Maps of Music

Tidal (1996)

Where the lyrics of Tidal take you, and where it was really made.

Its producer first thought a prank was being pulled on him, because a visibly young woman was writing much of the material.

Key places

Sony Music Studios, Los Angeles (1996)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Discogs lists Sony Music Studios in Los Angeles as one of the recording locations for Tidal. The pin sits at city-center level, not at the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood (1996)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Discogs lists Ocean Way Recording as one of the recording locations for Tidal in Los Angeles. The pin sits at city-center level, not at the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Tidal: debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple
• Released 23 July 1996 by The WORK Group, a Sony Music label
• Three singles: "Shadowboxer", "Sleep to Dream", "Criminal"
• "Criminal" became the album's most popular single
• In 2017 the album got its first vinyl run as a Vinyl Me Please exclusive Record of the Month

Background

• 1995: Los Angeles music producer Andy Slater signed Apple to The WORK Group
• Apple was a visibly young woman who had written much of her early work, which led Slater to think a prank was being pulled on him
• Slater said he thought it was a Milli Vanilli thing
• In 2000 Apple said the album was more for proving herself and telling people from her past something
• She also said the album was meant to help her make friends for the future

Recording

• Discogs credits recording at Sony Music Studios, Ocean Way Recorders, 4th Street Recordings, Los Angeles
• Mixed at Brooklyn Recording Studio, Los Angeles
• Mastered at Sterling Sound
• Engineer credits include Brian Scheuble, Claude Achille, Jim Wirt and Niko Bolas
• Recording and mixing engineer credit: Mark Endert

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart on September 13, 1977, in New York City.
• Daughter of singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart; raised between New York and Los Angeles.
• Began writing songs at age eight; influenced by Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.

Career

• Debut album Tidal (1996) won a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance for "Criminal".
• Second album When the Pawn... (1999) was produced by Jon Brion and received critical acclaim.
• Third album Extraordinary Machine (2005) was remade after Apple's dissatisfaction with the first production.
• The Idler Wheel... (2012) became her most successful album on the Billboard 200, peaking at number three.
• Fetch the Bolt Cutters (2020) won Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Performance.

Recognition

• All five studio albums reached the top 20 on the Billboard 200.
• Three of her albums appear on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone's Jenny Eliscu and The Washington Post's Richard Harrington called it a mature effort
• They compared it to the work of Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos
• Contemporary critics gave generally positive reviews
• The Sydney Morning Herald gave a more negative review, saying the album was produced out of a "gender cliché"
• That review criticized the lyrics of "Criminal" as too "fragile"

Reappraisal

• Retrospective reviews have praised the album
• A 2021 Consequence piece by Ilana Kaplan said the work recast what pop stardom could look like
• NPR's Lindsay Zoladz wrote that Apple's later career kept following the path she set on this album despite pressure from label executives and the media

Records

• Peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200
• RIAA gold in December 1996, platinum in July 1997, two times platinum the following October, three times platinum in April 1999
• Rolling Stone ranked it 83rd among the greatest albums of the 1990s in 2010
• Slant Magazine placed it 74th in 2011
• Rolling Stone ranked it 25th on its list of 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time in 2022
• Included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Apple was 18 when the album came out, a year after she began to be known in New York artist circles.
• The jewel case release came with a clear tray and a 12-page stapled booklet.
• "Criminal" won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
• Apple was nominated at the 1997 Grammys for best new artist, and "Criminal" for best rock song.
• The video for "The First Taste" never aired in the United States.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact