Alanis (album)

Alanis is the debut studio album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada in April 1991 by MCA Records Canada. Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who also produced her second album Now Is the Time (1992), and it was certified platinum.

Background and recording

John Alexander, head of A&R for MCA Records Canada, first heard a demo tape from Morissette in 1983, when she was nine years old. He called it "very promising. Her voice was very strong, and it was remarkable that the tape included some original songs written by her at that age." However, he decided not to sign her to a record deal because "from an A&R standpoint, I said, 'What am I going to do with a nine-year-old?'" In 1987 Morissette met entertainment manager Stephan Klovan, and at the 1988 World Figure Skating Championships she recorded a well-received version of "O Canada" with two musicians, one of whom was Leslie Howe of the new wave/synthpop duo One to One. Klovan intended for Howe to work with Morissette so that she could audition on the television show Star Search, but eventually both he and Howe decided to try to secure a record contract for her.

Alanis Morissette

Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-Americanalternative rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Morissette began her career in Canada when she signed a two-album recording contract with MCA Records Canada where she released two commercially successful dance-pop albums, Alanis (1991) and Now Is the Time (1992). Following the release of the albums Morissette left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began working on new music, after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but did not make much progress until travelling to Los Angeles, where she met Glen Ballard.

Together the pair began creating what would become Jagged Little Pill, and by the spring of 1995, she had signed a deal with Maverick Records. Jagged Little Pill was a departure from Morissette's previous work and featured rock genres. Released in 1995 Jagged Little Pill was a huge success and sold more than 33 million units globally. Her following album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, was released in 1998.

Album

Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century, first as books of individual 78rpm records, then from 1948 as vinyl LP records played at 33 ¹⁄₃ rpm. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though in the 21st century albums sales have mostly focused on compact disc (CD) and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format used in the late 1970s through to the 1990s alongside vinyl.

An album may be recorded in a recording studio (fixed or mobile), in a concert venue, at home, in the field, or a mix of places. Recording may take a few hours to several years to complete, usually in several takes with different parts recorded separately, and then brought or "mixed" together. Recordings that are done in one take without overdubbing are termed "live", even when done in a studio. Studios are built to absorb sound, eliminating reverberation, so as to assist in mixing different takes; other locations, such as concert venues and some "live rooms", allow for reverberation, which creates a "live" sound. The majority of studio recordings contain an abundance of editing, sound effects, voice adjustments, etc. With modern recording technology, musicians can be recorded in separate rooms or at separate times while listening to the other parts using headphones; with each part recorded as a separate track.

Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album and international debut album by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, first released on June 13, 1995, through Maverick Records. The album was a huge success, topping the charts in ten countries, and has gone on to sell over 33 million units worldwide and ranked on numerous best-selling lists.

Morissette had released two successful albums in Canada, after which she left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began work her next album after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but did not make much progress until she travelled to Los Angeles, where she met Glen Ballard. Morissette and Ballard had an instant connection, and began co-wroting and experimenting with different sounds Jagged Little Pill. This resulted in an alternative rock album that took influence from post-grunge and pop rock, and featured guitars, keyboards, drum machines, and harmonica. The album's lyrics touched upon themes of aggression and broken relationships, while Ballard introduced a pop sensibility to Morissette's bitter angst.

You Oughta Know

"You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995) on July 7, 1995. After releasing two commercially successful studio albums through MCA Records Canada, Morissette left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began working on new music after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but did not make much progress until travelling to Los Angeles, where she met Glen Ballard. Alanis and Ballard co-wrote the song with the latter producing it, while musicians Flea and Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers played bass and guitar on the track.

The song was the first released track that saw Morissette's departure from bubblegum pop to the alternative rock sound she was later known for. Released to positive reviews from critics, the single managed to outperform the label's initial expectations. KROQ-FM, an influential Los Angeles modern rock radio station, began playing "You Oughta Know", leading to the single receiving commercial success, reaching the top ten in Australia and the United States, where it was a multiformat hit in several different genre charts, and making the top forty in Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.