WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL IT POP? The Pop Narcotic Compilation 1994

Discogs

Tracklist  

		Pop Side
A1	–Sleepyhead	Hot Stuff
A2	–The Dambuilders	Pennsylvania
A3	–Small Factory	Yeah!
A4	–Versus	Sunburned (Life's A Beach)
		Narc Side
B1	–Polvo	Colonial Arms
B2	–Monsterland	Sunburn
B3	–Wingtip Sloat	Leap Into My Velvet Arms
		Cot Side
C1	–Helium (3)	In A Little Box
C2	–Ruby Falls	Let Me Go
C3	–Twig (5)	Airplane
		Tick Side
D1	–Greenhorn	50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
D2	–Kudgel	Friction->Ali Baba
D3	–Grifters	Black Fuel Incinerator

THE STEREO BUS The Stereo Bus 1997

 

 

Discogs 

 

New Zealand band who evolved out of the ashes of the Jean-Paul Sartre Experience in the mid-late 90's.

Really good indie rock from New Zealand - Blogatrix

Tracklist

1	Shallow
2	Don't Open Your Eyes
3	Wash Away
4	Mirror
5	Be A Girl
6	Tell
7	Lie In The Arms
8	Waste Of Time
9	Bright Lights
10	Fade
11	God's Fingers
12	Far Away

GRANT LEE BUFFALO Jubilee 1998

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Discogs

Artist Biography by Greg Prato

Although heralded by the critics and championed by their musical peers, the '90s alternative/roots rock trio Grant Lee Buffalo failed to break through to the mainstream, despite strong songwriting and an original style. The band's leader was singer/guitarist/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips -- born in 1963 and raised in Stockton, CA, Phillips was equally influenced by rock music early on (David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Kiss) as well as country icons (Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, etc.). By the dawn of his teenage years, Phillips began playing guitar and penning his own original compositions, as he sought to combine his both preferred styles of music together as one -- leading to the formation of his first real band, Bloody Holly.

Prior to his 20th birthday, Phillips relocated to Los Angeles, where he roofed houses with hot tar during the day, attended film school at night, and reserved the weekends for music. By the end of the '80s, Phillips had formed the neo-psychedelic outfit Shiva Burlesque, issuing a pair of critically acclaimed but commercially overlooked releases, 1987's self-titled debut and 1990's Mercury Blues, before splitting up. Phillips then recruited Shiva's drummer Joey Peters and multi-instrumentalist Paul Kimble (the latter of which doubled on bass and keyboards and, later on, production duties) for a new project. Utilizing a backlog of songs unused by Shiva, the new group first went under several different names (including the Machine Elves and Mouth of Rasputin) before settling on Grant Lee Buffalo.

The newly named outfit landed a weekly residence at West Hollywood's Cafe Largo in the early '90s, as they honed their songs and live show, while building up a substantial following in the process. The trio sent a demo tape to the Singles Only label (headed by Hüsker Dü/Sugar frontman Bob Mould), who in turn issued the song "Fuzzy" as a single in 1992. By this time, the buzz surrounding Grant Lee Buffalo had spread to other record labels, as Slash Records signed the trio and issued their full-length debut, also titled Fuzzy, in 1993.

Grant Lee Buffalo supported the release with nearly a year of solid touring -- opening for the likes of Cracker, ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, and Pearl Jam. Instead of taking some much-needed time off from their grueling schedule, the trio went directly back into the studio to work on their sophomore effort, 1994's Mighty Joe Moon, which spawned their first single/video to attract the attention of MTV and radio (albeit mildly), the gentle ballad "Mockingbirds." Despite landing a prestigious gig opening for R.E.M. (the group's first arena tour in five years) and Phillips being recognized as Male Vocalist of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine, the album failed to break the band commercially. Further fine releases followed, 1996's Copperopolis and 1998's Jubilee, which, again, were critically acclaimed yet commercial underachievers. Fed up, the trio quietly disbanded in 1999.

Phillips immediately launched a solo career, issuing a pair of albums, 2000's Ladies' Love Oracle and 2001's Mobilize, both of which were completely penned and performed by the ex-Grant Lee Buffalo frontman (Phillips has also guested on albums by such other artists as the Eels, Neil Finn, Harvey Danger, Robyn Hitchcock, and Michael Penn, while producing Eenie Meenie's self-titled 1997 EP). In 2001, a 30-track Grant Lee Buffalo overview was issued in England (where the group had enjoyed more substantial success than in their homeland), entitled Storm Hymnal: Gems From the Vault of Grant Lee Buffalo. Rhino released it stateside three years later.

Tracklist

1	APB	3:37
2	Seconds	4:21
3	Change Your Tune	3:21
4	Testimony	3:59
5	Truly, Truly	3:58
6	SuperSloMotion	5:42
7	Fine How'd Ya Do	3:52
8	Come To Mama, She Say	4:31
9	8 Mile Road	4:55
10	Everybody Needs A Little Sanctuary	4:01
11	My, My, My	4:05
12	Crooked Dice	4:43
13	Jubilee	3:38
14	The Shallow End	4:16

TARIQ The Basement Songs 1997

by request

 

folk/indie rock

Discogs

Tracklist  

1	Chevrolet Way	5:42
2	Wastin' Your Time	4:33
3	Crush	4:53
4	Dear Liza	6:39
5	Same Shit Different Day	5:26
6	Not Just A Waiter	4:21
7	Georgia	5:58
8	Critic	3:37
9	Get Lost	5:30
10	Basement	4:42
11	Rock And Roll Singer	3:38
12	I Don't Wanna Be Good	4:03

QUADRACOPTERS/HELLAJETS Think It Over/I Wasn't Born In A Hallway 1999

by request

 

Two songs from the Quadrajets and Hellacopters who switched members with each other and changed their names to record a 2 track release on Estrus Records.

Discogs

Tracklist 

A	–QuadraCopters	Think It Over
B	–Hellajets	I Wasn't Born In A Hallway

ASHES self titled 1993

Female fronted emo/hardcore band out of Bethesda, Maryland featuring guitarist from Battery

 

 

Discogs

 

 

Tracklist

1	Flood
2	Resurrection
3	Nameless Soldier
4	Serenade
5	Raging Water
6	Savior
7	Burn So Deep
8	Heal Strong
9	Serenade (Demo Version)
10	Inside By Side

SLOWDIVE Slowdive 1990

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Discogs

Artist Biography by Andy Kellman

Commonly identified as shoegaze, Slowdive nonetheless exhibited a broader set of inspirations -- one that spanned four decades, including folk-rock, dub, and ambient techno -- than the majority of their '90s contemporaries. A combination of geographic origin, labelmates such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride, and a sustained predilection for dreamlike harmonies and psychedelicized layers of guitar, led to inevitable restrictive classification. The band's distinctive sound continually evolved from their late-'80s start through 1995, when they closed out their first phase with a misunderstood ambient album that shed nearly all rock convention. Two decades later, while most of the members remained involved with individual pursuits, the band was reactivated for touring and recorded again.
Formed in Reading, England in late 1989, Slowdive originally consisted of Nick Chaplin (bass), Rachel Goswell (guitar, vocals), Neil Halstead (guitar, vocals), Christian Savill (guitar), and Adrian Sell (drums). Goswell, Halstead, and Sell were previously the core of the Pumpkin Fairies, an indie-pop act that had recorded a demo. Savill was a member of Eternal, who released a single on Sarah. Within less than a year, Slowdive signed to Alan McGee's Creation label and released their debut, a self-titled EP of demos. "Slowdive" itself was named Single of the Week by Melody Maker. Morningrise, featuring temporary drummer Neil Carter, and Holding Our Breath, with ex-Charlottes member Simon Scott on board, followed as the band's second and third EPs of sleepy, escapist dream pop. "Morningrise" appeared on the U.K. pop chart for one week (registering at number 83), as did the third EP's "Catch the Breeze" (which entered at number 52). Both songs were likewise praised by Melody Maker. The same publication dubbed Slowdive part of "The Scene That Celebrates Itself," a small and loose conglomerate of guitar bands, including Lush, Moose, Swervedriver, and the pre-Britpop Blur, that could be seen at each other's shows.

Just for a Day, Slowdive's debut album, was released in September 1991. Though it placed in the Top Ten of the indie chart and climbed to number 32 on the pop chart, the U.K. press was not as supportive as it had been in the past. Months later, the Blue Day compilation appeared on the racks. It combined the band's first three singles, leaving off their version of Syd Barrett's "Golden Hair" and the instrumental version of "Avalyn." The band's sound developed significantly for Souvlaki (titled in reference to a favorite skit by telephone pranksters the Jerky Boys), released in June 1993. Assisted by Brian Eno on a couple tracks and mixed by Ed Buller, it was even more atmospheric than the debut, an exemplary "studio as instrument" album of the era, elevated by refined songwriting. Dates with Catherine Wheel were intended to promote the album in the U.S., but snags with Stateside label SBK ensured that Slowdive toured a country where their latest album was available only sparingly as an expensive Creation import. When the U.S. edition of Souvlaki did arrive, eight months after its original U.K. release, it added four bonus tracks, including three-quarters of the 5 EP. Issues with SBK came to a head when the label pulled financial support from a later tour. The band responded by funding a two-week tour themselves and sold a live cassette to help pay the way. Despite poor promotion in the States, the band had cultivated a sizable following through word of mouth and short tours.

The band's third studio album was released in 1995. Pygmalion was essentially a solo ambient recording by Halstead with guest vocals from Goswell and occasional percussion from Ian McCutcheon (ex-Mermaids), though all five members were listed in the liners. Taken further than the ambient techno slant of the 5 EP, it was mostly beatless. Within a couple weeks of the album's release, Creation, who had expected something else, dropped the band. Goswell, Halstead, and McCutcheon swiftly moved on with Mojave 3, signed by 4AD on the strength of a demo that basically became the first of their five albums released through the 2000s. In 2014, Chaplin, Goswell, Halstead, Savill, and Scott -- most of whom had remained active with numerous bands and solo activities -- resumed as Slowdive to play festivals and tour on multiple continents. The quintet eventually made a fourth album, Slowdive, released on Secretly Canadian sublabel Dead Oceans in May 2017. 

 

Tracklist

1	Slowdive	5:17
2	Avalyn I	4:54
3	Avalyn II	8:09

 

HELLVELLN self titled 1991

by request

 

pop rock

 

Discogs 

 

 

 Tracklist 

1	Cruelest Plague	3:04
2	T-Shirt	2:56
3	Pretty Head	2:26
4	Elvis	4:42
5	Crystal	2:47
6	Temptation	4:46
7	Subway Girl	3:10
8	Cigarettes And Beer	2:41
9	Cavanagh St	3:18
10	Heroin	2:16
11	Crown	3:08
12	Start/End	2:44

IF I WERE A CARPENTER Various Artists 1994

by request

 

Discogs

 Tracklist 

1	–American Music Club	Goodbye To Love	3:12
2	–Shonen Knife	Top Of The World	3:55
3	–Sonic Youth	Superstar	4:06
4	–The Cranberries	(They Long To Be) Close To You	2:40
5	–Bettie Serveert	For All We Know	3:27
6	–Dishwalla	It's Going To Take Some Time	4:16
7	–Sheryl Crow	Solitaire	4:43
8	–Johnette Napolitano With Marc Moreland	Hurting Each Other	4:09
9	–Redd Kross	Yesterday Once More	3:58
10	–Babes In Toyland	Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft	4:06
11	–Cracker	Rainy Days And Mondays	3:44
12	–Matthew Sweet	Let Me Be The One	3:26
13	–4 Non Blondes	Bless The Beasts And Children	4:17
14	–Grant Lee Buffalo	We've Only Just Begun	3:51