THE HELLACOPTERS Supershitty To The Max! 1996

by request

 

Discogs

 

Artist Biography by Geoff Ginsberg

What the MC5 and Stooges were to the '60s, what Sonic's Rendezvous Band and Radio Birdman were to the '70s, and what the Celibate Rifles were to the '80s -- that's what Sweden's Hellacopters were to the '90s. Young, strapping, and rocking out to almost cartoon-like proportions, the Hellacopters have made quite a name for themselves in Europe and Australia. And a deal with Sub Pop had them targeting the States. The rock -- fast, extremely hard, and loud beyond reason -- has gotten the band noticed by several of their seminal influences, such as Scott Morgan, who has performed with them many times as well as collaborated on a single for the aforementioned Sub Pop label, and also the Dictators, with whom they have done several European tours.

Releases include 1998's Super Shitty to the Max! and its 1999 follow-up, Grande Rock. The Hellacopters also teamed with Gluecifer for a 1999 split release, Respect the Rock America. White Trash Soul appeared in early 2001, followed by the European release of High Visibility. That record wouldn't see American soil for a whole year (while it was a major-label release at home, it appeared on the independent Gearhead imprint in the States), while they garnered awards in their home country. Universal opted to release the band's next full-length set, 2002's By the Grace of God, on both sides of the ocean, while fans who were having trouble keeping up with their many singles and compilation tracks got relief with two odds-and-sods compilations, Cream of the Crap! and Cream of the Crap!, Vol. 2. Despite being filled with old-fashioned rock & roll, the band's 2005 release was titled Rock & Roll Is Dead. 

 

Tracklist 

1	(Gotta Get Some Action) Now!	3:16
2	24h Hell	1:33
3	Fire Fire Fire	1:31
4	Born Broke	4:13
5	Bore Me	3:18
6	Tab	5:34
7	How Could I Care	3:52
8	Didn't Stop Us	1:46
9	Random Riot	1:44
10	Fake Baby	2:59
11	Ain't No Time	2:56
12	Such A Blast	2:13
13	Spock In My Rocket	22:16

 

 

HEAVENS TO BETSY Calculated 1994

by request

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Pioneering riot-grrrl duo Heavens to Betsy was formed in 1991 by singer/guitarist Corin Tucker and drummer Tracy Sawyer, longtime friends from the Eugene, OR area who began collaborating on music while attendng Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. A series of compilation appearances preceded the band's Kill Rock Stars single "These Monsters Are Real," followed in 1994 by the LP Calculated; in the wake of the Chainsaw label seven-inch "Direction," Heavens to Betsy disbanded, with Tucker later going on to fame leading Sleater-Kinney. 

 

Tracklist  

1	Nothing Can Stop Me	2:03
2	Decide	4:21
3	Stay Away	3:19
4	Calculated	1:54
5	Waitress Hell	2:30
6	Intermission 247	2:50
7	Axemen	4:19
8	Donating My Body To Science	3:55
9	Terrorist	1:57
10	Complicated	6:24
11	White Girl	1:42
12	Paralyzed	4:25

 

OVERPASS Manhattan Beach 1994

by request

 

Discogs

Tracklist

1	Parachutes
2	Scratch
3	Cornshovel
4	Manhattan (Beach)
5	Wonton Powwow
6	Down The Drain
7	Slohand Pachuco
8	Left Unseen
9	Special 'D'
10	Some Song
11	Loungeasaurus
12	Save The Cat
13	Apologize
14	Mouse House

QUASI Field Studies 1999

by request

 

Discogs

Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Portland, Oregon-based indie pop duo Quasi teamed singer/guitarist/keyboardist Sam Coomes and drummer Janet Weiss, who not only previously joined forces in the band Motorgoat but also married and divorced. After a 1993 split single with Bugskull, little was heard from Quasi until 1996, when the duo issued the Early Recordings collection. In 1997, Weiss joined Sleater-Kinney for their classic Dig Me Out album, but she also continued collaborating with Coomes, and that same year saw the release of the Quasi album R&B Transmogrification. Its 1998 follow-up, Featuring "Birds", was among the year's most acclaimed independent outings, and in 1999 Quasi resurfaced with Field Studies. By the new millennium, Weiss and Coomes found a new label home with Touch & Go. The Sword of God appeared in 2001, marking Quasi's sharpest material since their inception. Two years later, the band's snide sense of humor was found once more on the politics-heavy Hot Shit. In 2006, the band returned to the studio and, with the help of producer Dave Fridmann, released the rollicking When the Going Gets Dark. After adding Jicks bassist Joanna Bolme to the lineup and moving to Kill Rock Stars, the group released its seventh album, American Gong, in February of 2010. Quasi returned to being a duo in 2011 before returning with their eighth album, the sprawling Mole City, in 2013. 

 

Tracklist

1	All The Same	4:05
2	The Golden Egg	5:15
3	The Skeleton	1:40
4	The Star You Left Behind	4:34
5	Empty Words	3:52
6	Birds	2:31
7	A Fable With No Moral	7:30
8	Under A Cloud	2:31
9	Me & My Head	3:29
10	Two By Two	2:04
11	It Don't Mean Nothing	1:47
12	Bon Voyage	4:00
13	Smile	3:28
14	Let's Just Go	2:11

 

EDSEL

1992

 

1993

 

 by request

Discogs 

 

AllMusic Review by Nitsuh Abebe

The Everlasting Belt Co. is far more of a straight-out rock record than most of Edsel's other releases -- it sports some of the atmospheric dreampop influences that cropped up unsuccessfully on Strange Loop, but it seems far more involved with its pounding and bombast than anything else. While it's not nearly as interesting as later releases like Techniques of Speed, the straight-ahead quality of The Everlasting Belt Co. does allow for hookier and more accessible songs -- "Shaster!" borders on the sort of slightly-noisy pop song Velocity Girl might have constructed, and the pop qualities of many other tracks tend to be more immediately engaging than Edsel's work usually is. 

Strange Loop

Tracklist  

1	Unravelled	4:33
2	Wax	2:37
3	Derelict Fancy	3:25
4	My Manacles	3:53
5	Cat's Paw	3:04
6	Empire	2:57
7	Fuelcloud	3:52
8	Coil-Re-Coil	4:56
9	Rotary Batter	3:07
10	Wooden Floors	4:14

 The Everlasting Belt Co.

Tracklist

1	Pell Confirms	0:51
2	Checkering	4:02
3	Shaster!	4:47
4	Buckle	3:58
5	Oh Bliss, Oh Well	1:15
6	Proud City	3:32
7	Our Drunken Friend	4:59
8	The Good Celeste	2:50
9	Penaluna	4:54
10	Pigeon-Hearted	4:12
11	Stane	1:59
12	Whistle Down	4:18
13	Horn & Feather	2:31
14	Bone Tender	5:20
15	Narrow	6:32
16	19:00 Hrs At The Apollo	0:45
17	Fin	0:10
18	Untitled	3:03

 

WHIRLPOOL self titled 1995

by request

 

Discogs 

 

Tracklist

1	Engines Down
2	The Sound
3	Twenty Five
4	Trouble
5	Silent K
6	Whirlpool
7	Who The...
8	Made Of Skin
9	Blinding Light

 

JUICY Olive Juicy 1996

by request

Thanks to Justin

AllMusic

AllMusic Review by Stephen Cramer

On the band's second and final album, New York's Juicy followed up its debut, For the Ladies, without guitarist Lisa Marafioti, who left the group soon after that first album. Kendall Meade leads the way on vocals and guitar on the disc's opener, "Plywood," a brief yet catchy start to the album. "Detroit Skies" is a disarming and enchanting ode to a lost lover, while the jangly and focused "Shredded" adds a charming interlude to the mix. Bassist Jen Levin and drummer Meggean Ward remain the backbone of the band, while Meade marched on as the voice of Juicy's final effort. "Sourheart" is quite possibly the band's most heart-wrenching song ever, and "(Sometimes I) Smoke" is a lighthearted and energetic track. The group's allure rested in its simplicity and universal themes. A summery cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" and the impassioned "Mainland China" close out the disc, and finished the band's recording career. Produced by Wharton Tiers, Olive Juicy was released on Slow River Records in 1996. Juicy disbanded soon after. 

CALIGULA self titled 1990

by request

Thanks to Justin 

 

Discogs

  

Tracklist

Sound Off
Wanda
What You Want
About
Godzilla

 

SHOP ASSISTANTS Big E Power 1990

Discogs

Artist Biography

Formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, during 1984, this pop band used guitar inflections enthusiastically borrowed from the Buzzcocks. They were originally titled Buba And The Shop Assistants and released a solitary single, ‘Something To Do’, under that name. With only 500 pressings on the obscure Villa 21 independent, it has gained a reputation among record collectors for its monetary value as well as the spirited songwriting. Mainman David Keegan (guitar) was joined by Alex Taylor (vocals), Sarah Kneale (bass) and twin drummers Ann Donald (replaced in 1986 by Joan Bride) and Laura McPhail. ‘All Day Long’, on the Subway Organisation label, was allegedly Morrissey’s favourite single of 1985, but by this time they had garnered adequate plaudits from their exposure in fanzines and magazines. The following year’s release on the 53rd & 3rd label (jointly set up by Keegan with Stephen of the Pastels), ‘Safety Net’, reached number 1 on the UK independent chart.
Signing to the major Chrysalis Records label saw the release of the Shop Assistants’ debut album, which made a brief appearance in the Top 100 and then disappeared - as did the band. When Taylor left in 1987 to form Motorcycle Boy the critical acclaim dried up. Keegan also left, taking up a post as a skiing instructor, while Kneale and McPhail went back to college. They re-formed in 1990, with McPhail switching to bass and Margarita taking her place on drums. One of the singles produced, ‘The Big E’, was, typically, a tribute to the guitar chord rather than the fashionable drug of the period. By this time they had signed to Andrew Tulley’s Avalanche label, although their status in the independent scene has been somewhat eroded by the passing years. Keegan would eventually make a permanent commitment to the Pastels. 

Tracklist  

1	Big E Power
2	She Said
3	One More Time
4	Big E Power (Live)