band Delerium, to release the song "Daylight" that appears in their album Poem.
In early 2002 he formed the supergroup The Thorns with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge.
He released a new album of solo material, Living Things in late 2004, though the material on the album was recorded in 2002.
In April 2006 he partnered with Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs to release a collection of 1960's classics, titled Under The Covers. Featuring their take on such widely known '60s hits as "Monday, Monday" and "The Kids Are Alright," the album represented a return to the accessible and melodic approach associated with Sweet's early breakthroughs.
[edit] Discography
- Inside - Sony Records - 1986
- Earth - Sony Records - 1989
- Girlfriend - Volcano Records - 1991. Later rereleased as a Legacy Edition.
- Altered Beast - Volcano Records - 1993
- Son of Altered Beast - Volcano Records - 1994
- 100% Fun - Volcano Records - 1995
- Blue Sky on Mars - Volcano Records - 1997
- In Reverse - Volcano Records - 1999
- Time Capsule: Best of 90/00 - Volcano Records - 2000
- To Understand: The Early Recordings of Matthew Sweet Hip-O Records - 2002
- Kimi Ga Suki - RCAM Records - 2003
- Living Things - RCAM Records - 2004
- Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (with Susanna Hoffs) - Shout! Factory - 2006
- Rock Bottom - to be released 2006 or 2007
Sweet has also contributed a number of tracks to compilations and soundtracks, ranging from tribute albums such as If I Were A Carpenter, a tribute album to The Carpenters, and Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits, where he submitted the Scooby-Doo theme, to soundtracks for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Can't Hardly Wait, and to the AIDS benefit album No Alternative which he contributed the track "Superdeformed". As well, the song "I've Been Waiting" was featured in an episode of the sitcom "Scrubs" (Season 3, Episode 7, "My Fifteen Seconds").
Update November 2006: Sweet's MySpace Page, [1], has sample clips from his upcoming album, "Rock Bottom", to be released late 2006 or early 2007.
[edit] Other work
- Sweet provides backup vocals for several of Lloyd Cole's songs on his album Don't Get Weird on Me Babe.
- Sweet has written lyrics for the band Velvet Crush on their album Teenage Symphonies to God.
- Sweet and Jules Shear collaborated to write the title track for Everything's Different Now, the third and final album by 'Til Tuesday.
- He has also co-written several songs with the Jayhawks, and has provided backing vocals on several of their albums.
- Sweet collaborated with Delerium on a song called "Daylight" from their 2001 album Poem.
- Sweet was also the guitarist in Ming Tea, a band featured in the first Austin Powers movie, with Susanna Hoffs and Mike Myers.
- Sweet worked with Anton Fier's Golden Palominos in 1986, Blast of Silence CD, reissued in 1998.
- Sweet's band in Middle School was called "Deuce".
- Sweet contributed a live performance version of his song "I've Been Waiting" to the charity album, Live in the X Lounge III in 2000.
- Girlfriend is featured in Guitar Hero II.
