''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' is the debut studio album by American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an American alternative rock jam band that originated in Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s. The band is widely known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars''. Their music ...

, released on August 9, 1988, by

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

. The album went 2× platinum in the United States. "

What I Am "What I Am" is a song written by Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow and recorded by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians for their debut album, '' Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' (1988). The song is highlighted by a guitar solo that notably features ...

" was the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

and big hit from the album, reaching #7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Circle", was about strained relationships. Although described by author Brent Mann as "the perfect follow up single to 'What I Am'" and which "had 'smash' written all over it", it stalled at #48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and fared slightly better on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

chart, reaching #32. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said of "Circle" that "The key to this gentle song is Brickell’s breathy intensity. Supported by an acoustic-slanted track, she manages to sell the unusually dark lyric shadings." Another song from the album, "Little Miss S." was inspired by

Edie Sedgwick Edith Minturn Sedgwick Post (April 20, 1943 – November 16, 1971) was an American actress, model and socialite who was one of Andy Warhol's superstars, starring in several of his short films during the 1960s.Watson, Steven (2003), "Factory Ma ...

and reached #38 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #14 on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart.

Reception

"''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' is almost impossible to be cynical about (I tried)," remarked '' Time Out'', "and the band are so likeable it's almost unreal."

Track listing

Personnel

The New Bohemians *

Edie Brickell Edie Arlisa Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'', the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart. ...

– vocals * Kenny Withrow – guitars *

Brad Houser John Bradley Houser (September 7, 1960 – July 24, 2023) was an American bass guitar, baritone saxophone and bass clarinet player, originally from Dallas, Texas. He was a co-founding member of the New Bohemians, later to become known as Edie Bric ...

– bass * Brandon Aly – drums * John Bush – percussion ;with: *

Paul "Wix" Wickens Paul "Wix" Wickens is an English musician best known as keyboardist and musical director of Paul McCartney's touring band since 1989. In a career that started in 1973, Wickens has also worked with artists including Nik Kershaw, Bob Dylan, Joni ...

– keyboards *

Robbie Blunt Robert William Blunt (born 4 March 1951) is a rock guitarist who has worked with a variety of bands, most notably with Robert Plant's solo band in the 1980s. Since leaving Plant's band in the mid-1980s, Blunt has provided session work for a numbe ...

– guitars *

Chris Whitten Chris Whitten (born 26 March 1959) is a British session drummer who provided drums for the hit singles " What I Am" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, "World Shut Your Mouth" by Julian Cope and " The Whole of the Moon" by the Waterboys. Two no ...

– drums * John Henry – backing vocals Both Chris Whitten and Paul "Wix" Wickens were/are members of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

's band; Whitten from 1989 to 1990 and Wickens from 1989–present.

Production

* Pat Moran – producer, engineer *

George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...

– mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York) * Barry Diament – CD mastering at Barry Diament Mastering (New York City, New York) * Gabrielle Raumberger – art coordinator * Terry Robertson – CD design * Edie Brickell – cover illustration * Mark Abrahams – solo photography * Bob Cook – band photography * Tracks 6 & 8 published by Geffen Music-Withrow Publishing-Edie Brickell Songs.Publishing Information as found at discogs
/ref> * Tracks 11 & 12 published by Geffen Music-Edie Brickell Songs. * All other tracks published by Geffen Music-Strangemind Productions-Enlightened Kitty-Withrow Publishing-Edie Brickell Songs.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Edie Brickell & New Bohemians albums 1988 debut albums Geffen Records albums Albums produced by Pat Moran Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios