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The It Girl (album)

The It Girl is the second studio album by English Britpop band Sleeper, released in May 1996. It was their most successful album, selling over 300,000 copies in the UK alone and featuring the top-20 singles "What Do I Do Now?", "Sale of the Century", "Nice Guy Eddie", and "Statuesque". The album was released internationally, with the US version having a different track listing and alternative photos in the liner booklet.

Background

The album was recorded in London over the winter of 1995 and 1996 and production was helmed by Stephen Street.

Much of the content of the album is autobiographical. "Lie Detector" was written about Wener's frustration with "how women are stereotyped and put into boxes, and not allowed to escape the way they were originally viewed."

Critical reception

The album was well received by critics and helped solidify Sleeper's status as a key band in the Britpop movement.

Jack Rabid of AllMusic wrote that while "nothing is quite the total knockout of Smarts 'Inbetweener,' The It Girl is more consistently accomplished, with a broader palette of influences".

Track listing

Notes
  • Bonus disc: Tracks 1–5 taken from the "What Do I Do Now" single b-sides; 6–8 from "Sale of the Century" single; 9–11 from "Nice Guy Eddie" single; 12–16 from "Statuesque" single.

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.

Sleeper

  • Louise Wener – vocals, guitar
  • Andy Maclure – drums, acoustic guitar, percussion, keyboards <small>(track 11)</small>
  • Jon Stewart – guitar, keyboards <small>(track 1)</small>
  • Diid Osman – bass

Additional musicians

  • Stephen Street – keyboards, programming
  • John Green – piano, synthesizers

Production and design

  • Stephen Street – producer <small>(all except track 1)</small>, mixing <small>(track 1)</small>
  • John Smith – engineer, producer <small>(track 12)</small>
  • Bruce Lampcov – producer <small>(track 1)</small>
  • Tom Girling – assistant engineer
  • Julie Gardner – assistant engineer
  • Kevin Westenberg – Sleeper photography

Certifications

References

External links