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Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Jackie Blue on 30 Dec 2008, 13:47

Title: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Jackie Blue on 30 Dec 2008, 13:47
Let me set this clip up for you.  It's the summer of 1994, I was 19 and, despite Kurt Cobain's head being in several pieces for months already, DGC thought they were sitting on a goldmine of new untapped talent - and who could blame them?  The success of bands such as Weezer, Hole, Beck, Counting Crows, et al gave them every reason for a well-deserved pat on the back.

That pat on the back came in the form of the cash-in album DGC Rarities Vol. 1 (SPOILER: Vol. 2 was never released).

I owned this on cassette when it came out.  I lost that tape a couple years later and haven't listened to it since - until now, because I found it in the dollar bin at the local used CD/book/DVD/video game megastore.

There are more tracks on it than this, but I want to talk about a few of them (and I'll put this in the Mediafire thread if anyone is interested, because, as you will see as this post progresses, I find it an interesting artifact).

1.  Teenage Fanclub - "Mad Dog 20/20".  Odd choice to lead off with, but alright, let's run with it.  It's a good TF song, but at the time, they were really only known stateside for one fairly terrible single and were (I know this is hard to believe) more critical darlings than fan favorites.  Then again, Vampire Weekend are critical darlings and I think we can all agree that TF is significantly better.

2.  Nirvana - "Pay to Play".  The original version of "Stay Away"; the only actual difference is that he sings "pay to play" instead of "stay away".  Seminal, man.  Seminal.  There wasn't any other Nirvana song lying around?  Well, the fact is, the artists themselves got to choose the songs on here (more about that later) so Krist and Dave were probably Sending A Message here.

3.  Weezer - "Jamie".  This was before Pinkerton, so it was when I still hated Weezer, but even so, I loved this song.  LOVED IT.  It gets everything right that the blue album got wrong.

5.  Hole - "Beautiful Son".  This was right after Live Through This so I still liked Hole.  This song is the most blatant condensation of Courtney Love's "I am going to make my band sound exactly like my (dead) husband's band" sound, and it's pretty excellent.

6.  Beck - "Bogusflow".  A fantastic one, a very good balance of his early sound, something that could have been on Mellow Gold OR One Foot In The Grave and been a perfect fit.

7.  Sonic Youth - "Compilation Blues".  As Thurston sings here, this song was written "for Kato, for his compilation" and "it's very rare, and I'm a mosquito".  Backed up by acoustic guitar fuckery and other random noise.  I think Sonic Youth may have been Sending A Message here too, but it's a bit subtle for me.

9.  Counting Crows - "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)".  Arguably the most famous CC song, the song that told them "Hey guys, you're NOT a one-hit wonder, really!"  Like all early Counting Crows songs, it's pretty good, but in retrospect, was it really a good idea to encourage them, setting us up for over a decade of continually pathetic attempted comebacks?

11.  Sloan - "Stove/Smother".  Sloan cheated.  This is actually two songs, both covers of their friends Eric's Trip.  As such, it is pretty awesome.  This was, obviously, before DGC dumped Sloan like a 17-year-old emo chick.

So, yeah.  The 90s, huh?
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: michaelicious on 30 Dec 2008, 15:48
I am going to see Sloan tomorrow night.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Spluff on 30 Dec 2008, 15:50
I am not going to see Sloan tomorrow night.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: orangepeas on 30 Dec 2008, 16:48
I wish I was seeing Sloan tomorrow night.

(instead of going to a wedding...on new years eve)
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: squawk on 30 Dec 2008, 17:29
I saw Sloan once.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Nodaisho on 30 Dec 2008, 17:32
I've never listened to Sloan.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: orangepeas on 30 Dec 2008, 17:54
In my opinion, they are one of those bands that you either really like or really dislike (or in Tom's case, indifferent). I've only really heard their album "Pretty Together", it's decent.  I think they have a greatest hits cd out.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Tom on 30 Dec 2008, 17:55
Your opinion is wrong, I'm indifferent to them.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: orangepeas on 30 Dec 2008, 17:56
or people that like ^
hehe
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: David_Dovey on 30 Dec 2008, 22:42
Sloan are a band
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Vendetagainst on 30 Dec 2008, 22:44
Twice Removed is a really good album.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: allison on 31 Dec 2008, 08:15
I want to see Sloan again.
Chris Murphy once put his arm around me.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Jackie Blue on 31 Dec 2008, 11:01
Pretty Together is nowhere near as good as most of their other albums.

Try One Chord To Another or Never Hear the End of It.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: imapiratearg on 31 Dec 2008, 11:22
Between the Bridges is awesome, too.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Jackie Blue on 31 Dec 2008, 11:27
Navy Blues is pretty rad.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: MrBlu on 31 Dec 2008, 12:48
I've never listened to Sloan.
Listen to Sloan.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: imapiratearg on 31 Dec 2008, 13:31
You cunt.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Johnny C on 31 Dec 2008, 14:43
Nice accidental Sloan thread, Jackie.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Jackie Blue on 31 Dec 2008, 18:12
I try, I try.
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: doombilly on 31 Dec 2008, 18:13
Saw Counting Crows once. God what a bunch of shit. If their songs were not whiny enough on the radio, they were five times as soul sucking live. Yeah, someone gave us tix. The ex-wife wanted to go. I had to kill her and make soup out of her bones. That did make me feel a bit better...for a while. Then the soup ran out... :p.   -///trollery
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: pablo on 03 Jan 2009, 14:14
What else is on this album?

Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Be My Head on 03 Jan 2009, 23:24
I should be picking up 3 SLOAN albums tomorrow, in total 20 bucks (used, I'm a cheapass)

Hopefully they will not disappoint...?
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: billiumbean on 04 Jan 2009, 05:15
In my opinion, they are one of those bands that you either really like or really dislike (or in Tom's case, indifferent).
At least we're making progress?
Title: Re: Now That's What I Call (Alternative) Music! (feat. SLOAN and more!)
Post by: Inlander on 04 Jan 2009, 05:42
Or they're one of those bands you've never listened to!