Excerpts From a Love Circus

In control of yourself or so it seems and you go backwards… habit… and give your control to someone else cause you LOVE THEM SO MUCH… ha ha… of course they dump you heartlessly.

Following the harrowing vulnerability of Geek the Girl, Lisa Germano’s follow-up was the decidedly more welcoming Excerpts from a Love Circus, released by 4AD on September 9, 1996.

Like its title suggests, Love Circus is a collection of vignettes about the emotional wreckage of romantic relationships—the masochism, the bad habits, the bitter humor, and the tentative hopefulness that arrives afterward. It deepened Germano’s reputation for emotionally complex, genre-defying songwriting and her gift for deadpan sarcasm. The album introduced a dreamier and more playful sonic palette, though the sorrow and surrealism remained very much intact.

True to its name, the album has a carnival-like quality: rich in texture, with whispered vocals, toy piano, layered violin, tablas, recorders, and field recordings. Dorothy and Miamo-Tutti, Germano’s two cats, contribute meows and purrs across three interludes, and are deservedly credited as performers.

Excerpts From a Love Circus is an album that exists in its own strange, intimate universe — and is quintessentially a Lisa Germano record from start to finish.

Background

By 1995, Germano was working on new material alongside her longtime collaborator Paul Mahern, tracking at her Bloomington home and at Echo Park Studio with a core group of local musicians. In an October 1995 interview with the Bloomington Voice, she described the album as a conscious pivot from the interior despair of Geek the Girl: “This one isn’t really sad; it’s more like the person writing it is a stronger person. Instead of a really weak person, the person writing it is a little more on the outside looking at what happened or remembering something. It’s mostly about relationships instead of about inner turmoil.”

She had already settled on the album’s title, “The Love Circus,” as early as May 1995, though she briefly worried about a naming conflict with a Lenny Kravitz release. The final title, Excerpts From a Love Circus, retained the circus metaphor while carving its own distinct identity.

An early rough version of the album was submitted to 4AD, who responded encouragingly but pushed for a slightly more expansive sound. “When Paul and I first turned in kind of a rough version of what we were doing, 4AD liked it,” Germano told the Bloomington Voice, “and they could tell the songs were saying something different, but they said it sounded a little too much like Geek the Girl. Not too much like ‘we won’t put it out,’ but like ‘it would be cool if you could stretch a little further for your own sake so you don’t keep putting out the same record.'” The result was a more layered and varied sonic approach, partly achieved by giving Mahern greater creative latitude—something Germano acknowledged she had resisted on previous records.

Around the same period, 4AD label head Ivo Watts-Russell had approached the label’s artists with an idea to each collaborate with another act on a three-song EP, to be released as a monthly series. Germano was paired with the members of Giant Sand. Though the label ultimately scrapped the series concept, Germano and Giant Sand enjoyed their sessions enough to continue, recording a full album under the name OP8 in less than a week. The resulting record, Slush, was released on Thirsty Ear Recordings in February 1997—and stands as one of the more remarkable parallel projects of Germano’s 4AD years.

Themes

Excerpts From a Love Circus is a relationship album, but not a straightforward one. Where Geek the Girl descended into the self, this album looks outward—at the dynamics of love gone wrong, the pull of bad habits, and the slow work of getting out from under them. As Germano put it in 1995: “Geek the Girl was so, deep-down, this person is really fucked up. This next record is like, I’m not fucked up anymore, but look at the stupid things you still do, and you still have to change.”

That tension between self-awareness and self-sabotage plays out across the album’s twelve tracks. “Baby on the Plane” opens with an ominous warmth—woozy keyboards, submerged percussion—before hinting at the emotional turbulence ahead. “A Beautiful Schizophrenic” captures the duality of a bad relationship in a single lyric: “I know you like my bad side / I love you like my good side.” “Bruises” meditates on the aftermath, its repeated refrain—”bruises, bruises, bruises”—functioning as both wound and earworm. “I Love a Snot,” one of the album’s most distinctive tracks, turns self-deprecating love into something almost catchy, driven by toy piano and tablas. “We Suck” is perhaps the most candidly titled account of a failing relationship in Germano’s catalog.

Humor is central to the album’s character—Germano’s particular brand of it, wry and rueful. “Victoria’s Secret” literalizes the lingerie company’s marketing mystique: “She says ‘You are ugly / I am pretty / Your man wishes / You looked like me.'” The song is funny and devastating in equal measure.

The album also moves toward something more provisional and open—what AllMusic’s Heather Phares called “a gentle, hopeful note.” The closing trio of “Singing to the Birds,” “Messages From Sophia,” and “Big Big World” suggests that losing love isn’t fatal, as long as you haven’t lost yourself in the process. This emotional arc, from the chaotic middle of a relationship to the tentative clearing on the other side, distinguishes Love Circus from the more claustrophobic territory of Geek the Girl.

Three tracks on the album contain embedded interludes from Germano’s cats, Dorothy and Miamo-Tutti. Despite what the packaging suggests, their placement doesn’t align with the track numbers listed: “Where’s Miamo-Tutti?” opens the first seventeen seconds of track 3 (“Bruises”), “Just a Bad Dream” begins at the 4:19 mark of track 6 (“Victoria’s Secret”), and “There’s More Kitties in the World Than Just Miamo-Tutti” closes out track 11 (“Messages From Sophia”). These aren’t mere novelty—they ground the album’s domestic, intimate world, providing texture and a kind of feline punctuation to the human drama surrounding them.

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No.	Title	Length
1	Baby on the Plane	3:58
2	A Beautiful Schizophrenic / “Where’s Miamo-Tutti?” by Dorothy	4:53
3	Bruises	4:21
4	I Love a Snot	4:10
5	Forget It, It’s a Mystery	3:24
6	Victoria’s Secret / “Just a Bad Dream” by Miamo-Tutti	5:31
7	Small Heads	4:02
8	We Suck	4:05
9	Lovesick	3:32
10	Singing to the Birds	4:25
11	Messages From Sophia / “There’s More Kitties in the World Than Just Miamo-Tutti” by Lisa and Dorothy	4:56
12	Big Big World	4:38

The bulk of Excerpts From a Love Circus was recorded and mixed at Echo Park Studio in Bloomington, Indiana, and at Germano’s home, with Paul Mahern co-producing alongside Germano. The Bloomington sessions drew on a cohort of local and Midwest musicians: drummer Kenny Aronoff (a longtime Mellencamp collaborator), Glenn Hicks and John Hicks (of the Bloomington band El Niño), and others. The home recording element gave the album its characteristic intimacy, with a lived-in quality that felt less controlled than a conventional studio setting.

The one exception is “Victoria’s Secret,” which was produced separately by Bill Bottrell at Toad Hall Studio in Pasadena, California. Bottrell—best known for his work with Michael Jackson and Sheryl Crow—brought a slightly lusher, more polished production to the track, which stands somewhat apart from the rest of the album’s handmade aesthetic. Bottrell is also credited as a performer.

The album was mastered by Greg Calbi at Masterdisk in New York. Assistant engineering on “Victoria’s Secret” was handled by Mark Cross. Art direction and design were by Paul McMenamin; photography by Matthew Welch; and portrait photography by Michael Wilson.

Earlier Versions

A PolyGram Music Publishing cassette labeled “Singing to the Birds,” the working title Germano appears to have been using for the album at that stage, documents the Love Circus sessions in an earlier, pre-production form. A second cassette, labeled “’95 Demos,” contributes three additional tracks to the digitized sequence, bringing the full running order to fourteen tracks.

These kinds of working cassettes, sometimes called “roughs,” were standard tools in the album production process during the 1980s and ’90s, used by artists, producers, and label representatives to assess song sequences, evaluate pacing, and make creative decisions before committing to final studio production.

The sequence reveals several meaningful departures from the finished album. “Love Song” is an early title for what would become “Baby on the Plane,” with a longer intro and additional lyrics in which Germano repeats “singing to the birds” during breaks between verses. “Superman Superwoman” is the original title for “Small Heads”—an entirely different arrangement with significant lyrical changes, its chorus built around the line “It’s a lonely life / what a lonely life / It’s a lonely life… superman.” “Turning Into Betty,” meanwhile, is an early version of a song that wouldn’t appear on Love Circus at all; it eventually resurfaced on Slide (1998), though this version is considerably softer and more haunting, with a lullaby-like quality and a sinister contrasting electric guitar that gives it a distinct character.

“Fun, Fun for Everyone (unfinished),” which would later appear in acoustic form as a bonus track on the 1999 reissue, shows up here in a considerably different state, with pronounced percussion and Germano repeating “He loves me…” after each chorus. “I Love a Snot (unfinished)” features what sounds like clarinet and horns woven into the arrangement alongside a vocal take that differs noticeably from the final release. Other tracks—”A Beautiful Schizophrenic,” “Bruises,” “Forget It, It’s a Mystery,” “We Suck,” “Singing to the Birds,” “Messages From Sophia,” and “Lovesick”—are largely similar to their album counterparts, with subtle differences in echo, keyboard presence, and percussion that reflect the pre-mastering stage of production.

No.	Title	Notes	Length
1	Love Song	Early version of “Baby on the Plane”; longer intro, different lyrics	3:31
2	Fun, Fun for Everyone (unfinished)	Early/alternate version; lyrical changes	3:28
3	A Beautiful Schizophrenic	Very similar to final version	4:44
4	Turning Into Betty (demo)	Early/alternate version; eventually released on Slide	3:05
5	Superman Superwoman	Early version of “Small Heads”; different arrangement; lyrical changes	4:19
6	Bruises	Very similar to final version	3:59
7	I Love a Snot (unfinished)	Early/alternate version; arrangement variations	3:41
8	Forget It, It’s a Mystery	Very similar to final version	3:18
9	We Suck	Very similar to final version	4:00
10	Singing to the Birds	Very similar to final version	4:13
11	Messages from Sophia	Very similar to final version	3:50
12	Lovesick (demo)	Part of the ’95 Demos cassette	3:22
13	Fun, Fun for Everyone (demo)	Part of the ’95 Demos cassette	3:10
14	Tom, Dick, Harry (demo)	Part of the ’95 Demos cassette	4:41

Additional Versions

Excerpts From a Love Circus is the second album of Lisa’s that received a vinyl release. 4AD released the LP exclusively in the U.K., which featured its own distinct packaging. This version is long out-of-print and fetches higher prices on marketplace sites like Discogs.

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Excerpts From a Love Circus was reissued in 1999 and included the b-sided from the Small Heads single.

	Label	Format	Catalog No.	Country	Year
	4AD	CD Digipak	CAD 6012 CD	UK	1996
	Labels / 4AD	CD	7243 8 41965 2 3	France	1996
	4AD	CD	9 46217-2	US	1996
	4AD	LP	CAD 6012	UK	1996
	4AD	CD	CAD 6012 CD	Canada	1996
	Rough Trade 4AD	CD Digipak	CAD 6012 CD RTD 120.2037.2	Germany	1996
	Rough Trade 4AD	CD	RTD 120.2037.2	Germany	1996
	4AD	LP White Label	CAD 6012	UK	1996
	4AD	CD	CAD 6012 CD	Benelux	1996
	Labels / 4AD	CD Promo	CD REPS 74	France	1996
	4AD	CD Digipak	CAD 6012 CD	Italy	1994
	4AD	Cassette Promo	None	US	1996
	4AD	CD Club Edition	9 46217-2	US	1996
	Everlasting 4AD	CD	CAD 6012 CD	Spain	1996
	4AD	CD Digipak	CAD 6012 CD	Scandinavia	1996
	4AD	CD ARC Pressing	9 46217-2	US	1996
	Magic Stone 4AD	CD Digipak	MED-133 CAD 6012 CD	Taiwan	1996
	4AD	CD Reissue	GAD 6012 CD	US	1999
	4AD	CD Reissue	GAD 6012 CD	UK	1999

Packaging & Design

Excerpts From a Love Circus was one of Germano’s most widely distributed albums, receiving pressings across multiple countries. In the U.S., the CD was issued in a standard jewel case; internationally, digipak versions were also produced, particularly for the UK, European, and Scandinavian markets. A white label LP was pressed exclusively for the UK, making it the second Germano album to receive a vinyl release—a format that remained rare for her catalog until recent years.

The album art, designed by Paul McMenamin, features photography by Matthew Welch and a portrait by Michael Wilson. The overall visual aesthetic reflects the album’s tone: intimate, slightly whimsical, with an undercurrent of unease.

In 1999, 4AD reissued Excerpts From a Love Circus with three bonus tracks drawn from the Small Heads EP: an acoustic version of “Fun, Fun for Everyone,” “Tom, Dick and Harry,” and an instrumental version of “Messages From Sophia.” The packaging was reprinted on a glossier paper stock, and the disc face, spine, and back cover were updated to reflect the new tracks. A hype sticker was applied. The original album art remained otherwise unchanged.

Personnel

Produced by Paul Mahern and Lisa Germano, except “Victoria’s Secret,” produced by Bill Bottrell

Musicians: Kenny Aronoff, Bill Bottrell, Dane Clark, Dorothy, Lisa Germano, Emily Goethals, Glenn Hicks, John Hicks, Demian Hostetter, Mark Maher, Paul Mahern, Miamo-Tutti, Allana Redecki, Craig Ross, Josh Silbert, Jake Smith, John Strohm, Thor Harris, Wyndham Wallace

(Individual instrument credits were not listed in the album’s original packaging.)

Recorded and mixed at Echo Park Studio, Bloomington, Indiana, and at Lisa Germano’s home. “Victoria’s Secret” recorded at Toad Hall Studio, Pasadena, California.

Assistant engineering: Mark Cross (“Victoria’s Secret”)

Mastered by: Greg Calbi at Masterdisk

Art direction & design: Paul McMenamin
Photography: Matthew Welch
Portrait: Michael Wilson
Management: Tommy Manzi

All songs written by Lisa Germano.
Published by Songs of PolyGram International, Inc., Door Number One Music, Emotional Wench Music (BMI)

Critical Reception

Excerpts From a Love Circus was received warmly upon release and is now recognized as one of Germano’s strongest 4AD-era records. Critics appreciated its relative accessibility compared to the more harrowing Geek the Girl, while noting that it didn’t sacrifice the strangeness or emotional honesty that defined her work.

“Germano makes music so beautifully tragic and depressing that it seems nearly fatal.”

Lorraine Ali
Rolling Stones (September 1996)

“Lisa Germano’s songs on “Excerpts From a Love Circus” (4AD/Warner Brothers) seem to come from some drafty, echoey place, a sickroom or a haunted attic filled with quiet, tinkly instruments and, as one song puts it, “bruises, bruises, bruises, bruises.” In waltzes and slow three-chord rock, like old pop tunes remembered through a depressive haze, Ms. Germano whisper-sings about pathological love. Obsession mingles with self-hatred; oblivious, smarmy boyfriends take advantage of her again and again. Eventually, the singer declares, “You could learn to love yourself,” but she doesn’t sound entirely convinced. Yet “Excerpts From a Love Circus” is Ms. Germano’s fourth album of similar reveries; clearly, she has some survival instincts the songs don’t reveal.”

Jon Pareles
New York Times (October 1996)

“After the wrenching but rewarding Geek the Girl, Lisa Germano widens her focus and brightens her outlook on Excerpts From a Love Circus. Of course, Love Circus is a Lisa Germano album, but it’s a slightly lighter take on her vulnerable, folky dream-pop: only she could make the refrain “Bruises, bruises, bruises” equally catchy and disturbing… It’s not quite as gripping as some of her other albums, but Excerpts From a Love Circus is still a genuine, thoughtful album and a welcome addition to Germano’s body of work.”

Heather Phares
AllMusic

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