Last Splash

Last Splash is the second album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on August 30, 1993. Originally formed as a side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal, the Breeders quickly became her primary recording outlet. Last Splash peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and by June 1994, the album had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of one million units.

Last Splash
Studio album by the Breeders
Released	August 30, 1993
Recorded	1990–93
Studio	Coast Recorders, North Hollywood Brilliant Studios, San Francisco Refraze Recording Studio, Dayton
Genre	Alternative rock[1] experimental indie rock noise pop pop rock surf rock[2] grunge[2]
Length	39:38
Label	4AD/Elektra Records
Producer	Kim Deal Mark Freegard
The Breeders chronology
Safari (1992) Last Splash (1993) Head to Toe (1994)
Singles from Last Splash
"Cannonball" Released: August 9, 1993 "Divine Hammer" Released: October 25, 1993 "Saints" Released: 1994 "No Aloha" Released: 1994

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	86/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Blender	[5]
Chicago Tribune	[6]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[7]
NME	6/10[8]
Pitchfork	9.0/10[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]
Spin	9/10[12]
The Village Voice	A−[13]

The title of the album is taken from a line in the lyric of its lead single, "Cannonball". The video for "Cannonball" was directed by Spike Jonze and Kim Gordon, and the video for the album's second single "Divine Hammer" was directed by Jonze, Gordon and Richard Kern.

A looped guitar sample of "S.O.S." was used by the English electronic music band the Prodigy in their 1996 hit single "Firestarter". A sample from "I Just Wanna Get Along" was used in another track by the Prodigy called "World's on Fire" from the Invaders Must Die album.

In 2003, Pitchfork listed the album at number 64 on their list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.^[14] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 293 in their revised list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (after not including it in the original 2003 list or the 2012 revision).^[15]

On May 13, 2013, 4AD released LSXX, a deluxe 20th anniversary version of the album,^[16] and on September 22, 2023, 4AD released Last Splash (30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition),^[17] with additional tracks "Go Man Go" and "Divine Mascis".

Composition

Last Splash has been categorized as alternative rock,^[9] as well as indie rock,^[18] noise pop^[6][9] and "effervescent" pop rock.^[12]

It is also considered "wildly", "willingly" experimental,^[14][19] sporting art rock textures, "pure", "twisted" pop, and Hawaiian surf music.^[20][21] The latter genre is seen in the "tiki bar twang" of "No Aloha" and the "gonzo" surf rock of instrumental "Flipside".^[20][22] "I Just Wanna Get Along" takes on "spiky" pop-punk,^[4] while cover "Drivin' on 9" pulls in acoustic and country sounds.^[12][22]

Legacy and impact

Dubbed one of the "most enduring masterpieces" of alternative rock,^[9] Last Splash has been praised for "perfectly encapsulat[ing] all that was great and wonderful" about the genre's explosion in that era.^[23] Nashville Scene's Sean L. Maloney saw Splash both "[distill] the zeitgeist into perfect alt-pop nuggets", but also serve as "the last gasp of alternative music as an actual alternative to the mainstream".^[24] The Quietus' Emily Mackay considered it "a key album" for the genre's mainstream crossover.^[8]

In a retrospective review of it 20 years on, Stereogum's Tom Breihan called it "a warm, homemade, deeply and consciously odd" record.^[18]

Accolades

Critical rankings for Last Splash

Publication	Country	Type	List	Year	Rank	Ref.
Pitchfork	United States	Decade-end	Top 100 Favorite Records of the 1990s	2003	64	[14]
Slant Magazine			The 50 Best Rock Albums of the '90s	2021	46	[25]
Spin			The 90 Greatest Albums Of The '90s		39	[26]
Treble			91 Essential Alternative Rock Albums of the '90s	2023	--	[27]
Stylus Magazine		All-time	Top 101-200 Albums of All time	2004	162	[28]
Rolling Stone			Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time	2012	49	[29]
			The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	2020	293	[15]
NME	United Kingdom		The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	2013	200	[30]
NPR Music	United States		The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women	2017	144	[31]
Paste			The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time	2024	122	[32]
"--" indicates an unordered list.

Track listing

Original 1993 release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"New Year"		1:56
2.	"Cannonball"		3:33
3.	"Invisible Man"		2:48
4.	"No Aloha"		2:07
5.	"Roi"		4:11
6.	"Do You Love Me Now?"	Kim Deal Kelley Deal	3:01
7.	"Flipside"		1:59
8.	"I Just Wanna Get Along"	Kim Deal Kelley Deal	1:44
9.	"Mad Lucas"		4:36
10.	"Divine Hammer"		2:41
11.	"S.O.S."		1:31
12.	"Hag"		2:55
13.	"Saints"		2:32
14.	"Drivin' on 9"	Dom Leone Steve Hickoff	3:22
15.	"Roi (Reprise)"		0:42

All tracks are written by Kim Deal, except where noted.

LSXX track listing

There are two versions of LSXX: a 3-CD package and a 7-disc vinyl set.^[33] The CD and vinyl formats have the same track listings.

The vinyl set contains the following vinyl:

1. Last Splash
2. "The Stockholm Syndrome" (partially previously released as Live in Stockholm 1994)
3. Demos, rare tracks & session versions
4. Safari EP
5. Cannonball EP
6. Divine Hammer
7. Head to Toe EP

The track listing below is for the 3-CD set. All songs are by Kim Deal except where noted.

Disc 1 – Last Splash

The first disc contains the original release track listing.

Disc 2 – Singles, B-Sides, and Demos

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Do You Love Me Now?" (previously released on "Safari" EP)	Kim Deal, Kelley Deal
2.	"Don't Call Home" (previously released on "Safari" EP)	Kim Deal, John Murphy
3.	"Safari" (previously released on "Safari" EP)
4.	"So Sad About Us" (previously released on "Safari" EP)	Pete Townshend
5.	"Cro-Aloha" (previously released on the "Cannonball" single)
6.	"Lord of the Thighs" (previously released on the "Cannonball" single)	Steven Tyler
7.	"900" (previously released on the "Cannonball" single)	Josephine Wiggs
8.	"Divine Hammer (Single Version)" (previously released on the "Divine Hammer" single)
9.	"Hoverin'" (previously released on the "Divine Hammer" single)	Kim Deal, John Murphy
10.	"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" (previously released on the "Divine Hammer" single)	Hank Williams
11.	"Do You Love Me Now Jr?" (previously released on the "Divine Hammer" single)	Kim Deal, Kelley Deal
12.	"Head to Toe" (previously released on the "Head to Toe" EP)	Josephine Wiggs
13.	"Shocker in Gloomtown" (previously released on the "Head to Toe" EP)	Robert Pollard
14.	"Freed Pig" (Sebadoh cover previously released on the "Head to Toe" EP)	Lou Barlow
15.	"Saints (Head to Toe Version)" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)
16.	"New Year" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)		2:04
17.	"Grunggae" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)		2:34
18.	"Invisible Man" (Last Splash demo, previously released on the "13 Year Itch" 4AD compilation CD)		2:44
19.	"No Aloha" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)		2:34
20.	"I Just Wanna Get Along" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)	Kim Deal, Kelley Deal	1:41
21.	"Mad Lucas" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)		2:29
22.	"S.O.S." (Last Splash demo, November 1992)		1:37
23.	"Saints" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)		2:10
24.	"900" (Last Splash demo, November 1992)	Josephine Wiggs	3:15
25.	"Iris (Live Version)" (previously released on the No Alternative compilation)		3:44

Disc 3 – Live in Stockholm & BBC Sessions

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Shocker in Gloomtown" (Live in Stockholm)	Robert Pollard	2:20
2.	"New Year" (Live in Stockholm)		2:05
3.	"Hellbound" (Live in Stockholm)		2:24
4.	"Saints" (Live in Stockholm)		2:31
5.	"Hag" (Live in Stockholm)		3:44
6.	"I Just Wanna Get Along" (Live in Stockholm)	Kim Deal, Kelley Deal	1:52
7.	"S.O.S." (Live in Stockholm)		1:44
8.	"Roi" (Live in Stockholm)		2:35
9.	"Head to Toe" (Live in Stockholm)	Josephine Wiggs	2:18
10.	"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" (Live in Stockholm)	John Lennon, Paul McCartney	2:28
11.	"Cannonball" (Live in Stockholm)		3:49
12.	"Invisible Man" (Live in Stockholm)		2:50
13.	"Doe" (Live in Stockholm)	Kim Deal, Ray Halliday	2:39
14.	"Drivin' on 9" (Live in Stockholm)	Dom Leone, Steve Hickoff	3:55
15.	"Don't Call Home" (Live in Stockholm)	Kim Deal, John Murphy	3:20
16.	"Limehouse" (Live in Stockholm)		1:52
17.	"No Aloha" (BBC Session)		2:26
18.	"Flipside" (BBC Session)		1:58
19.	"Divine Hammer" (BBC Session)		2:36
20.	"Hag" (BBC Session)		2:33

Personnel

The Kenmore sewing machine from Kelley Deal's unusual performance credit (on "S.O.S."). On display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Breeders

• Kim Deal – lead vocals, guitar, Moog, Casiotone
• Kelley Deal – guitar, Kenmore 12-stitch, lap steel, mandolin, vocals, lead vocals on "I Just Wanna Get Along"
• Jim MacPherson – drums, bass on "Roi"
• Josephine Wiggs – bass guitar, double bass, vocals, cello, drums on "Roi"
• Tanya Donelly – vocals and guitar on Safari EP tracks

Artwork

• Jason Love – photography
• Paul MoMenamin – design assistant
• Vaughan Oliver – art direction, design
• Kevin Westenberg – portraits

Additional musicians

• Carrie Bradley – violin, additional vocals

Production

• Kim Deal – producer
• Mark Freegard – production, engineering
• Sean Leonard – assistant engineering
• Daniel Presley – engineering on "Divine Hammer"
• Andy Taub – assistant engineering

Chart positions

Chart (1993) Peak position Australian ARIA Albums Chart[34] 22 Canadian Albums Chart[35] 44 Dutch Top 100[36] 41 German Albums Chart[37] 68 Swedish Albums Chart[38] 43 UK Albums Chart[39] 5 US Billboard 200[40] 33 Chart (1994) Peak position New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart[41] 11 Singles Year Single Peak positions US Main [40] US Main Rock [40] US Mod Rock [40] AUS [42] FR [43] NLD [36] UK [39] 1993 "Cannonball" 44 32 2 58 8 35 40 "Divine Hammer" — — 28 — — — 59 1994 "Saints" — — 12 — — — — "—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Australia (ARIA)[42] Gold 35,000^ Canada (Music Canada)[44] Gold 50,000^ France (SNEP)[45] Gold 100,000* United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Silver 60,000^ United States (RIAA)[47] Platinum 1,000,000^ * Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.