Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars

Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, released on August 9, 1988, by Geffen Records. The album went 2× platinum in the United States.

Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars
Studio album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Released	August 9, 1988
Studio	Rockfield Studios (Rockfield, Wales)
Genre	Alternative rock, jangle pop, folk rock
Length	48:22
Label	Geffen
Producer	Pat Moran
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians chronology
Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars (1988) Ghost of a Dog (1990)

"What I Am" was the lead single and big hit from the album, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1] The follow-up single, "Circle", was about strained relationships.^[2] 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 Mainstream Rock chart, reaching #32.^[1][3] Cash Box 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."^[4] Another song from the album, "Little Miss S." was inspired by Edie Sedgwick and reached #38 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #14 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[1][2]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Q	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
The Village Voice	B−[7]

"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."^[8]

Track listing

Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"What I Am"	Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow	4:54
2.	"Little Miss S."	Brickell, Withrow, Brad Houser, Brandon Aly, John Bush	3:37
3.	"Air of December"	Brickell, Withrow, Houser, Aly, Bush	5:54
4.	"The Wheel"	Brickell, Withrow, Houser, Aly, Bush	3:53
5.	"Love Like We Do"	Brickell	3:13
6.	"Circle"	Brickell, Withrow	3:11
7.	"Beat the Time"	Brickell, Withrow	2:58
8.	"She"	Brickell, Withrow	5:06
9.	"Nothing"	Brickell, Withrow, Houser, Aly, Bush	4:49
10.	"Now"	Brickell, Withrow, Houser, Aly, Bush	6:00
11.	"Keep Coming Back"	Brickell	2:42
12.	"I Do" (Hidden track)	Brickell	2:00

Personnel

The New Bohemians

• Edie Brickell – vocals
• Kenny Withrow – guitars
• Brad Houser – bass
• Brandon Aly – drums
• John Bush – percussion

with

• Paul "Wix" Wickens – keyboards
• Robbie Blunt – guitars
• Chris Whitten – drums
• John Henry – backing vocals

Both Chris Whitten and Paul "Wix" Wickens were/are members of Paul McCartney's band; Whitten from 1989 to 1990 and Wickens from 1989–present.

Production

• Pat Moran – producer, engineer
• George Marino – 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.^[9]
• 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 Chart Position Australian Albums Chart[10] 31 Austrian Albums Chart[11] 12 Dutch Mega Albums Chart[12] 33 German Media Control Albums Chart[13] 29 Italian Albums Chart[14] 5 New Zealand Albums Chart[15] 10 UK Albums Chart[16] 25 United States Billboard 200[17] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Australian Albums Chart[18] 81 Canadian Albums Chart[19] 26 Italian Albums Chart[14] 16 U.S. Billboard 200[20] 18 Certifications Region Certification United States (RIAA)[21] 2× Platinum