Wikipedia

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on October 22, 1993. It was produced by Pierre Marchand in Montreal; McLachlan wrote most of the album while living in a small house near Marchand's studio. The album was an immediate hit in Canada, where McLachlan was already an established star. It was slower to become her breakthrough album internationally, however; in some countries, most notably the US, it stayed in the middle ranges of the pop charts for almost two years. As of November 2003, the album had sold 2.8 million copies in the US.[1]

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Studio album by
Sarah McLachlan
ReleasedOctober 22, 1993
StudioLe Studio (Morin Heights, Quebec)
Length57:50
Label
ProducerPierre Marchand
Sarah McLachlan chronology
Solace
(1991)		 Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
(1993)		 The Freedom Sessions
(1994)
Singles from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
  1. "Possession"
    Released: September 10, 1993
  2. "Hold On"
    Released: May 8, 1994
  3. "Good Enough"
    Released: September 12, 1994

Some editions contain an album version of McLachlan's 1995 single used for The Brothers McMullen soundtrack, "I Will Remember You". The track's lyrics do not appear in the booklet, nor does the track's crediting information. On August 5, 2008, a three-disc 15th anniversary edition of the album was released. The set includes the original remastered album, The Freedom Sessions EP and a DVD that includes live performances, music videos and more. The album was released by Legacy Recordings.

In December 2023, McLachlan announced she would perform on a 30-city tour in 2024 for the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, playing the entire album in shows along with other songs.[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[3]
Chicago TribuneStarStarStarStar[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA[5]
Hot Press10/12[6]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarHalf star[7]
Pitchfork8.2/10[8]
PopMatters8/10[9]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStar[10]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStar[11]
Slant MagazineStarStarStarStarHalf star[12]

Chicago Tribune critic Dan Kening praised Fumbling Towards Ecstasy as "a terrific album from a gifted 26-year-old Canadian who is mature beyond her years", highlighting McLachlan's "hauntingly beautiful voice" and the songs' "gorgeous arrangements".[4] Similarly, Entertainment Weekly's David Bock opined that McLachlan's songs "probe the deeper, darker aspects of the human condition with an honesty, patience, and wisdom way beyond her 26 years."[5] Comparing the record to its predecessor Solace (1991), Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone wrote that despite its "less buoyant hooks and more muted arrangements", "there are moments of quiet radiance on Ecstasy, and even the more elusive songs reveal a passionate dignity."[10]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Andrew Leahey called Fumbling Towards Ecstasy "a softly assured album that combined the atmospheric production of Pierre Marchand ... with some of McLachlan's strongest songwriting to date", adding that "McLachlan's work was rarely as raw or honest as it is on this record".[3] Richard Skanse, writing in the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide, said that McLachlan "truly came into her own as an artist" on the album, finding her lyrics "sharper, her trademark earnestness now carrying a formidable edge."[11] In 2000, it was voted number 200 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums,[13] and in 2022, Pitchfork listed it as the 119th-best album of the 1990s.[14] Slant Magazine included it on their 2003 list of 50 Essential Pop Albums.[15]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Sarah McLachlan, except "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" co-written with Pierre Marchand.

No.TitleLength
1."Possession"4:39
2."Wait"4:09
3."Plenty"4:05
4."Good Enough"5:03
5."Mary"3:55
6."Elsewhere"4:44
7."Circle"3:43
8."Ice"3:54
9."Hold On"4:09
10."Ice Cream"2:44
11."Fear"3:59
12."Fumbling Towards Ecstasy"
"Ice" / "Possession" (hidden track)		9:49
Total length:54:57

Notes:

  • A hidden track follows "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" which consists of a brief outtake snippet of "Ice" at 5:22 and a solo piano rendition of "Possession" at 5:48.
  • Original UK and Japanese versions of the album, along with the 2016 single-disc vinyl edition, include a cover of "Blue" by Joni Mitchell as a bonus track. These editions also do not include the hidden track appearing after "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy".

Personnel

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  • Sarah McLachlan – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, piano
  • Bill Dillon – acoustic and electric guitars, guitorgan, bass guitar, piano
  • Michel Dubeau – saxophone
  • Kharen Hill – photography
  • David Kershaw – Hammond organ
  • Pierre Marchand – bass guitar, piano, keyboards, fake Hammond B-3 organ, drum machine, percussion machine, Roland 808, shaker, found sound
  • Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion
  • Brian Minato – bass guitar
  • Guy Nadon – drums
  • Jane Scarpantoni – cello
  • Lou Shefano – drums
  • Ashwin Sood – drums, percussion

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] 5× Platinum 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Canada 22 October 1993 Nettwerk CD W2-30081
United States 15 February 1994 Arista Records CD 07822-18725-2
Japan 24 May 1994 BMG Japan CD BVCA-638
Australia 14 August 1994 Arista Records CD 07822-18725-2

References

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  1. ↑ "Ask Billboard – FUMBLING TOWARDS SALES". Billboard. November 19, 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Sarah McLachlan celebrates 30 years of 'Fumbling' with new tour: 'I still pinch myself'". USA Today. December 11, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Leahey, Andrew. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan". AllMusic. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Kening, Dan (April 14, 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Arista)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Bock, David (February 18–25, 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Entertainment Weekly. No. 210–211. p. 114.
  6. ↑ Sweeney, Oliver (November 16, 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Arista)". Hot Press. Vol. 18, no. 22. Archived from the original on May 18, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ Cromelin, Richard (March 13, 1994). "Fumbling Towards Excitement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ Nelson, Ivy (November 5, 2017). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ Gilstrap, Andrew (August 10, 2008). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstacy [sic]". PopMatters. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Gardner, Elysa (June 16, 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Skanse, Richard (2004). "Sarah McLachlan". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 531. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (October 28, 2003). "Review: Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 100. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  14. ↑ Tolentino, Jia; et al. (September 28, 2022). "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Vital Pop: 50 Essential Pop Albums". Slant Magazine. June 30, 2003. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Sarah McLachlan ARIA Chart history (complete to 2024)". ARIA. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  17. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 2304". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. November 27, 1993. p. 90. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Sarah McLachlan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "Sarah McLachlan Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  22. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  24. ↑ "1997: The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. December 27, 1997. p. 70. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  25. ↑ "1998: The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. December 26, 1998. p. 82. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Music Canada. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  27. ↑ "American album certifications – Sarah Mc Lachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
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