29 April 2020

HIS HERO IS GONE The Dead of Night in Eight Movements 1996

 Back in 1996 when I lived in Memphis for a year and a half, my sister was friends with Carl Auge, the bass player, who used to hang out at our house occasionally. He was a pretty quiet but nice guy.


Artist Biography by

In the last years of the 1990s, one of the few venues for underground punk shows in Memphis, TN, was a warehouse space located across the street from the hotel where Martin Luther King was assassinated. In the midst of the city's economic depression, surrounded by timeless symbols of oppression, social struggle, rock & roll and blues, His Hero Is Gone rose as a new voice for the voiceless victims of increasing globalization, terroristic urban policing, cultural alienation, and corporate greed. Through each of the bombastic and disharmonic chords of its brief existence, His Hero Is Gone burned like a molitov cocktail, spreading a fire through the political D.I.Y. underground whose heat continues to be felt.

15 Counts of Arson
After a well-received first 7", His Hero Is Gone released 15 Counts of Arson, 15 tracks as incendiary as the title suggested. After touring aggressively, the band had become one of the world's leading political punk bands, surpassing fellow southern innovators Damad and inspiring even some of the most lethargic and jaded members of the punk rock community to action. The band followed up with Monuments to Thieves, a triumphant swan song, a crescendo of burning anger, thick and tense from start to finish. As it should be in punk rock, His Hero Is Gone caught fire quickly and burned out quickly. Following the U.S. and European tours to support Monuments, the group disbanded, most notably splintering into the very similar crust band Tragedy.  


Tracklist

A1 Epidemic
A2 Headcount
A3 T Minus Zero
A4 Unvisited Grave
B1 Internally Bleeding
B2 Richter
B3 Marry And Reproduce
B4 The End Result

ROYAL CRESCENT MOB Midnight Rose's 1991

 
 



Artist Biography by

In early 1985, the Red Hot Chili Peppers took a swing through Ohio, and within a matter of mere months, the city of Columbus produced the Royal Crescent Mob. "The R.C. Mob," as they were affectionately known to fans, was an appropriate moniker in that they were to the Red Hot Chili Peppers what Royal Crown Cola once was to Coke; similar in taste but different, some preferred Royal Crown to Coke, and it still moved plenty of cases of soda -- at least for a time. The Mob, main members being singer David Ellison, guitarist B. Emch, and bassist Harold "Happy" Chichester, were a force to be reckoned with in the Midwestern American club scene of the late '80s, routinely packing houses beyond capacity and regaling enthusiastic crowds with a tightly played and highly appealing blend of punk and funk. Their two big numbers early on were an original called "Get on the Bus" and a cover of Ohio Players' "Love Rollercoaster," and both were featured on their independently produced, six-track EP Land of Sugar, which appeared in 1986. The drummer's chair was a revolving door in the Mob until Carlton Smith settled into the job in 1987.
Although poorly recorded and difficult to find even when new, Land of Sugar was quickly snapped up by college radio stations and went into heavy rotation, generating enough interest in the Royal Crescent Mob that they were able to distribute their next two independent releases through Celluloid. Omerta and Something Old, New and Borrowed (aka S.N.O.B.) appeared in short order, and the latter title is sort of like "Land of Sugar II" in that it incorporates all six of the previous releases' songs. Both of these records did very well at college radio, and in late 1988, the majors came calling. The Royal Crescent Mob settled with Sire, which released the band's Richard Goetterer-produced major-label debut, Spin the World, in 1989. At that point, it seemed like the Mob, likewise, was on top of the world, but of Spin the World's ten tracks only "Hungry" charted on the Modern Rock chart, and it peaked at number 27.

Midnight Rose's
Midnight Rose's appeared in 1990, and by this time the Royal Crescent Mob, at least in the studio, were trying to move away from "the white boy funk thing" into something that was more like "regular rock," and who can blame them? The Red Hot Chili Peppers were already doing the same thing. Midnight Rose's failed to click, and the Royal Crescent Mob were subsequently dumped by Sire, even as their live shows continued to draw huge crowds. Although the Mob were able to muster up a disc of a live set, Good Lucky Killer, in 1993, their days were already done by this point. Happy Chichester later formed the group Howlin' Maggie, and in an interview taken long after the Mob split, he stated that while relations between Sire and the Royal Crescent Mob remained positive, the promotion and publicity for their releases were done out of house. As a result, the Mob were unable to communicate with that part of their operation, and felt that it ultimately let them down. On the other hand, the Royal Crescent Mob's greatest strength was as a live act -- they could really turn on a crowd in a big way -- and this did not translate to the medium of recording with ease. 
 

Tracklist

1 Ramblin'
2 Big Mistake
3 Apples
4 Konk
5 Mt. Everest
6 I'm Sayin'
7 Pretty Good Life
8 Woodsnake
9 Timebomb
10 Drunkard's Nose
 

27 April 2020

CLOUDS Penny Century 1992





Artist Biography by

Sydney band the Clouds epitomized the definition of "almost famous." The popularity of their early material, perfectly timed to coincide with the early-'90s boom in alternative rock, was never properly seized on through a combination of mismanagement, poor decisions, and plain bad luck.
The core members and vocalists Jodi Phillis (who also played guitar) and Patricia Young (who doubled on bass) originally called themselves Scudda Hey before adding drummer Stuart Eadie and guitarist Robert Phelan and settling on the name Clouds. Their first show was as the opening act for the Go-Betweens' farewell concert at the Petersham Inn; a symbolic passing on of energy and perhaps misfortune.
While supporting Falling Joys, the Clouds slowly became popular enough to take over as headliners and were signed by indie label Red Eye Records in 1990. Their first EPs, Cloud Factory and Loot, were well-received, as was their debut album, Penny Century. Dave Easton had replaced Robert Phelan on guitar and brought a harsher, rockier sound to the album, which was eventually certified gold. Andrew Byrne replaced drummer Stuart Eadie shortly afterwards, who had clashed with the rest of the band while they were on tour. Their follow-up, the mini-album Octopus, was released a year later, though the label had tried to persuade them to wait until 1993 and record more songs to beef it up into a full-length album release. Penny Century was given an English release in 1993 by Polydor, who had effectively taken over Red Eye Records. With yet another new drummer in Raphael Whittingham, the band headed to London to tour and promote it. When they returned with a set of new demos for their third album, Polydor was unimpressed with all but one of them, "Domino," which they wanted to be a single. The band went into the studio and rewrote the music, they came out with a version of the song that slowed down the vocals until they were unrecognizable. When the album Thunderhead was released, "Bowers of Bliss" was chosen to be the single instead. It sold disappointingly.
During a tour of Europe and the U.S., they recorded the Beetroot EP in London. They ran into trouble when Polydor refused to release Thunderhead in America in time for their visit. They stayed in San Francisco while touting the album, eventually picking up a distribution deal with Elektra, who requested that they re-record the single to be less explicit for the sake of American radio. Things seemed to finally be working out, until Elektra was unexpectedly merged with East West by their owners Warner Bros. and most of their acts, including the Clouds, were dropped.
Discouraged, Easton quit the band on their return to Australia. Though the other members were happy to remain a three-piece, their label talked them into finding a new guitarist before recording again. They acquiesced and brought Ben Nightingale on board for the Futura album. Polydor were again unhappy with the demos and refused to allow the song "Mid-Winter" onto the album when it was released in 1996. Once again sales were disappointing. A video was filmed for the song "Never Say Forever," which the band hated so much they vetoed its use. When they saw it on television soon afterwards they finally called it quits, performing a last farewell tour in 1997.
Jodi Phillis went on to form the Dearhunters and Patricia Young moved to England. When Young returned to Australia in 2005 the two original members reunited as the Girls from the Clouds and released an EP called Lalalala, though they disbanded again afterwards.

Tracklist  

1 Hieronymus 3:47
2 Immorta 3:10
3 Fear The Moon 2:36
4 Pocket 2:21
5 Soul Eater 2:38
6 Too Cool 3:21
7 Visionary 2:43
8 Show Me 3:52
9 Maybe 5:07
10 Little Death 3:17
11 Foxes Wedding 2:13
12 Anthem 2:13
13 Fantastic Tear 3:24
14 Wednesday Night 3:16

STORM ORPHANS Living In A Wasted Union 1990

alternative rock band from Tuscaloosa, Alabama




Tracklist

1 Dark Woman
2 A Circus Inside
3 Wasted Union
4 All Right 88
5 Your Blessing & Your Curse
6 One Bottle Of Wine
7 Crossover Dream
8 If I Were A Knockin'
9 Jaded Teen
10 Ice Cream Is For Coolin'
11 Black Betty

MATTHEW SWEET In Reverse 1999

by request
 
Japanese pressing with extra tracks 


 
 

Tracklist

1 Millennium Blues 2:52
2 If Time Permits 3:03
3 Beware My Love 3:51
4 Faith In You 3:32
5 Hide 4:02
6 Future Shock 3:22
7 Split Personality 4:19
8 I Should Never Have Let You Know 2:48
9 Trade Places 2:57
10 What Matters 4:13
11 Write Your Own Song 3:03
12 Worse To Live 5:04
13 Untitled 2:43
14 Thunderstorm 9:37
15 Thunderstorm (Demo) 2:31
16 Even From My Eyes (Demo) 2:13
17 Yes (Demo) 2:56
18 Day In The Sun (Demo) 3:35
 

26 April 2020

THE FIGGS Hi-Fi Dropouts 1994

by request



Tracklist

1 Favorite Shirt 2:51
2 Chevy Nova 3:04
3 Village Green 2:09
4 Lynette 2:06
5 Punch 3:00

22 April 2020

REVOLVER Cold Water Flat 1993

 



Tracklist

1 Cool Blue 5:02
2 Shakesdown 3:15
3 Cradle Snatch 5:55
4 I Wear Your Chain 3:45
5 Nothing Without You 5:37
6 Bottled Out 4:18
7 Coming Back 4:11
8 Cold Water Flat 3:44
9 Makes No Difference All The Same 5:39
10 Wave 6:08

21 April 2020

COPOUT More Dead Than Alive 1990's (exact year unknown)

cassette only released sometime in the 1990's
recorded at WFMU



Hardcore band from Memphis, Tennessee. Some members went on to form His Hero Is Gone.

Tracklist  

A1 Collapse
A2 How Much For?
A3 Death Between Friends
A4 Betrayer
A5 Wounds
A6 Hindsight
A7 Flat On My Face
A8 Ignite
A9 Dead Culture
A10 Apology
A11 No One
A12 Return
A13 Cursed Birth
A14 Anvil
A15 Once Again
B1 Tape Song
B2 Wounds
B3 Return
B4 Hindsight
B5 How Much For?
B6 Death Between Friends
B7 A Fuckup
B8 Over There
B9 Flat On My Face
B10 Colors
B11 Untitled New One
B12 Collapse
B13 No One
B14 Youth Enrage
B15 Blind
B16 Once Again

20 April 2020

HULA HOOP My Sweet Amputee 1993

 indie rock from Louisville, Kentucky

 




Tracklist  

A1 Leave, Time To Go
A2 She Comes Alone (If At All)
A3 Sometimes I Feel Just Alright
A4 Oh Toby
A5 Stairway To Elizabeth
B1 Superstar Gurl
B2 Satie Organ Interlude
B3 Ventriloquist Understood
B4 Trouble & His Dog
B5 Hey Twenty 3
B6 Blues From A Vaseline Gun
B7 Emma Peel, Formuler One

WILD CARNATION Tricycle 1994

 



Artist Biography by

The pastoral pop band Wild Carnation was an outgrowth of the legendary Feelies. The group was led by singer/bassist Brenda Sauter, a longtime fixture of the Hoboken, NJ music scene whose tenures in local outfits like the Trypes and the Willies resulted in an offer to join the reformed Feelies in 1983; she remained with the group until their 1991 demise, concurrently moonlighting as a member of Speed the Plough. Sauter formed Wild Carnation in 1992 with her husband, guitarist Richard Barnes, and drummer Christopher O'Donovan (both members of Speed the Plough as well); after debuting with the single "Dodger Blue," the trio issued the rustic full-length Tricycle on the Delmore label in 1994.


Tracklist

1 The Rising Tide 4:18
2 Acid Rain And "The Big One" 3:27
3 Susquehanna 142 3:41
4 Dodger Blue 3:58
5 Wings 5:12
6 The Music Box 3:57
7 Trailer Song 3:47
8 No Doors In Kansas 3:16
9 The State You're In 3:38
10 The Lights Are On (But No One's Home) 4:18
11 Scarf Dance 4:09
12 Shaker Tune 3:01


MEDUSA CYCLONE self titled

 



Artist Biography by

Medusa Cyclone is the brainchild of one Keir McDonald. He began his unusual sonic experimentation as part of the electronic-psychedelic Detroit group Viv Akauldren back in the '80s. When the group broke up in 1990, McDonald didn't form a new band right away; he stuck to working on solo home recordings and participated in a few collaborations with filmmaker/songwriter Clem Fortuna. When 1992 rolled around, McDonald started the independent record company Manta Ray Fleet with associate Chris Girard, out of McDonald's basement.

Mr. Devil
The duo first released a 7" on the new label ("Rusted House" b/w "Wonderful Ear Trees"), and played a show here and there. Their next 7" would prove to be their last ("Wristwatch Walk" b/w "Perfect World"), as McDonald decided to work solo under the moniker Medusa Cyclone, while Girard (who was a librarian at one point) decided to do research on UFO mysteries and altered consciousness. McDonald released a total of three Medusa Cyclone singles from 1992-1994, and appeared on a split 7" with Cyclone fanatics Pavement on Third Gear Records in 1995. Medusa Cyclone's 1995 full-length debut (on Third Gear) was essentially a compilation of the Manta Ray Fleet singles with several new songs sprinkled in. Mr. Devil followed in 1998.
 
 

Tracklist

1 Gravity Serpent 3:20
2 Burner 2:33
3 X Plodo Sun Hat 2:02
4 Black Dawn 3:11
5 Chemical 3:24
6 Inch Of Mercury 5:20
7 Half Doll Violet Star 2:54
8 Atomic Hand 4:35
9 Dream House 4:45
10 Assigned Frequency 14:37
11 Untitled 0:57
12 Helium Head 29:26
 


JESUS CHRIST SUPERFLY self titled 1993

 
 
 
 
American punk band from Austin, Texas formed in 1991.
 
 

Tracklist

1 Big Shit 2:06
2 Over And Out 2:55
3 Dead Wrong 2:28
4 Sonic Reducer 2:57
5 God Among Men 3:15
6 Outta The Darkness 3:43
7 Rocket Scientist 2:34
8 Commander 2:26
9 Fresh Cuts 2:21
10 I Gotta Right 2:38
11 You're On Your Own 2:24
12 Fun's Over Now 2:09
 

19 April 2020

LITTLE DARLA HAS A TREAT FOR YOU Volume 2 Fall 1995

by request
 
 


Tracklist

1 Comet Gain Footstompers
2 30 Amp Fuse 6 Feet Under
3 Tizzy D Is For Daddy
4 Ruby Falls Freewheelin' Johnny
5 Moon Socket In A Void/Drugged Up Love
6 Holiday Flyer Happy Hour Friends
7 Superdrag Really Thru
8 Bush League All-Stars SSE
9 Joey Sweeney My Name Is Rich
10 Racecar (2) Seymour Wants To Be An Artist
11 Godzuki Orange Red Bright Blue
12 Wild Carnation The Rising Tide
13 Holiday Ace Tone
14 The Veronica Cartwrights Mephistopheles
15 Track Star Bad Time
16 Hula Hoop Midget Love
17 Radar Bros. Hey
18 Cobalt (5) Drink Me
19 Johnny Flame She Said, She Said
20 New Radiant Storm King Subway Token
21 Medusa Cyclone Gravity Serpert