Star (Belly album)

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Star
Belly Star.jpg
Studio album by
Belly
ReleasedJanuary 25, 1993 (1993-01-25)
Recorded
Genre
Length50:53
Label
Producer
Belly chronology
Star
(1993) 		King
(1995)
Singles from Star
  1. "Gepetto"
    Released: November 9, 1992
  2. "Feed the Tree"
    Released: January 11, 1993
  3. "Full Moon, Empty Heart"
    Released: 1993
  4. "Slow Dog"
    Released: 1993

Star is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Belly, released on January 25, 1993.

Composition[]

Along with alternative rock and jangle pop, the songs on Star also dig into "haunting", "avant" folk rock.[1][2] Tanya Donelly was credited with pushing dream pop's boundaries by "trimming away its pretensions" while keeping its "trancy harmonies".[1] A "distinct post-punk quality" has also been seen in the music, alongside some country and Spaghetti Western influences.[3]

Release[]

Star was released on January 25, 1993 and was an unexpected success. On February 21, 1994, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of at least 500,000 units.[4]

The single "Feed the Tree" became a number one hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, as well as a surprise pop hit, peaking at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the late spring of 1993.[5][6] The music video for "Feed the Tree" was a smash buzz bin MTV hit, and was nominated for Best Alternative Video VMA and Best New Artist VMA in 1993. "Slow Dog" peaked at number 17 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the summer of 1993,[7] while "Gepetto" peaked at number 8 in the late fall/winter of 1993,[8] as well as charting on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart for five weeks in the late fall/winter of 1993.

"Angel" is not a rerecording of the song of the same name that Tanya Donelly wrote with Throwing Muses for their 1989 album Hunkpapa.

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[1]
Chicago Tribune3/4 stars[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB[10]
NME8/10[11]
Q4/5 stars[12]
Record Collector4/5 stars[13]
Rolling Stone4/5 stars[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3.5/5 stars[14]
Slant Magazine4.5/5 stars[3]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6/10[15]

In 1994, Star was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album, while Belly were nominated for Best New Artist.

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Tanya Donelly, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Someone to Die For" 2:04
2."Angel" 2:58
3."Dusted" 2:48
4."Every Word" 3:33
5."Gepetto" 3:24
6."Witch" 1:35
7."Slow Dog" 4:02
8."Low Red Moon" 5:32
9."Feed the Tree" 3:29
10."Full Moon, Empty Heart" 3:02
11."White Belly"
  • Donelly
  • Fred Abong
3:36
12."Untogether" 4:43
13."Star" 1:27
14."Sad Dress" 3:44
15."Stay" 4:56
Total length:50:53

Personnel[]

Adapted from AllMusic's Credits page for Star.[16]

Belly

  • Tanya Donelly - vocals, guitar
  • Fred Abong - bass
  • Chris Gorman - drums, percussion
  • Thomas Gorman - guitar, organ

Additional musicians

Technical

  • Belly - production
  • Tracy Chisholm - engineering, production
  • Gil Norton - production

Artwork and design

  • Chris Bigg - design
  • Chris Gorman - photography

Charts[]

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 65
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 2
US Billboard 200[19] 59
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[20] 1

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[4] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Star – Belly". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2006.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Ransom, Kevin (April 15, 1993). "Belly: Star". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Cinquemani, Sal (January 26, 2008). "Belly: Star". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "American album certifications – Belly – Star". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  5. ^ Classic 45s, "Feed the Tree." ("Chart info: #95p in May, #1m in January 1993")
  6. ^ Michael Verity, "Belly And 'Star,'" WNEW.radio.com, December 14, 2011.
  7. ^ Billboard, "Modern Rock Tracks," June 5, 1993.
  8. ^ Billboard, "Modern Rock Tracks," November 27, 1993.
  9. ^ Caro, Mark (February 25, 1993). "Belly: Star (Sire)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  10. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (January 29, 1993). "Star". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  11. ^ Harris, John (January 23, 1993). "Alternative Ulcer" (PDF). NME. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  12. ^ "Belly: Star". Q. No. 78. March 1993. p. 83.
  13. ^ Peacock, Tim (August 2016). "Belly – Star". Record Collector. No. 456. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  14. ^ Sinagra, Laura (2004). "Belly". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 60. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  15. ^ Fleissner, Jen (1995). "Belly". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 36–37. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  16. ^ "Star - Belly - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Belly – Star" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  19. ^ "Belly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  20. ^ "Belly Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  21. ^ "British album certifications – Belly – Star". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 14, 2018.Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Star in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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