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In keeping with the quality of their magical, laconic music, the success of Mazzy Star's second album, So Tonight That I Might See seemingly came out of nowhere. Eventually going platinum, the record's unexpected climb to commercial prominence began on the back of the surprise success of its second single, the dreamily atmospheric "Fade Into You," which rose into the Billboard Top 50 seven months after its parent album first hit the racks in October 1993. Gloriously out of step with the zeitgeist, the introspective So Tonight That I Might See bore scant relation to the grungy guitar records dominating the alt-rock scene. Indeed, "Fade Into You" ironically began its steady ascent up the Billboard chart while the world mourned the death of Kurt Cobain.
The product of ad hoc studio sessions, So Tonight That I Might See made no attempt to hide its rough 'n' ready nature, with "She's My Baby" and the grinding, "Venus In Furs"-esque titular song sounding almost willfully loose. More often than not, however, the album nonchalantly sauntered towards genius, not least on the droning, acid-tinged "Mary Of Silence," the duo's skeletal, cello-enhanced cover of Arthur Lee's "Five String Serenade" and the strung-out blues-rock of the aptly-titled "Wasted."
The record initially sold modestly, despite attracting tuned-in critics such as Los Angeles Times' Steve Hochman, who enthusiastically proclaimed that it "may well be the best psychedelic blues album since Cream." However, just when observers were preparing to file it away as a slow-burning niche record, So Tonight That I Might See started its stealthy ascent up the Billboard chart, peaking at No. 36 and moving a million copies. Now available as a single LP on standard weight vinyl in celebration of Capitol Records' 75th anniversary.