| Maquee | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 18, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | February/March 1994 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, grunge | |||
| Label | Atlantic, Headhunter | |||
| Smile chronology | ||||
| ||||
Maquee is an album by Smile. It was released by Atlantic on July 18, 1995.
Smile had originally finished recording the album by September 1994,[1] and it was released under the San Diego-based label Headhunter. Their album caught the attention of Atlantic Records, and Smile was soon offered a contract. Upon signing with Atlantic, the trio quit their day jobs and began touring the country.[2] Alongside some of the tour was the band "Inch",[1] and Smile stayed on the road for nearly a year and a half promoting Maquee.[2] Lyrically, the album plays with themes of fatalism, revenge, and Gothicism.[2] The name of the album came from Reeder's best buddy from Barstow, who had the nickname "Maquee".[3]
Rosas wrote their first single, which was one of the first songs he ever wrote, called "Staring at the Sun" in 1990, stating that he "...wasn't aware enough of what I was doing to be able to make any keen observations on the world of pop culture. It was just looking at my friends and me".[3] It has been described as a "psychedelic plunge into retro rock and modern grunge" by Larry Flick of Billboard Magazine,[4] and it is noted for having a particularly "loud" sound.[4][5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
Maquee fared well with some reviewers,[5] while some felt that it fell short of what they believed the band was capable of making.[6] Ultimately, the album charted on College Music Journal's "Metal" chart in November 1995, but failed to appear afterwards.[8]
The single "Staring at the Sun" received airplay on the radio.[1]
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CMJ Metal[8] | 23 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock Anthem for the Retarded Teenage Hipster Population" | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Staring at the Sun..." | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Spud Gun" | 2:30 |
| 4. | "Picture Made Past" | 4:54 |
| 5. | "Lemonade" | 3:16 |
| 6. | "Moosh" | 2:42 |
| 7. | "Jack Shrimp" | 2:26 |
| 8. | "Papaya Clearance Sale" | 3:05 |
| 9. | "She" | 5:19 |
| 10. | "Wallflower" | 2:41 |
| 11. | "Until(?)" | 5:52 |
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