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Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

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Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Studio album by
Sarah McLachlan
Released22 October 1993
Recorded1993
StudioLe Studio (Morin Heights, Quebec)
Genre
Length57:50
Label
ProducerPierre Marchand
Sarah McLachlan chronology
Solace
(1991) 		Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
(1993) 		The Freedom Sessions
(1994)
Singles from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
  1. "Possession"
    Released: 10 September 1993
  2. "Hold On"
    Released: 8 May 1994
  3. "Good Enough"
    Released: 12 September 1994

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 22 October 1993 in Canada, 15 February 1994 in the United States, 24 May 1994 in Japan, and 14 August 1994 in Australia. It was produced by Pierre Marchand in Montreal; McLachlan wrote most of the album while living in a small house near Marchand's studio.

The album was an immediate hit in Canada, where McLachlan was already an established star. It was slower to become her breakthrough album internationally, however; in some countries, most notably the US, it stayed in the middle ranges of the pop charts for almost two years. As of November 2003, the album had sold 2.8 million copies in the US.[1]

Some editions contain an album version of McLachlan's 1995 single used for The Brothers McMullen soundtrack, "I Will Remember You". The track's lyrics do not appear in the booklet, nor does the track's crediting information.

On August 5, 2008, a three-disc 15th anniversary edition of the album was released. The set includes the original remastered album, The Freedom Sessions EP and a DVD that includes live performances, music videos and more. The album was released by Legacy Recordings.

In December 2023, McLachlan announced she would perform on a 30 city tour in 2024 for the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, playing the entire album in shows along with other songs.[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA[5]
Hot Press10/12[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Pitchfork8.2/10[8]
PopMatters8/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]
Slant Magazine[12]

Chicago Tribune critic Dan Kening praised Fumbling Towards Ecstasy as "a terrific album from a gifted 26-year-old Canadian who is mature beyond her years", highlighting McLachlan's "hauntingly beautiful voice" and the songs' "gorgeous arrangements".[4] Similarly, Entertainment Weekly's David Bock opined that McLachlan's songs "probe the deeper, darker aspects of the human condition with an honesty, patience, and wisdom way beyond her 26 years."[5] Comparing the record to its predecessor Solace (1991), Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone wrote that despite its "less buoyant hooks and more muted arrangements", "there are moments of quiet radiance on Ecstasy, and even the more elusive songs reveal a passionate dignity."[10]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Andrew Leahey called Fumbling Towards Ecstasy "a softly assured album that combined the atmospheric production of Pierre Marchand ... with some of McLachlan's strongest songwriting to date", adding that "McLachlan's work was rarely as raw or honest as it is on this record".[3] Richard Skanse, writing in the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide, said that McLachlan "truly came into her own as an artist" on the album, finding her lyrics "sharper, her trademark earnestness now carrying a formidable edge."[11] In 2000, it was voted number 200 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums,[13] and in 2022, Pitchfork listed it as the 119th-best album of the 1990s.[14]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Sarah McLachlan, except "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" co-written with Pierre Marchand.

No.TitleLength
1."Possession"4:39
2."Wait"4:09
3."Plenty"4:05
4."Good Enough"5:03
5."Mary"3:55
6."Elsewhere"4:44
7."Circle"3:43
8."Ice"3:54
9."Hold On"4:09
10."Ice Cream"2:44
11."Fear"3:59
12."Fumbling Towards Ecstasy"
"Ice" / "Possession" (hidden track)		9:49
Total length:54:57

Notes:

  • A hidden track follows "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" which consists of a brief outtake snippet of "Ice" and a solo piano rendition of "Possession".
  • Original UK and Japanese versions of the album, along with the 2016 single-disc vinyl edition, include a cover of "Blue" by Joni Mitchell as a bonus track. These editions also do not include the hidden track appearing after "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy".

Personnel

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  • Sarah McLachlan – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, piano
  • Bill Dillon – acoustic and electric guitars, guitorgan, bass guitar, piano
  • Michel Dubeau – saxophone
  • Kharen Hill – photography
  • David Kershaw – Hammond organ
  • Pierre Marchand – bass guitar, piano, keyboards, fake Hammond B-3 organ, drum machine, percussion machine, Roland 808, shaker, found sound
  • Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion
  • Brian Minato – bass guitar
  • Guy Nadon – drums
  • Jane Scarpantoni – cello
  • Lou Shefano – drums
  • Ashwin Sood – drums, percussion

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] 5× Platinum 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[26] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Canada 22 October 1993 Nettwerk CD W2-30081
United States 15 February 1994 Arista Records CD 07822-18725-2
Japan 24 May 1994 BMG Japan CD BVCA-638
Australia 14 August 1994 Arista Records CD 07822-18725-2

References

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  1. ^ "Ask Billboard – FUMBLING TOWARDS SALES". Billboard. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  2. ^ "Sarah McLachlan celebrates 30 years of 'Fumbling' with new tour: 'I still pinch myself'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b Leahey, Andrew. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b Kening, Dan (14 April 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Arista)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b Bock, David (18–25 February 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Entertainment Weekly. No. 210–211. p. 114.
  6. ^ Sweeney, Oliver (16 November 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Arista)". Hot Press. Vol. 18, no. 22. Archived from the original on 18 May 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  7. ^ Cromelin, Richard (13 March 1994). "Fumbling Towards Excitement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ^ Nelson, Ivy (5 November 2017). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  9. ^ Gilstrap, Andrew (10 August 2008). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstacy". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b Gardner, Elysa (16 June 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  11. ^ a b Skanse, Richard (2004). "Sarah McLachlan". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 531. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (28 October 2003). "Review: Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 100. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  14. ^ Tolentino, Jia; et al. (28 September 2022). "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Sarah McLachlan ARIA Chart history (complete to 2024)". ARIA. Retrieved 26 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  16. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2304". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 27 November 1993. p. 90. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  18. ^ "Sarah McLachlan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Sarah McLachlan Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  20. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  21. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  23. ^ "1997: The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. 27 December 1997. p. 70. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  24. ^ "1998: The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. 26 December 1998. p. 82. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  25. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Music Canada. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  26. ^ "American album certifications – Sarah Mc Lachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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