Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

I don't care what anyone says about the commericial success of Surfacing relative to this album. Surfacing is really good, there is hardly a quible with it but it is more accessible to the masses. This album though, it's raw and it's painful and she just takes risks she wouldn't take later. That happenes with a lot of artists, I often find the album prior to their greatest success is the one that is really magificient.

The lyrics and music are timeless. Her voice is haunting. I’m a Pink Floyd fan and Alternative music lover, and this is one of the greatest albums ever!

This cd is an all-time classic for me. It introduced me to the amazingly, talented voice that is Sarah McLachlan. Take a moment to listen to these songs, they will not disappoint.

If I was stuck on an island and could only bring 3 albums with me, this would be one of them.

I think it's kinda disappointing that McLaughlin has become so attached to that commercial that people overlook what a breathlessly amazing vocalist she is. Also, as evidenced by this album, a very interesting songwriter. "Plenty" gives me chills. Check out the Remixed album as well!

Fantastic display of an amazing talent. I will never tire of this, and I've had it for over close to 20 years. She is truly mesmerizing.

This was/is probably one of the best albums ever produced. I had not heard of Sarah before this and afterwards I eagerly waited for her to match or better it. But that was greedy of me. You cannot better something like this. It was and will remain a perfect piece of art.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is one of my favorite (5 Stars for certain) albums, but this iTunes version has a bad track on it (thus the 3 Star rating). Track 13, "Blue" is actually another version of "Possession" and not "Blue." To hear the actual "Blue" track check out Sarah's "Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff." The "Blue" track on that album is a beautiful, mesmerizing, melancholy song. If you want this album, pay the extra and get the iTunes Legacy version of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, or at least be prepared that Track 13, "Blue" on this album is not what you are told it is.

I don't usually go through the trouble of writing reviews, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't show my love for this album, even in a simple way like this. I really love dark, introspective albums, and this is precisely that. This is an album born of true emotion. Ms. McLachlan explores different issues we all have to deal with about ourselves and she flawlessly expresses the effort we all have to make in order to be at peace with ourselves and find comfort. Some of the songs, like "Elsewhere", made me think: "Yes! This is exactly how I feel!" and others, like the title track, made me almost uncomfortable because they describe how Ms. McLachlan overcame a problem that I still have. Also, forget any of the common preconceptions that people sometimes have about Sarah McLachlan: This album is not melodramatic and it is not cheesey. Some of Sarah McLachlan's more recent work has lost it's edge, but this album is beautifully edgy and relevent. For instance, the song "Possession" has an indescribable, other-worldly energy to it, and it is written from the point of view of an obsessed stalker. "Plenty" and "Fear" also have an amazing, quickly-moving energy that pulses through them, even though niether of the songs are particularly high-tempo. Other songs like "Good Enough" and "Mary" have a pleasantly relaxing feel to them, even though the depth of the lyrics remains constant. This album has taken over my life since I bought it for my birthday in October, and there is no higher recommendation an album could receive from me. I'm continually blown away by it with every listen.

I actually fell under Sarah's spell in 1996 with her album "Surfacing" and found "Fumbling Towards Ecstacy" soon after, Funny because it was her previous album, I bought it and the rest is history, as they say. I was up late one night listening to this album and did something I wish you could do if you had the album in your hands. I read the lyrics Sarah wrote in the liner booklet, and I did it without the music on. It is brilliant work songwriting but combine her magical voice with them and it is perfection. My absolute fave on this album is "Fumbling.."But as one reviewer said there are NO MISSES on this album. They will be teaching in music classes years after we are all worm food about Sarah McLachlan's contributions to music.