ON SUCH A NIGHT
(released on MCA in September 1996)
Plaastik's goal for their twelfth album was to devise, in Kevin's words, "a real crowd-pleaser." Janet Kieran said she wanted "a new beginning" with the band. More specifically, says Jeff Jooce, "we wanted to capture the spirit and community of our live shows, especially the quieter moments, with a set that was ethereal and delicate and melodic." ON SUCH A NIGHT became Plaastik's biggest commercial success to date, with good reason; it is their most elaborate production, full of overwhelmingly seductive brass, strings, and electronics to create "a tapestry of emotion," as Nick Parker called it. Despite the bursts of feedback on a few songs, it's their most restrained and subtle recording to date, and at times -- most notably in the acoustic ballads toward the end -- resembles folk-rock.
Longtime fans tend to have a marginally more jaded view of this record than critics and mass audiences. Many argue that it is clearly tweaked to meet the standards of the "alternative rock community" at its height in 1996, and that -- lyrically, musically, and in terms of production -- the band was no longer doing anything to appeal to their fanbase; it was felt that their sound wasn't unique anymore. At the time, this was blamed both on then-unknown producer Nigel Godrich (who struck gold a year later with Radiohead) and the leisurely pace of the recording sessions, spread out in thirteen two-week periods between January 1995 and June 1996. For some, the album lacked focus, and the endless number of overdubs negated the virtues of the better tracks. For others, it's the best thing they released, and to be fair, some Plaastik fans haven't fallen head-over-heels in love with one of their albums since MR. ROSS VERDICT, GADABOUT or perhaps even MR. EVIL BREAKFAST.
The writing credits on ON SUCH A NIGHT mark a departure from every album since the band was on DGC. "Reading You" and "Sick But Kind" come from the same jam procedure that gave them most of their recent material, so the credits are split six ways again, while "Debbie Called" is a Singleton/Parker number, "Best New Thing" is by Janet Kieran, and "r.e.t.r.o." the brainchild of Christina alone, all of the remaining tracks are solely the work of Nick Parker. "He was just on a roll during the tour," says Jay Kay Ray. "Everytime I had lunch with him, which was three or four times a week, he was working on a new song. Some of those he rewrote and rewrote and perfected for weeks on end. I remember 'The Beauty' he was just splitting his gut over trying to get all the nuances just right.'"
Two songs on the album -- "The Beauty" and "Morning" -- stretch for over ten minutes, but little spontaniety was permitted. The band and Nick in particular wanted every moment on ON SUCH A NIGHT choreographed with precision, all details worked out during extensive planning before the sessions took place. It was so difficult to get a complete take of another track, "Swim" -- which runs seven minutes and ten seconds -- that Godrich spliced two performances together, correcting for a slight speed anomaly. He won a Grammy for his work, while Plaastik also got awards for Album of the Year and Record of the Year ("Morning").
tracklist:
1. Debbie Called
2. Reading You
3. Expansion
4. r.e.t.r.o.
5. Best New Thing (single 2)
6. Space
7. Sick But Kind
8. 9
9. The Beauty (single 3)
10. Swim
11. Dim Inside
12. Lantern
13. Catch the Train
14. Morning (single 1)
Morning b-sides
Morning [single edit]
Meet Me by the Moonlight, Alone
Older
Best New Thing b-sides
Best New Thing [hot dance mix]
Best New Thing [hip mix]
The Beauty b-sides
The Beauty [heavy single edit]
Best New Thing [music mix]
You Were Meant for Me