Rhino's cool "alternative" box set of 2007 is The Brit Box which I wrote about back in August. It's in stores this week. As I said then, it does a pretty admirable job of documenting the cool music coming out of the UK between 1985 - 2000, but it's really for beginners, as anyone who was really into the scene then probably already has most of this stuff. My only interest, personally, is reading the liner notes.
It's also got a few omissions, no surprise. (And it's got some weird/overly-obvious song choices.) I was going to offer up about a disc's worth of extra tracks which are certainly as worthy to be apart of the set as Kula Shaker, Five-Thirty, Marion, Rialto, or Hurricane #1, but I came up with a lot more than I thought I would so I'm going to do it in two parts. So here's the imagined fifth disc to the set, with another to come later in the week. I stuck to the same criteria as they did -- guitar-based UK bands from the same years, and kept it to a length that will fit on one CD. I've also included the original, seven-minute, single version of The Boo Radley's "Lazarus" which crushes the short album version Rhino included in the box. I tried not to be too obscure.
Also, I've got a little room on Nonexistent Disc 6, so if you have suggestions for it, leave it in the comments and if it's not already on my planned tracklist (and it's not something I dislike) I'll try and throw it in.
These wont' be up for long, so get 'em while you can.
MP3: That Petrol Emotion - It's a Good Thing
MP3: Easterhouse - Whistling in the Dark
MP3: The Lilac Time - Return to Yesterday
MP3: The Popinjays - Vote Elvis
MP3: The House of Love - I Don't Know Why I Love You
MP3: The Power of Dreams - Never Told You
MP3: A House - Endless Art
MP3: Kingmaker - Really Scrape the Sky
MP3: Adorable - Sunshine Smile
MP3: The Pooh Sticks - Young People
MP3: The Boo Radleys - Lazarus
MP3: The Wedding Present - Silver Shorts
MP3: Strangelove - Sand
MP3: Warm Jets - Autopia
MP3: Animals That Swim - London Bridge
MP3: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Young Girls and Happy Endings
MP3: Subcircus - 86'd
MP3: Longpigs - On and On
You can by Rhino's Brit Box here. Or if you want a free one, visit I Am Fuel, You Are Friends... they're giving one away.
Monday, November 19, 2007
I love your shoes - Furniture
Penelope tree - Felt
Drive blind - Ride
You may have those covered but I've always liked the first two bands, in fact Furniture is my favourite 80ties band.
And then Drive Blind is just the best track that Ride ever mustered in my opinion, and it's so true they really were 'middle class and safe' but I give them some props for Drive Blind.
Posted by: Robin | Monday, November 19, 2007 at 04:29 AM
A good box for beginners and nice suggestions.
What about :
Radiohead - Creep
The Auteurs - Lenny Valentino
The Woodentops - Good thing
Slowdive - Alison
My Life Story - Sparkle
Tindersticks - She's gone
McCarthy - The well-fed point of view
The Field Mice - Sensitive
The Pastels - I'm alright with you
The Weather Prophets - Always the light
Mogwai - Tracy
...
Posted by: JBD | Monday, November 19, 2007 at 06:08 AM
Robin,
Felt and Ride are already on the Brit Box, I'm trying to post artists who *aren't*; Charlie, I think you will like Nonexistent Disc 6... though I'm not a MLS fan.
Posted by: bill p | Monday, November 19, 2007 at 07:13 AM
Brilliant Corners: Somebody up there likes me.
Railway children - another town
Triffids - wide open road
Go-Betweens - streets of your town
Soup dragons - soft as your face
Off the top of my head.
Posted by: Robin | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 09:46 AM
Paris Angels 'All On You Perfume' Spirea X 'Chlorime Dream' The Weather Prophets 'Almost Prayed' Bodines 'Therese'
Posted by: swissadam | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 11:48 AM
Fatima Mansions 'Only Losers Take The Bus'
Posted by: swissadam | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Teenage Fanclub 'Starsign'. Sorry, I should've done these in one go. I'm sure there's tons of others that are more deserving than Hurricane fucking #1
Posted by: swissadam | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 12:03 PM
Gonna post Part 2 soon but...
Triffids and Go Betweens are Australian...
Soup Dragons not a bad suggestion... Spirea X,i've got the "Speed Reaction" single somewhere, that's the other song on there, right?... Paris Angels I dislike so nope...Weather Prophets and Bodines are a bit obscure Creation as much as I love them both... Fatima Mansions maybe, though I never got into them...
Posted by: bill p | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 12:05 PM
The Spirea X single I've got is Chlorine Dream and Risk as the B Side, so yeah post the one you've got, cos I, um, havn't got it. World Of Twist 'Sons of the Stage'. How can you not like 'All On You Perfume'? One perfect single-everyone's got one perfect single in them. Wedding Present should really be something off George Best. Also, not English but they made it here Sugarcubes 'Fuckin in Rhythm and Sorrow'. Until i think of anything else...
Posted by: swissadam | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 02:13 PM
Oh yeah, I vote for Lenny Valentino as well.
Thats all for now.
Posted by: swissadam | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 02:53 PM
Some good choices. I'd pick almost anything by Half Man Half Biscuit, Amsterdam - Does this train stop on Merseyside, Scorpio Rising - Watermelon, something by Jacob's Mouse.
Weather Prophets weren't that obscure - Almost Prayed was a big indie hit.
Looking forward to disc 6.
Posted by: roverinexile | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 06:06 PM
Better picks from bands on BBox
Catherine Wheel - Flower To Hide
Ride - Dreams Burn Down
Slowdive - Sing
No Embrace?
No South?
No Witness?
...and YEAH where the hell is Adorable?
oh well.
Posted by: Jerry | Friday, November 30, 2007 at 04:40 AM
The Warm Jets "Autopia" chorus sounds like, "...exploding dreams are lost and rockets are near and there's no way gettin' out of there..." but I don't think that's correct. anyone?
Posted by: Steven | Saturday, February 02, 2008 at 10:59 AM
It took me a while, but I finally discovered these posts. I'm part of the team at Rhino that put The Brit Box together and LOVE the idea of extra discs! There's no way to do an exhaustive survey on four CDs (or even five or six, apparently), but the hope is to whet people's appetite for more of what I'd term "classicist guitar pop." With that in mind, here's another Nonexistent Disc 5:
Strawberry Switchblade – Trees & Flowers
Talulah Gosh – Talulah Gosh
Jet Set – Make Believe World Of Melanie Bennett
Biff Bang Pow – It Happens All The Time
Morrissey – Everyday Is Like Sunday
Lightning Seeds -- Pure (we tried unsuccessfully to license this one)
Something Pretty Beautiful – Free Fall
Popinjays – Vote Elvis (we tried unsuccessfully to license this one)
Kitchens Of Distinction – Drive That Fast (had been an alternate)
Milltown Brothers – Which Way Should I Jump?
House Of Love – The Girl With The Loneliest Eyes (we tried unsuccessfully to license this one)
Slowdive -- Alison (we tried unsuccessfully to license this one)
Adorable – Sunshine Smile (we tried unsuccessfully to license this one)
Kinky Machine – Swivelhead (had been an alternate)
Dentists – Space Man
Radiohead – High & Dry (we tried unsuccessfully to get "My Iron Lung")
Belle & Sebastian – The State That I Am In (much argued about, but the "no" votes eventually carried the day)
Heavy Stereo – Cartoon Moon (we tried unsuccessfully to license this one)
60 Ft. Dolls -- Stay (we tried unsuccessfully to license this one)
Shack – Natalie’s Party
Will definitely check out some of the others mentioned. Thanks for the suggestions!
Posted by: JohnH | Friday, February 08, 2008 at 03:57 PM
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Posted by: Charlie Brown | Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 06:13 PM