THE YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS It's Low Beat Time 1993

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Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

 

Unsung heroes of the Seattle rock community, the witty, rough-edged pop unit Young Fresh Fellows formed in 1982. Originally comprised of vocalist/bassist Scott McCaughey, guitarist Chuck Carroll, and drummer Tad Hutchison, the group debuted in 1984 with The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest, an understated pop nugget featuring whimsical numbers including "Teenage Dogs in Trouble," "Power Mowers Theme," and "Rock and Roll Pest Control."

After recruiting bassist Jim Sangster to allow frontman McCaughey to switch over to the guitar, the Fellows returned to the studio for 1986's Topsy Turvy, spotlighting the adolescent hijinks of tracks like "You've Got Your Head on Backwards," "Hang Out Right," and "The New John Agar." The following year's The Men Who Loved Music (aka "Chicago 19") and the follow-up Refreshments EP solidified the band's cult following, which included among its ranks a number of other members of the indie music scene; the Replacements' Paul Westerberg considered the Fellows kindred spirits, and the two groups often toured in tandem.

After 1988's Totally Lost, Carroll left the group. In the wake of his departure, the remaining three Young Fresh Fellows issued an authorized bootleg titled Beans and Tolerance (aka "Simply Wonderful, Wonderfully Simple") before enlisting Fastbacks kingpin Kurt Bloch for 1989's rootsy This One's for the Ladies, issued concurrently with McCaughey's solo side project My Chartreuse Opinion.

With producer Butch Vig in tow, the Young Fresh Fellows returned in 1991 with Electric Bird Digest, while a team approach was employed for 1993's then-swan song It's Low Beat Time (including Vig, Conrad Uno, Memphis R&B legend Willie Mitchell, and Seattle garage-rock veteran Kearney Barton). In the wake of the Fellows' hiatus, McCaughey formed a new band, the Minus 5, an ever-changing aggregate of Seattle area all-stars; additionally, he toured as a sideman with his pals in R.E.M. But the Young Fresh Fellows still had some life in them after all, and a "comeback" album, Because We Hate You, appeared in 2001, followed eight years later by the Robyn Hitchcock-produced I Think This Is from Yep Roc. During the 2010s, the band continued to play a handful of shows most years, and also recorded their 13th long player, Tiempo de Lujo, for release in 2012.

Tracklist  

1	Low Beat Jingle
2	Right Here
3	Snow White
4	Mr. Anthony's Last
5	Whatever You Are
6	Two Headed Fight
7	A Minor Bird
8	Faultless
9	The Crafty Clerk
10	Low Beat
11	Love Is A Beautiful Thing
12	She Sees Color
13	Monkey Say
14	99 Girls
15	She Won't Budge
16	Green Green