Tim Buckley - Tim Buckley (1966)

"Strange Street Affair Under Blue" by Tim Buckley


Buckley started his music career in California.  He had two high school bands: The Bohemians that performed popular hits and eventually originals, and The Harlequin 3 that performed folk music incorporated with spoken word and beat poetry.  He also performed solo through Orange County coffeehouses and at The Troubadour enough to be pegged as a rising star along with songwriting contemporaries Steve Noonan and Jackson Browne.  After being turned on to him by Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black, Holzman signed Buckley to Elektra Records.  Tim signed without his fellow Bohemians but many of them, including his lyricist Larry Beckett and his bassist Jim Fielder, would continue to collaborate with him throughout his career.  Paul A. Rothchild, who produced The Even Dozen Jug Band, would work with Holzman to produce Tim Buckley's debut album Tim Buckley.  The album was released in 1966 alongside two singles when Tim was 19.

Here is the discography surrounding Tim Buckley's debut album:

Wings (1966 single)
Tim Buckley
Aren't You the Girl (1967 single)

"Song Slowly Song" by Tim Buckley


"Grief in My Soul" by Tim Buckley


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The Even Dozen Jug Band - The Even Dozen Jug Band (1964)

The Even Dozen Jug Band by The Even Dozen Jug Band


One of the session musicians for Tim Hardin's debut was harmonica player John B. Sebastian.  Sebastian would later become famous for his songwriting and his folk rock band, but his recording debut came as a member of The Even Dozen Jug Band.  The jug band came out of the end of the Folk Revivalist movement in the early sixties but made a point, unlike its folk contemporaries, of not taking itself seriously.  It's hard to do that anyway if three of your instruments are a washboard, a kazoo, and a jug.  The group emulated the popular recordings of 1920s jug bands and recorded a dozen traditional songs on The Even Dozen Jug Band in 1964 that gave way to comedic performances, sexual innuendos, and dance numbers.  The product came out as an ecstatic mix of blues, ragtime, folk, and dixieland jazz.  Although locally popular, The Even Dozens did not perform much and fell apart as many of the members were students who preferred to stay in school rather than tour for the album.  Many of the members, however, would still go on to have successful careers in the music industry including Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, Steve Katz, Stefan Grossman, Joshua Rifkin, and David Grisman.

Here is the complete discography for The Even Dozen Jug Band:

The Even Dozen Jug Band

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Tim Hardin - Tim Hardin 1 (1966)

"Reason to Believe" by Tim Hardin


One of the covers performed by Hearts and Flowers was "Reason to Believe", a song made more famous by those who covered it than by he who wrote it.  Tim Hardin wrote the song and recorded it on his debut album Tim Hardin 1 from 1966.  Hardin grew as a blues-inspired singer-songwriter out of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early sixties.  Many of his folky contemporaries such as Karen Dalton and Fred Neil covered his songs in concerts or on their own albums.

Here is the discography surrounding Tim Hardin's debut album:

Don't Make Promises (1966 single)
Tim Hardin 1
Hang On to a Dream (1966 single)

"Hang On to a Dream" by Tim Hardin


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Hearts and Flowers - Now Is the Time for Hearts and Flowers (1967)

"Road to Nowhere" by Hearts and Flowers


After the disbanding of The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, dobro player Larry Murray moved from band to band before forming Hearts and Flowers with Dave Dawson and Rick Cunha.  Hearts and Flowers joined the folk-rock movement of the late sixties but tended more towards the folk spectrum of it all.  They infused their songs with tints of psychedelia though the country and bluegrass influence proved much stronger.  Their debut album Now Is the Time for Hearts and Flowers came out and 1967 and collected half originals and half covers of contemporary songs by country artists and singer-songwriters.

Here is the discography surrounding Hearts and Flowers's debut album:

Road to Nowhere (1967 single)
Now Is the Time for Hearts and Flowers

"Try for the Sun" by Hearts and Flowers


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The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers - Blue Grass Favorites (1963)

Chris Hillman helped Buffalo Springfield get their first gig at the Whisky a Go Go.  Although Hillman would later be part of a more landmark band, his first recorded output was with the bluegrass outfit The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers.  Hillman (mandolin) led the Barkers that included Larry Murray (dobro), Gary Carr (guitar), Ed Douglas (double bass), and Kenny Wertz (banjo).  They played together for a short period of time in the early sixties in San Diego and recorded one short album named Blue Grass Favorites.  It is important Bernie Leadon (a frequent collaborator of Hillman's) replaced Wertz (who joined the Air Force) on the banjo but did not play on the recording.  Besides Hillman, many of the other Squirrel Barkers would also have lengthy and prosperous careers in the San Francisco and Los Angeles folk-rock scenes.  The band members have reformed for special performances sporadically since 2003.

Here is the complete discography for The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers:

Blue Grass Favorites

2004 Reunion Performance by The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers


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Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield (1966)

"For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield


After the Au Go-Go Singers broke up, a couple remaining members formed a similar group called The Company for one last tour through the Northeast and Canada.  While touring Ontario, Stills and Furay met a young Neil Young who was playing with surf-rockers The Squires at the time.  Young would go on to play in another band The Mynah Birds where he performed with AWOL American vocalist Rick James and bassist Bruce Palmer.  The Mynah Birds met with difficulties with Rick James's imprisonment and a lack of success that would break the group apart.  Stills, Young, Furay, and Palmer all found their way to California, taken with the LA folk-rock scene.  They found each other when Stills and Furay recognized Neil Young's converted hearse driving in the opposite direction.  Finding out that all four of them flew to LA for the same reason, they decided to form a band whose manager could already find work for them as the house band at the Whisky a Go Go club along Sunset Strip.  Buffalo Springfield made for a five-piece band when they brought in Dewey Martin from Nashville (who had some non-success with the Beatles-esque Sir Raleigh & the Cupons) through the mutual connection of Jim Dickson, manager for The Byrds.

Stills and Young shared songwriting duties.  Stills, Young, and Furay all played the guitar.  Bruce Palmer played the bass.  Dewey Martin played drums.  Stills and Furay usually swapped as lead vocalist and the two harmonized together with Martin.  Neil Young could sing but he wasn't allowed to on their debut album because his voice was too weird.  They released their debut album Buffalo Springfield in 1966 and garnered good reviews with little success.  This would change when theirs and the performances of other bands at the a Go Go proved too loud for Los Angeles locals.  The locals pushed for a strict ten p.m. curfew and loitering laws to stifle the noise and the congested crowds.  Young rock and roll fans saw this as an infringement on their rights and protested against the curfew.  Stills witnessed the demonstration and resulting arrests and quickly wrote a song to chronicle the pent up emotions of the time.  Seeking to capitalize on the memory of the event, Buffalo Springfield quickly recorded the song and released it to local radio stations.  "For What It's Worth", the band's third single, was an immediate hit locally and helped Buffalo Springfield garner a national audience.  Their debut album was re-released, this time with their new hit single leading off and replacing a weaker track ("Baby Don't Scold Me").

Here is the discography surrounding Buffalo Springfield's debut album:

Mustang (1963 single by The Squires)
The Sultan (1963 single by The Squires)
White Cliffs of Dover (1964 single by Sir Raleigh & the Cupons)
While I Wait (1964 single by Sir Raleigh & the Cupons)
Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day (1965 single by Sir Raleigh & the Cupons)
Tell Her Tonight (1965 single by Sir Raleigh & the Cupons)
I Don't Want to Cry (1965 single by Sir Raleigh & the Cupons)
The Mynah Bird Hop (1965 single by The Mynah Birds)
It's My Time (1966 unreleased single by The Mynah Birds)
The Lost Recordings (1966 unreleased recordings)
Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (1966 single)
Buffalo Springfield
Burned (1966 single)
For What It's Worth (1967 single)
Buffalo Springfield (1967 album re-release)

"Go and Say Goodbye" by Buffalo Springfield


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Au Go-Go Singers - They Call Us Au Go-Go Singers (1964)

"High Flying Bird" by Au Go-Go Singers

Although Joni Mitchell played most of the instruments on her debut album, Stephen Stills played bass on her first single "Night in the City".  Stills dropped out of school to pursue a musical career.  He was active in the Greenwich Village Folk scene playing in bands and as a solo artist.  He was eventually recruited to be a part of Cafe Au Go-Go's house band the Au Go-Go Singers in 1964.  Other members included Kathy King, Jean Gurney, Michael Scott, Rick Geiger, Roy Michaels, Nels Gustafson, Bob Hamerlink, and Richie Furay.  They recorded one album before breaking up in late 1965.  Stills's arrangement for "High Flying Bird" is an early example of the folk rock that Stills would soon help popularize.

Here is the complete discography for Au Go-Go Singers:

They Call Us Au Go-Go Singers
San Francisco Bay Blues (1964 single)

"Gotta Travel On" by Au Go-Go Singers

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Joni Mitchell - Song to a Seagull (1968)

"Night in the City" by Joni Mitchell


The photographer behind the promotional and extra material that went with The Appletree Theatre album is Mark Roth.  He also did photography for Joni Mitchell's 1968 debut album Song to a Seagull.  Since middle school, Joni Mitchell was either painting or painting with words.  She naturally took to writing poetry at the insistence of an encouraging teacher and eventually made her poems into songs due to her love of all kinds of music.  Heavily influenced by the folk movement of the 30s and 40s, Joni busked, nightclubbed and coffee shopped her way from Saskatoon to Michigan to New York to California.  As she traveled, she lived.  She got married, then divorced, gave birth in secret and put her baby up for adoption, wrote songs for her contemporaries, wrote songs for Canadian national television, and was loved wherever she performed.  It was Byrdman David Crosby that whisked Joni away from New York to California to help secure her recording contract with Reprise and produce her debut LP.

Here is the discography surrounding Joni Mitchell's debut album:

Live at 47 Club (1968 live bootleg)
Night in the City (1968 single)
Song to a Seagull
Live at the Philadelphia Folk Festival (1968 live bootleg)

"Cactus Tree" by Joni Mitchell


"Born to Take the Highway" by Joni Mitchell


Joni Mitchell Interview


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The Appletree Theatre - Playback (1968)

"I Wonder if Louise Is Home" by The Appletree Theatre


The producer of Boston's eponymous album was John Boylan.  When John was younger, he and his brother, Terry Boylan, worked together to create a concept album Playback in 1968 as The Appletree Theatre off the Verve Forecast record label.  Together, they created a loose concept album about... well, I dunno, but it was organized like one with a prologue, three acts, and an epilogue.  The album humorously echoed many of the popular sounds and ideas of the time, taking notes from The Beatles, Frank Zappa, and Pink Floyd while implementing (among others) psychedelic rock, sunshine pop, jazz, and classical music into their sound.

Here is the complete discography for The Appletree Theatre:

Hightower Square (1967 single)
Playback

"Who do I Think I Am" by The Appletree Theatre


"Lotus Flower" by The Appletree Theatre


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Boston - Boston (1976)

"Foreplay / Long Time" by Boston


Paul Ahern managed the Simms Brothers Band and did his part in getting the band a record deal and a national tour as opening act with Peter Frampton.  Unfortunately, the Brothers career never took unlike one of Ahern's first gigs as the manager of arena rockers Boston.

Boston starts in Boston in the basement studio of Tom Scholz, the mastermind and lead songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and keyboard player behind the idea.  The only other constant of the band is vocalist Brad Delp that gave the group the larger-than-life flair that could fill out Scholz's anthemic, classic rock.  Members that toured with Boston included Barry Goudreau (second guitar), Sib Hashian and Jim Masdea (drums), and Fran Sheehan (bass).  The group released their debut album Boston in 1976 to mass popularity.  The album topped the charts at #3 and stayed on the charts for 132 weeks.  The album would eventually go Diamond in the US and sell over 20 million units worldwide.

Here is the discography surrounding Boston's debut album:

Demos (1973 demo as Mother's Milk)
We Found It in the Trashcan, Honest! (1976 demo)
More Than a Feeling (1976 single)
Boston
More Than a Feeling (1976 live bootleg)
Rock & Roll Band (1976 promo single)
Long Time (1977 single)
Live in Long Beach (1977 live bootleg)
Peace of Mind (1977 single)

"More Than a Feeling" by Boston


"She's a Looker / Talkin' to the Wall" by Boston


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Simms Brothers Band - Simms Brothers Band (1979)

"All We Need Is Loving" by Simms Brothers Band


Frank Simms may be known for his voice acting work (as the voice of the Kool-Aid Man, the Honeycomb mascot, and on Dragon Tales), but he started his career in music.  Simms Brothers Band started playing in 1974 in coffee shops around Connecticut with the harmonies of George Simms, Frank Simms, and Dave Spinner around an acoustic guitar.  The Brothers added Mickey Leonard (lead guitar), Budd Tunick (drums), Doug Maki (bass), and Rob Sabino (keyboards) to become a full-fledged rock and roll band heavily influenced by funk and R&B.  With the help of manager Paul Ahern, the group was able to acquire a two-album deal with Elektra Records.  They worked with producer Mike Stone to record their debut album who added a glossy finish to their music common in seventies classic rock (dashes of Queen, Wings, and disco) that went against the style of their live performances.  The group toured nationally with Peter Frampton, but the album received no support from the record label and, as a result, garnered no commercial or critical attention.

Here is the discography surrounding Simms Brothers Band's debut album:

Take Me As I Am
Simms Brothers Band

"Back to School" by Simms Brothers Band


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Dragon Tales - Dragon Tunes (2001)

"Dragon Tales Theme"


Bill Dobrow is a session percussionist who played the congas and did finger snaps for the Once Blue album.  He is also credited with arranging music for the Dragon Tales PBS TV show. (Jesse Harris is also co-credited for helping to write the show's theme song.)  Dragon Tales was created by educator and artist Ron Rodecker with Jim Coane helping in development.  The show follows the leads Max and Emmie on their adventures in Dragon Land with their dragon friends Cassie, Ord, Zak and Wheezie.  The first episode aired on September 6, 1999.  Due to show's success, an album was compiled of songs from the show called Dragon Tunes in 2001.

Here is the discography surrounding Dragon Tales's debut album:

Dragon Tunes

"To Fly With Dragons"  Season 1, Episode 1


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Once Blue - Once Blue (1995)

"Trumansburg" by Once Blue


After meeting Norah Jones while she still attended UNT, Jesse Harris (already established in the music industry) began writing songs for her.  He helped her establish her persona after she moved to New York and started to find her voice.  He wrote several of her first few hits including "Don't Know Why" for which he won a Grammy.

At one time, he was half of a duo with fellow singer/songwriter Rebecca Martin called Once Blue.  In 1995, they recorded their debut album Once Blue together.  They held recording sessions for a second album that would not come to fruition except as bonus tracks on re-releases of that only album.  The duo discontinued in order to pursue their solo careers.

Here is the complete discography for Once Blue:

Once Blue
Once Blue (1995 EP)

"Save Me" by Once Blue


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Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (2002)

"Nightingale" by Norah Jones


Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar) was the lead vocalist for jazz rock band Laszlo and also the half-sister of Anoushka Shankar and daughter of Ravi Shankar (with music director Sue Jones).  She moved to New York in 1999 where she started work as a backup vocalist and lounge singer.  She gained the attention of executives at Blue Note Jazz while singing backup for Victoria Williams.  Norah had yet to develop a "voice of her own", but the record label was willing to work with her to find it whether it be jazz or not.  She started down that path on a first set of demos that would be released in 2001 as the First Sessions EP.  She followed that up the next year with her landmark debut album Come Away With Me.  The album gained critical attention and sold over 26 million units worldwide, going Diamond on the US charts.  Norah Jones would also end up winning five awards at that year's Grammy Awards and three of her collaborators would also win awards.  It is considered one of the best albums of the 2000s.

Here is the discography surrounding Norah Jones's debut album:

First Sessions (2001 EP)
Don't Know Why (2001/2002 single)
Come Away With Me
Feelin' the Same Way (2002 single)
Live in New Orleans (2002 live album)
Something Is Calling You (2002 single)
Come Away With Me (2002 single)
Turn Me On (2003 single)
Nightingale (2003 single)

"Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones


"Bessie Smith" by Norah Jones


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Laszlo - Laszlo (1999)

"Freak" by Laszlo

Laszlo is a jazz rock band from Denton, Texas that was active in the late 1990s. Made up mostly of high schoolers, they recorded one album before breaking up and losing their vocalist, who ventured off to New York to try and hit the big time with her singing career. How the tour got from Anoushka Shankar to Laszlo will be dutifully explained in the next entry.

Here is the complete discography for Laszlo:

Laszlo

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Anoushka Shankar - Anoushka (1998)

"Bairagi" by Anoushka Shankar


Anoushka Shankar is the daughter of Ravi Shankar and Sukanya Rajan. She started her training on the sitar at the age of ten under the tutelage of her father. Anoushka performed for the first time at 13 and started touring with her father at 14. She released her debut album Anoushka in 1998 at the age of 17.

Here is the discography surrounding Anoushka Shankar's debut album:

Anoushka

"Pratham Prem (First Love)" by Anoushka Shankar

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Ravi Shankar - Three Ragas (1956)

"Raga Jog" by Ravi Shankar


Chatur Lal was more prominently an accompanist than a solo player and supported many Indian classical musicians who toured in the West.  One of these musicians, Ravi Shankar, first toured the West in the thirties as a dancer in his brother's (Uday Shankar) dance troupe.  World War II made touring impractical, and Ravi changed his focus from dancing to playing the sitar.  He trained in Maihar under master sitarist Allaudin Khan with Khan's children Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurna Devi.  By 1944, Shankar completed his training and got a job at All India Radio where he composed music.  He also worked with filmmaker Satyajit Ray composing music for the director's Apu Trilogy.

At the behest of a visiting American violinist Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar was invited to perform in New York in 1955 for a demonstration of Indian Classical Music.  Unable to leave India for personal reasons, his friend Ali Akbar Khan reluctantly performed to large audiences in the West, performed on TV, and recorded the first record of Indian Classical Music in the West.  Hearing of the success of Khan's tour, Shankar quit his job at All India Radio to tour in the West himself where he'd perform classical ragas while teaching smaller audiences about Indian music.  He released his first recording Three Ragas in 1956 with Chatur Lal supporting him on tabla.

Here is the discography surrounding Ravi Shankar's debut album:

Three Ragas

"Raga Ahir Bhairav" by Ravi Shankar


"Raga Simhendra Madhyamam" by Ravi Shankar


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Chatur Lal - The Drums of India (1961)

"Matta Tal" by Chatur Lal


At Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan's secret recordings, he was accompanied at All India Radio by Ram Narayan on the sarangi and Chatur Lal on the tabla.  He was one of a handful of musicians that helped bring Indian Classical Music to the West.  His mastery of the tabla wowed listeners as a soloist with his light touch and lightning speed.  He also retained a malleability to his performance that allowed him to shift his style based on the mood of the musician he was supporting.  His only album The Drums of India came out in 1961 in both the East and West.  Pandit Chatur Lal would die an untimely death four years later.

Here is the complete discography for Chatur Lal:

Drums on Fire! (song from 1958 compilation album)
The Drums of India
The Music of India, Volume 2 (song from 1962 compilation album)
Anthology of Indian Classical Music (song from 1966 compilation album)
Solfège de l'objet sonore (song from 1967 compilation album)

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Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan - Great Master Great Voice (1947)

"Raga Multani" by Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan


Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, or Deaf Wahid Khan, is a Hindustani classical singer.  With his brother-in-law Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, he founded the Kirana gharana (of which Pandit Pran Nath was a student).  He refused to have his voice recorded out of fear or imitators, but All India Radio music producer Jivan Lal Mattoo secretly recorded a 1947 radio performance to document his style.  Wahid Khan died in 1949.

Here is the complete discography for Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan:

Great Master Great Voice
Raga Darbari Kanada

"Raga Patdip" by Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan


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Pandit Pran Nath - Earth Groove (1968)

"Raga Bhoopali" by Pandit Pran Nath


One of Terry Riley's teachers was Hindustani classical singer Pandit Pran Nath.  He is a teacher of the Kirana gharana (school) that taught the khyal genre of Indian classical music (with every gharana having its own particularities).  Pran Nath studied the form for over twenty years under his guru before being encouraged to leave the school to help extend and keep the form alive.  He started work in the thirties for All India Radio and also worked as a visiting professor at Mills College until his death.  He believed in the power of live performance and rarely recorded.  Pran Nath's first recordings was of two ragas released as Earth Groove in 1968.

Here is the discography surrounding Pandit Pran Nath's debut album:

Earth Groove

"Raga Asavari" by Pandit Pran Nath


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Terry Riley - Music for the Gift (1963)

"Music for the Gift III" by Terry Riley


Joanna Newsom grew up next door to minimalist composer Terry Riley.  She also attended Mills College where Riley is on faculty.  Riley received an MA in composition from Berkeley and was involved in the San Francisco Tape Music Center with other composers of the avantgarde scene.  His earliest experiments (which included commissions for the stage) dealt with tape manipulation and a tape's interplay with live music and performance.  These early works were contemporary recordings but did not see release until 2000 on the Music for the Gift album.

Note:  This is my first entry on classical music.  Classical music is naturally organized and performed differently than the popular music I've dealt with so far, so I will likely change my formula of discovery and chronicling as a result.  The same goes for jazz, field recordings, and whatever other kind of music that is just around the corner.

Here are Terry Riley's debut set of compositions:

Concerto for Two Pianists and Five Tape Recorders (1960 composition)
Mescaline Mix (1960-1962 compostion)
Music for the Gift
Bird of Paradise (1965 composition)

"Concerto for Two Pianists and Five Tape Recorders" by Terry Riley


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Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004)

"Bridges and Balloons" by Joanna Newsom


From a musical family, Joanna Newsom began playing the harp at age 10.  She went to Mills College in Oakland to study composition and creative writing, but dropped out to further pursue her music career.  She joined The Pleased as keyboardist and recorded home demos on her own time with the help of Noah Georgeson her then-boyfriend and producer (also of The Pleased).  Although they were mainly to record her own progress as a songwriter and musician, these personal recordings found their way to musician Will Oldham who asked her to tour with him.  He was also instrumental in getting her a record deal with Drag City on which label she released her debut album The Milk-Eyed Mender in 2004.

Here is the discography surrounding Joanna Newsom's debut album:

Walnut Whales (2002 EP)
Yarn and Glue (2003 EP)
The Milk-Eyed Mender
Live at WFMU (2004 live radio performance/interview)
Sprout and the Bean (2004 single)

"Sprout and the Bean" by Joanna Newsom


"This Side of the Blue" by Joanna Newsom


"Inflammatory Writ" by Joanna Newsom


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The Pleased - Don't Make Things (2003)

"No Style" by The Pleased


One of the guest performers on Vetiver's debut was Andy Cabic's friend, harpist Joanna Newsom. Although widely known for her solo recordings, her first recordings were with the San Francisco garage band The Pleased. The band got their first gig in 2001 with Newsom on keys, frontman Noah Georgeson on vocals and guitar, Rich Good also on vocals and guitar, Genaro Vergoglini on drums, and Luckey Remington on bass. Jason Clark would join the band later adding a synthesizer to the group. The Pleased successfully toured along the West Coast and in England in 2002. Eventually, they gained enough follwing and critical praise in the music press to garner a contract for their debut album Don't Make Things in 2003. The band would continue to tour until 2006 when they finally parted ways (though they still play together at intermittent concerts).

Here is the complete discography for The Pleased:

Never Complete (2002 EP)
One Piece from the Middle (2002 double EP)
Don't Make Things

"We Are the Doctor" by The Pleased


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Vetiver - Vetiver (2004)

"Farther On" by Vetiver


Andy Cabic left The Raymond Brake and left Chapel Hill to exchange coasts.  In San Francisco, he formed his own folk band Vetiver in 2002 that featured a oft shifting set of supporting players from the local freak folk scene (folk with a dash of the avant garde).  The band released its first album, the eponymous Vetiver, in 2004.  An EP followed in 2005.

Here is the discography surrounding Vetiver's debut album:

2002 Demo (2002 demo)
Vetiver
Be Kind to Me (2005 compilation song)
Between (2005 EP)
You May Be Blue (live) (2005 compilation song)

"Luna Sea" by Vetiver


"Save Me a Place" by Vetiver


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The Raymond Brake - Piles of Dirty Winters (1995)

"Philistine" by The Raymond Brake


If you were in a Chapel Hill indie band during the nineties, chances are your band's recordings would be produced by Caleb Southern.  From Archers of Loaf to the Ben Folds Five, his fingerprints were all over any album that made it out of North Carolina to gain critical acclaim on the national stage.  One of the bands he produced that faltered out of the gate was The Raymond Brake, a four-piece alternative band from Greensboro (because Chapel Hill is really only 45 minutes away).

The Raymond Brake formed in 1994 with Andy Cabic (guitar, vocals), Ryan Stewart (guitar vocals), Peder Hollinghurst (bass), and Joel Darden (drums).  Their only album Piles of Dirty Winters released as soon as 1995.  They gained a little success after touring the country and garnered favorable comparisons to other successful Chapel Hill alternative acts.  The band began to unravel soon after, having to replace Peder on bass with Matt Houston in 1996.  They released an EP that same year before the band slowly stumbled to the group's dissolution in 1998.

Here is the complete discography for The Raymond Brake:

The Raymond Brake (1994 single)
Split (1994 single)
New Wave Dream (1995 single)
Sentiment (1995 compilation track)
Piles of Dirty Winters
Never Work Ever (1996 EP)
Threnody (1997 compilation track)

"New Wave Dream" by The Raymond Brake


"Easter" by The Raymond Brake


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Metal Flake Mother - Beyond the Java Sea (1991)

"Mean to Me" by Metal Flake Mother


Jack Yarber (of Compulsive Gamblers) and Jim Mathis were two of the original founders of Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves.  Jim or Jimbo was in a number of other bands in the late eighties such as The End and Cafe des Moines.  He dropped out of Mississippi State at 20 to join the Merchant Marines and used his time off to travel the US.  Eventually, he moved to Chapel Hill where he could use the library for study and, at the same time, establish himself in the local alternative music scene.  He changed his last name to Mathus (prompted by his independent study of Latin) and helped form Metal Flake Mother.  He played drums and was supported by Quince Marcum on bass, and Benjamin Clarke and Randy Ward on guitars and vocals.  Together, they made up one of Chapel Hill's most popular alternative acts.  As for their sound, "imagine if the Pixies could play their instruments - maybe that's the sound."

Here is the complete discography for Metal Flake Mother:

Deem-On (1990 single)
Beyond the Java Sea

"Moss Howl" by Metal Flake Mother


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Compulsive Gamblers - Gamblin' Days Are Over (1995)

"Way Down in the Hole" by Compulsive Gamblers


The Reatards (in this case just Jay Reatard, really) got some early help from drummer Greg Cartwright and engineer Jack Yarber in getting their early EPs off the ground.  Note: The two declined to take the Reatard surname as they already had one... to be continued, I'm sure. Instead of explaining what Greg (guitar, vocals) and Jack (guitar, vocals) went by,  let's cover their first mutual band the Compulsive Gamblers, a quintet formed in Memphis at the onset of the nineties.

Together with Bushrod Thomas (drums), Fields Trimble (bass), and Greg Easterly (violin), they played blues and punk inspired garage rock and released three themed EPs without snagging a good record deal for a full length album.  They did, however, collect an album's worth of material from previous sessions ironically titled Gamblin' Days Are Over as it saw release two years after the band dissolved.

Jack Yarber was also a member of another band, Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves, before the Gamblers.  They didn't release much but left a notable impression on the Memphis punk and garage scene.

Here is the discography surrounding Compulsive Gamblers's debut album:

Joker (1992 EP)
Church Goin' (1992 EP)
Chokin' on a Lude (1993 EP as Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves)
Gamblin' Days Are Over
Good Time Gamblers (1996 EP)
Thanks for the Ride! (2005 EP as Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves)
Running in a Rat Race (2006 EP as Johnny Vomit & the Dry Heaves)

"Sour and Vicious Man" by Compulsive Gamblers


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Reatards - Teenage Hate (1998)

"I Can Live Without You" by Reatards


Guitar Wolf stopped through Memphis on their first American tour and caught the attention of Eric Friedl of Goner Records. The independent label mainly released local garage and punk rock 'n' roll, but were impressed enough to get the publishing rights to Guitar Wolf's debut album. Goner Records has signed a number of bands and artists, but one of their most famous discoveries was Jay Reatard whom they signed at the age of 15.

Jay Reatard was born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.  Originally, Jay was the only member of the Reatards, recording all of the instruments himself.  After signing with Goner, label leaders Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber helped play on and record his first single "Get Real Stupid" released in 1997.  Then, a more tour-ready band was put together with Elvis Wong Reatard and Steve Albundy Reatard (taking monikers ala Ramones) joining the band as drummer and bassist respectively.  Together the Reatards released another cassette in 1997 and their debut album Teenage Hate the next year.

Here is the discography surrounding the Reatards's debut album:

The Reatards (1996 cassette demo)
Get Real Stupid (1997 single)
Fuck Elvis, Here's the Reatards (1997 cassette demo)
Teenage Hate

"Out of My Head, Into My Bed" by Reatards


"When I Get Mad" by Reatards


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Guitar Wolf - Wolf Rock! (1993)

"Red Rockabilly" by Guitar Wolf


Bloodthirsty Butchers released their first recordings through compilation albums. On a compilation album called TVVA, their songs featured alongside another struggling Japanese punk band Guitar Wolf.

In the spirit of the Ramones, Guitar Wolf is made up of the actually not related Wolf brothers:  Guitar Wolf (real name Seiji), Bass Wolf (real name Billy), and Drum Wolf (real name Narita then replaced by Toru).  They formed in Harajuku in 1987 and played a style they dubbed Jet Rock 'n Roll.  The style drew upon punk and traditional rock and made heavy use of distortion, feedback, and screaming.  The name pays homage to Joan Jett.  They released their debut album Wolf Rock! in 1993 which was supposedly recorded in Seiji's basement.

Here is the discography surrounding Guitar Wolf's debut album:

Machine Gun Guitar (1992 compilation song)
Wolf Rock!

"Machine Gun Guitar" by Guitar Wolf


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Bloodthirsty Butchers - Bloodthirsty Butchers (1990)

Eastern Youth formed about the same time as fellow punk band Bloodthirsty Butchers.  Both released their debut albums on indie label B.S.P. Project.

Bloodthirsty Butchers formed out of the ashes of a punk metal band called L.S.D. that was active in Sapporo during the eighties.  The band released only two singles before breaking up but seems to have left its mark on Japanese Metal.  Bloodthirsty Butchers formed with Takeshi Imoriya on bass, Masahiro Komatsu on drums, and songwriter Hideki Yoshimura on lead guitar and vocals.  Their debut album Bloodthirsty Butchers released in 1990.

Here is the discography surrounding Bloodthirsty Butchers's debut album:

Destroy (1983 single as L.S.D.)
Jast Last (1986 single as L.S.D.)
1983-2005 Hate (2005 compilation as L.S.D.)
Cowboy (1989 compilation songs)
Bloodthirsty Butchers
Korekaradoushiyou? (1992 compilation songs)

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Eastern Youth - East End Land (1989)

Number Girl was one of the bigger names to come out of the Fukuoka rock scene. As their star rose higher and shined brighter, they benefited by touring with higher profile bands. Two of the bands that toured with Number Girl were long established and very popular indie bands Bloodthirsty Butchers and Eastern Youth.

Known now as an indie band, Eastern Youth started as an Oi!/Skinhead band in the late eighties.  (Note:  Oi! is a workingman's sub-genre of punk music.  It's music that's as simple and direct as you can get and without the art school pedigree.)  The band formed under childhood friends Hisashi Yoshino (vocals, guitar), Atsuya Tamori (drums), and Toru Mitsuhashi (bass).  They released their debut album East End Land in 1989.

Here is the discography surrounding Eastern Youth's debut album:

Eastern Youth

"East End Land" by Eastern Youth


"This Is My Life" by Eastern Youth


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Number Girl - School Girl Bye Bye (1997)

"Omoide in My Head" by Number Girl


Sheena Ringo was an early fan of Japanese indie band Number Girl and especially their guitarist Tabuchi Hisako, after whom Sheena would pattern her own guitar playing.

Beginning in the middle of 1995, Number Girl had a hard time getting off the ground.  Spearheaded by lead vocalist and guitarist Mukai Shutoku, several incarnations of the band fell through as various collaborators came and went.  Things began to solidify with the recruitment of bassist Nakao Kentarou who extended his invitation to Tabuchi.  The acquisition of drummer Inazawa Ahito locked in Number Girl's line-up.  They quickly turned out two demos in 1996 and released their debut album School Girl Bye Bye in 1997 on indie label K.O.G.A. Records. A lone non-album single ("Drunken Hearted") would be released several months later in 1998.

Here is the discography surrounding Number Girl's debut album:

Atari Shock (1996 demo)
Headache Sounds (1996 compilation tracks)
Omoide in My Head (1996 demo)
School Girl Bye Bye
Drunken Hearted (1998 single)

"Mini Grammer" by Number Girl


"September Girlfriend" by Number Girl


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椎名林檎 - 無罪モラトリアム (1999)

"歌舞伎町の女王" by Sheena Ringo


Do As Infinity's own Dai Nagao did a bulk of the production work on Break of Dawn, but producer Seiji Kameda helped out on a couple of the album's tracks.  Seiji Kameda is another producer who works closely with budding J-Pop stars.  His most famous partnership, however, is with J-Pop rocker Sheena Ringo (椎名林檎) with whom he'd arrange her songs.

Sheena Ringo started writing songs and recording her own demos in junior high.  Through high school, she performed in several music star search competitions both as a solo performer and member of an all-girl band.  Sheena's last competition saw her offered a contract by the event's sponsor, Yamaha, which she turned down.  Her hopes for a better contract came quickly from Toshiba EMI.  Sheena's relationship with her record label started out uneasily as the label criticized her lyrics and refused her creative insight.  But after the poor showing of her debut single, she was allowed more creative input into the managing of her career.  Sheena's next two singles did incrementally better, and her debut album 無罪モラトリアム (Muzai (Innocence) Moratorium) would peak at #2 on the charts.  It was notable for her sonic mix of traditional J-Pop with western alternative.

Here is the discography surrounding Sheena Ringo's debut album:

幸福論 (1998 single)
歌舞伎町の女王 (1998 single)
ここでキスして。 (1999 single)
無罪モラトリアム
幸福論 (1999 single re-release)

"幸福論" by Sheena Ringo


"同じ夜" by Sheena Ringo


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Do As Infinity - Break of Dawn (2000)

"Heart" by Do As Infinity


The string performances for Suzuki Ami's debut album were performed by Japanese string orchestra, Chieko Kinbara Strings.  This group performs with many of J-Pop's biggest hitmakers and notably recorded on J-Pop band Do As Infinity's debut album.

Do As Infinity formed as the brainchild of composer and producer of Dai Nagao (notice the band's acronym).  Auditions led to the hiring of Ryo Owatari on guitar and Tomiko Van on lead vocals.  Both also contribute lyrics to the songwriting process.  The band got to work very quickly and released four singles not long after forming.  Their fourth single peaked highest at #10 on the Oricon charts.  Helping their ascendancy into the public eye was the use of two of their songs as anime/movie theme songs and another was tagged to TV commercials.  Bolstered by all this publicity, Do As Infinity's debut album Break of Dawn released in early 2000 and peaked at #3.

Sidenote:  Dai plays a double-neck acoustic guitar.  what?

Here is the discography surrounding Do As Infinity's debut album:

Tangerine Dream (1999 single)
Oasis (1999 single)
Heart (2000 single)
Yesterday & Today (2000 single)
Break of Dawn

"Welcome!" by Do As Infinity


"心の地図" by Do As Infinity


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鈴木あみ - SA (1999)

"Love the Island" by Suzuki Ami


hitomi's success is largely attributed to her legendary Japanese producer Tetsuya Komuro.  In the 90s, he could do no wrong as whichever artist who benefited from his production would surely perform well on the charts.  Suzuki Ami was another such young singer to be sponsored by Komuro.

Suzuki Ami (鈴木あみ) won her record deal at the age of 15 through a television talent show (Asayan similar in format to American Idol, I suppose) of which she topped 13,499 other contestants.  Already familiar to the audience by the time she would properly release music, she only got more publicity by having her first two singles utilized by the Japanese government's efforts to promote tourism to Guam.  All six of her singles from her debut album, SA, would peak in the top five of the Oricon singles charts bringing the album behind them to #1.  She would go on to win the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist.

Here is the discography surrounding 鈴木あみ's debut album:

Love the Island (1998 single)
Alone in My Room (1998 single)
All Night Long (1998 single)
White Key (1998 single)
Nothing Without You (1999 single)
Don't Leave Me Behind (1999 single)
SA

"Alone in My Room" by Suzuki Ami


"All Night Long" by Suzuki Ami


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hitomi - Go to the Top (1995)

"Go to the Top" by hitomi

Both debut albums by U2 and J-Pop singer hitomi were mixed by audio technician and producer Kevin Moloney.

Just out of middle school, Furuya Hitomi began her career as a model but was recruited soon after to the Avex Trax record label on a chance meeting with one of Japan's most successful producers.  Branded as 'hitomi' (lowercase and all), she put out her first single in 1994 to little notice.  It was not until her third single "Candy Girl", backed with a substantially important Kodak TV spot, that her singles began to gain any selling power.  Despite that success, her 1995 debut album Go to the Top surprised a lot of industry heads when it landed as high as #3 on the Oricon charts and remained there for a total of eight weeks.  Although hitomi's producer, Tetsuya Komuro, held a strong influence over her sound, by writing her own lyrics she was one of the few J-Pop artists to hold any creative control of their music whatsoever.

Here is the discography surrounding hitomi's debut album:

Let's Play Winter (1994 single)
We Are "Lonely Girl" (1995 single)
Candy Girl (1995 single)
Go to the Top (1995 single)
Go to the Top

"Candy Girl" by hitomi


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U2 - Boy (1980)

"Out of Control" by U2


After having heard their demo and seen them perform on live television, Bono signed Hothouse Flowers to U2's label Mother Records.  The contract was used to release a promotional single ("Love Don't Work This Way") which promptly bounced the group to a deal with London Records.

U2 started as a band of schoolboys who thought they'd form a band in Dublin circa 1976.  Although forming the band was Larry Mullen's initial idea, his role as leader was quickly usurped by the more aggressive and charismatic Bono.  Bono (Paul Hewson; lead vocals) joined Larry Mullen's (drums) band with his friend The Edge (David Evans; guitar), The Edge's brother Dik Evans (who'd soon be phased out of the band), and a friend of Dik's, Adam Clayton (bass).  Influenced by the leading punk scene, U2's sound initially formed around a post-punk mentality of playing and songwriting.  U2's popularity grew quickly and they eventually gained a record deal with Island Records.  Their debut album Boy released in October of 1980 to positive reviews, mild chart success, and a mountain of potential.

Here is the discography surrounding U2's debut album:

Early Demos (1978 demos)
Children of the Revolution (1978-1979 demos)
Three (1979 EP)
Another Day (1980 single)
11 O'Clock Tick Tock (1980 single)
A Day Without Me (1980 single)
I Will Follow (1980 single)
Boy

"I Will Follow" by U2


"The Electric Co." by U2


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Hothouse Flowers - People (1988)

"It'll Be Easier in the Morning" by Hothouse Flowers

In 1980, Kevin Shields and Colm Ó Cíosóig started as members of the band The Complex along with Dave Conway and Liam Ó Maonlaí, who left the group in 1983 leaving the three remaining members to form My Bloody Valentine.  In 1985, Liam (vocals, keyboards, guitar) started busking with old schoolmate Fiachna Ó Braonáin (guitar, vocals).  When fellow street performer Peter O'Toole (bass) joined the group, it marked the beginning of Hothouse Flowers.  Leo Barnes (saxophone) and Jerry Fehily (drums) rounded out the band's early lineup.  The Flowers stood out with their gospel and celtic infused rock and quickly made their name as "the best unsigned band in Europe".  This publicity quickly turned around the band's fortunes, and they would release their debut album People in 1988.  The album went down as the best-selling debut by an Irish artist in Ireland.

Here is the discography surrounding Hothouse Flowers's debut album:

Love Don't Work This Way (1987 single)
Don't Go (1987 single)
Feet on the Ground (1987 single)
I'm Sorry (1988 single)
Easier in the Morning (1988 single)
People

"Don't Go" by Hothouse Flowers


"Saved" by Hothouse Flowers


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My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (1988)

"Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)" by My Bloody Valentine


When forming Catherine Wheel, Rob Dickinson and company had trouble holding down a bass player until they put down an advertisement for one.  "Band looking for bassist--influences Stone Roses, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, etc."

My Bloody Valentine is a shoegaze/alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland formed in 1983 and headed by founders Kevin Shields (guitar, vocals) and Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums).  After meandering around in Dublin, the Netherlands, and Germany, their most famous line-up came together with the two joined by Bilinda Butcher (vocals, guitar) and Debbie Googe (bass).  With a consistent line-up, there came the solidification of the band's sound and a record deal with Creation Records that would help along the band's debut full length album Isn't Anything in November of 1988.

Here is the discography surrounding My Bloody Valentine's debut album:

This Is Your Bloody Valentine (1985 mini-album)
Man You Love to Hate - Live (1985 live album)
Geek! (1985 EP)
The New Record by My Bloody Valentine (1986 EP)
No Place to Go (1986 single)
Sunny Sundae Smile (1987 EP)
Sunny Sundae Smile (1987 single)
Strawberry Wine (1987 EP)
Ecstasy (1987 mini-album)
You Made Me Realise (1988 EP)
You Made Me Realise (1988 single)
Feed Me With Your Kiss (1988 EP)
Feed Me With Your Kiss (1988 single)
Peel Session (1988 live session)
Isn't Anything
Instrumental (1988 bonus single)
Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) (1988 promo single)
Ecstasy and Wine (1989 compilation album)

"You Made Me Realise" by My Bloody Valentine


"No More Sorry" by My Bloody Valentine


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Catherine Wheel - Ferment (1992)

"Black Metallic" by Catherine Wheel


Cathrine Wheel is a shoegaze/alternative rock band from England formed in 1990.  Alongside their debut album Ferment which saw a well-received release in 1992, they release a half-dozen or so EPs and singles.  One of these was a limited edition EP (for the holidays) that featured one original song and three covers.  The third track on the EP was a cover of Mission of Burma's classic "That's When I Reach for My Revolver".

Here is the discography surrounding Catherine Wheel's debut album:

She's My Friend (1991 EP)
Peel Session (1991 Peel Sessions)
Painful Thing (1991 EP)
Black Metallic (1991 single)
Balloon (1992 single)
I Want to Touch You (1991 single)
Ferment
Shallow (1992 live EP)
30 Century Man (1992 limited EP)

"Texture" by Catherine Wheel


"Shallow" by Catherine Wheel


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Mission of Burma - Vs. (1982)

"That's When I Reach for My Revolver" by Mission of Burma


Clint Conley produced Yo La Tengo's debut album, but he first became known for his bass work in the short lived (at the time) but highly influential band Mission of Burma.  The post-punk/proto-alternative band formed in 1979 out of the remnants of art rock group The Moving Parts.  The group worked the local circuit until their dissolution in 1983 due to lead guitarist Roger Miller having developed tinnitus.  They released an EP Signals, Calls, and Marches in 1981 and an album Vs. in 1982.

Here is the discography surrounding Mission of Burma's debut album:

Wrong Conclusion (as The Moving Parts) (compilation of 1978 recordings)
Academy Fight Song (1980 single)
Signals, Calls, and Marches (1981 EP)
Trem Two (1982 single)
Vs.
The Horrible Truth about Burma (1985 live album)
Forget (1987 compilation album)
Mission of Burma (1988 compilation album)
Peking Spring (1988 compilation album)
Let There Be Burma (1990 compilation album)
Active in the Yard (1994 single)

"Tremolo" by Mission of Burma


"Outlaw" by Mission of Burma


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Yo La Tengo - Ride the Tiger (1986)

"The Way Some People Die" by Yo La Tengo


The Feelies did not play live very often, and when they did, the band rarely strayed from the New York and New Jersey area.  They played at the legendary CBGB's and Max's Kansas City semi-regularly, but the group's favorite venue to play was easily Maxwell's in Hoboken.  For the most part, The Feelies played Maxwell's only on holidays with the one exception being Hannukah... that's when the band Yo La Tengo would play.

Here is the discography surrounding Yo La Tengo's debut album:

The River of Water (1985 single)
Private Doberman (1985 compilation track)
Ride the Tiger
Heart's Expired (1986 compilation track)

"The Cone of Silence" by Yo La Tengo


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The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms (1980)

"Fa Cé-La" by The Feelies


Director Olivier Assayas wanted the soundtrack to his 2010 mini-series Carlos to feature several songs by a band called The Feelies.  However, he group refused permission to the use of their songs in the series because they didn't want their music associated with terrorism.  The director was able to maintain the use of one of the band's songs "Loveless Love" for a very non-terrorist moment in the series but was forced to replace the others he wanted with Wire songs.

Here is the discography surrounding The Feelies's debut album:

Fa Cé-La (1980 single)
Crazy Rhythms
Original Love (1980 single)

"Crazy Rhythms" by The Feelies


Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies


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