Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup - Vinyl Record 3LP

Stereolab's fourth full-length, Emperor Tomato Ketchup, originally issued in 1996, marked the point where the band evolved from a purely underground phenomenon to an important pop group capable of selling albums while keeping their hipness and integrity intact. At the time of its release, it was simultaneously their most experimental and most accessible release, with the deliberate raw textures of earlier works replaced by a more polished vibe. The album was also their greatest success to date both commercially and critically, and remains a consensus favorite even now.

Continuing to mine the music of the '60s and early '70s, Stereolab employs Farfisas and Moogs, melodies from Bacharach and Hardy, soft-rock, bubblegum, dub and hip-hop sounds to augment their core influences of krautrock, punk, jazz and space rock. Odd time-signatures and deft layering techniques are more crucial to the arrangements, and the grooves on tracks like "Metronomic Underground" and "Les Yper-Sound" add a level of funk to the mix, while the album also includes clear and catchy pop songs like "Cybele's Reverie" and "The Noise of Carpet." The LP brings many elements to the table, but Stereolab puts them all together into a coherent vision. It's hard to say if the album's greatest accomplishment is making pop music palatable to experimental listeners or introducing pop listeners to the group's experimental influences. Either way, it's one of the most enjoyable and important albums of the '90s.

1. Metronomic Underground
2. Cybele’s Reverie
3. Percolator
4. Les Yper Sound
5. Spark Plug
6. OLV 26
7. The Noise Of Carpet
8. Tomorrow Is Already Here
9. Emperor Tomato Ketchup
10. Monstre Sacre
14. Freestyle Dumpling
15. Noise Of Carpet (Original Mix)
16. Old Lungs 
17. Percolator (Original Mix)
18. Cybele's Reverie Demo
19. Spark Plug Demo
20. Spinal Column Demo
21. Emperor Tomato Ketchup Demo
22. Les Yper Sound Demo
23. Metronomic Underground Demo
24. Percolator Demo
25. Tomorrow Is Already Here Demo
26. Brigitte Demo
27. Motorola Scalatron Demo
28. Anonymous Collective Demo