Yellow Pills, Volume 2 (1994) - Various Artists

Featuring »

20/20, Steve Allen, Ted Ansani, Jo(h)n Auer, Jim Basnight, Bill Belknap, Tom(my) Borawski, Brian Stevens And The Flip, J.T. Burley, David Burley, Jason Callais, Jeff Carlson, Matt(hew) Cullen, Mike/Michael D'Amico, Michael/Mike Den(n)een, Tommy Dunbar, Doug Edmunds, Jim Ellison, Gere Fennelly, Ron Flynt, Brian Geist, Gladhands, Parthenon Huxley (Rick Rock/Miller), Brian Kassan, Randell Kirsch, Gary Klebe, Eddie/Edward Kurdziel, Bobby La Roche/LaRoche, Bill Lloyd, Material Issue, Jeff McDonald, Steve McDonald, Jeff Murphy, John Murphy, Mike Musburger, Tommy Pluta, Redd Kross, Greg(ory) Reinel, Brian Reitzel, Stephen Reso, Rick Roberts, Darian Sahanaja, Clayton Peter Scoble, Shoes, Lane Steinberg, Brian Stevens, Ken Stringfellow, Milton Ray Sutton, Matthew Sweet, The Nicoteens, The Posies, The Rubinoos, The Sighs, The Underground Cartoons, William (Rej) Troop(, III), Kyle Vincent, Chris Von Sneidern, Nick Walusko, Michael Weidenhammer, Wondermints, Mike Zelenko, Mike Zelenko

Tracklisting »

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Shoes continue their winning streak of perfect pop, as evidenced by the decidedly contemporary-sounding A Thing Of The Past. Be sure to spin PROPELLER - their most recent album. It contains a different mix of this charmer. Nothing At All   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:54   Comments: by 20/20. This rockin' track - from relatively recent sessions - recalls the pop intensity of their early songs. The image-packed lyrics and melodic riffs all serve to make something out of Nothing At All. Something's Happened To Catherine   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:02   Comments: by Material Issue. Concocting both Sweet-style confections, and balladry worthy of the young Bee Gees, Material Issue shakes off the trends of the day as if they were so much wood dust. The band's plan to put pop on the map could entail coming to your town, and if they do, don't dare miss them. Produced by the legendary Mike Chapman, Something's Happened To Catherine is a power-pop event, complete with blazing riffs, the girl's-name-title that's become Ellison's calling card, and enough energy to put Prozac out of business. Bazooka Joe   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 2:48   Comments: by Parthenon Huxley. This interestingly named pop talent started out in North Carolina, at one point calling himself Rick Rock. Relocating to Los Angeles, he released an excellent major label album and recently produced and wrote with the interestingly named (A Man Called) E. Huxley's forte is launching bright pop songs out of any nucleus of subject matter, from the politically important to the obliquely alluring. This gives his thinking-man's pop the dual attributes of maximum hummability and lyrical acuity. Bazooka Joe will replay in your head over and over again - as if your mind were a jukebox full of quarters. A Little Bird Told Me So   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:35   Comments: by Brian Stevens And The Flip. Former Cavedog Brian Stevens doesn't shy away from slipping the occasional Burt Bacharach flourish into his Lennon-influenced songs. That imbues the glorious A Little Bird Told Me So with a pop-history acumen that's both musically impressive and easy on the ear. Situations   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 4:09   Comments: by The Sighs. The Sighs released the superb WHAT GOES ON in 1992, which provided an introduction to their - by turns hard-edged and ethereal - classic pop sound. The hooky Situations is dark perhaps - but there's plenty of light at the end of its tunnel. Tonight   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 2:55   Comments: by Jim Basnight. The theme of Tonight may be pervasive in power-pop, but this overlooked Seattle talent keeps it fresh as a first date. Basnight - while very much his own man - makes music for those who miss the early Plimsouls and even earlier Kinks. Just Kidding   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:56   Comments: by Randell Kirsch. Randell Kirsch, a talented Los Angeles writer, composed Blue Kiss and Somebody's Going To Get Into This House for ex-Go Go Jane Wiedlin (among other projects). His gorgeous Just Kidding strikes me as a dreamy mid-point between Neil Young and Brian Wilson. Edit by the Attack Hamster for Pigs On Corn. Saying Sorry To Myself   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:46   Comments: by The Posies. During the course of three fine albums, this Seattle band's clean pop has accumulated very little grunge. Often compared to both the Hollies and Big Star - even stinting in a recent incarnation of the latter - the Posies are equally adept at classic melodies, sharp harmonies, and the kind of clever word-play that makes Elvis Costello look stiff. You're Gonna Save Me   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:26   Comments: by The Nicoteens. The surgeon general - a closet pop fan - has confirmed it: The Nicoteens are indeed addictive. This Florida group smokes in more ways than one, coughing up some of the most amazing pop around. You're Gonna Save Me effortlessly melds a Big Star-ish melody with a Ray Davies - circa '67 - feel. As any X-ray would show, this song is pop down to the bone. Special thanks to Bob Greenlee. Just A Matter Of Time   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:31   Comments: by Kyle Vincent. Kyle Vincent sang lead in a great mid-eighties pop group - the Raspberries-flavored Candy. On his own, he makes music that's even sweeter, as demonstrated by Just A Matter Of Time - co-written by Rubinoos mastermind Tommy Dunbar. How long will it be before this gem is a hit? Let the title be the answer. Sisters   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 4:59   Comments: by Gladhands. This Nebraska combo - since relocated to North Carolina - plays pop that's harmony-laden in the best tradition of Todd Rundgren's Nazz. Sisters is a relative masterpiece. Special thanks to Jim Homan. Carnival Of Souls   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 4:19   Comments: by Wondermints. This multi-textured tour-de-force meshes power chords and rockin' vocols - evoking the Who, the hard side of Badfinger, and glam - with frothy waves of Beach Boys exuberance. The clever Wondermints should easily appeal to fans of Jellyfish, XTC and the Raspberries. Switchblade Sister   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 2:54   Comments: by Redd Kross. Barely teenagers at the time, Redd Kross was one of the first bands in So Cal to pick up guitars and lash out at their laid-back homeland with a new thing called "punk." In no time at all, they were studding their songs with arcane references to The Partridge Family and other '70s kitsch, along the way developing a keen power-pop sensibility. The evolution culminated with 1991's THIRD EYE, on which they came on like a sort of junior Cheap Trick, and 1993's PHASESHIFTER, on which they flawlessly balanced melody and alterna-punk, not once burning themselves on the irony. The non-LP Switchblade Sister temporarily forsakes Americana, instead paying tribute to T. Rex, Slade, and the other glam stars that made '70s England all the rage. There's A Lot Of Love In This Room   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:18   Comments: by Bill Lloyd. Over the course of his tenure in the Everlys/Buddy Holly-influenced duo Foster And Lloyd, and two excellent solo LPs, the Nashville-based Bill Lloyd has held on tight to pop melody. His solo work has been compared to Big Star, the dBs and Tommy Keene, and more than deserves that analogical company. After two plays, There's A Lot Of Love In This Room will have you chanting along, and when it's over, be on your guard: You could be at the office, out to dinner, even at the library, when the urge to hum the darned thing gets the best of you. Talk about singing its praises. Call Out My Name   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:20   Comments: by Chris Von Sneidern. This rising star thrilled pop fans everywhere at once with his SIGHT AND SOUND album, which was so good it nearly induced sensory overload. Call Out My Name is from sessions that found CVS in a state-of-the-art studio with Flashcubes drummer Tommy Allen. The jangly guitars are fused with an almost Who-like energy, and the plaintive chorus will have you rediscovering your Bongos records. Still, CVS has his own fingerprint of a sound, and to say that it's touching is barely scratching the surface. Bovine Connection   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 1:42   Comments: by Matthew Sweet. Matthew Sweet is living proof that fine, contemporary pop music can garner not only critical adulation, but commercial success. A studio fidgeter in the tradition of Lindsey Buckingham, here Sweet has milked a pop ditty for all that it's worth. There's an Alex Chilton feel in the verse (think Bangkok) and a blue ribbon chorus. Bovine Connection could be a cash cow. Empty Boy   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:47   Comments: by Lane Steinberg. Steinberg was in the Wind, a Florida/New York band who released three excellent records in the '80s. Empty Boy - not to be confused with Andrew Gold's Lonely Boy - is a folky XTC-esque track bristling with pop melancholy. Head First   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:43   Comments: by The Underground Cartoons. This Pennsylvania group specializes in strong melodies offset by dark vocals and lyrics. Head First, however, catches the band in a bright mood, setting into motion classic power-pop that bounces off walls of sound. Watching The Headlights Burn   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:33   Comments: by 20/20. Watching The Headlights Burn reveals 20/20's reflective side. Stop Before We Start   Date Performance: 1994, Running Time: 3:01   Comments: by The Rubinoos. Holding the Beach Boys, Beatles and Motown in equally high esteem, the Rubinoos keep catchy, upbeat music alive in San Francisco, a city known more for pot jams than pop gems.

Guest Appearances »

Tommy Allen, Rusty Anderson, Jennifer Condos, John DeNicola, Dave Drewry, Tommy Dunbar, Mick Fleetwood, Ivan Julian, Toby Kiel, Rob Ladd, Dan McNamara, LuAnn Olson, Glen Oyabe, Robbie Scharf, Peter Straus

Released »

1994-07-29

Format »

Import Vinyl/CD Album

Other Appearances »

Steve Allen (Songwriter), Steve Allen (Songwriter), Jo(h)n Auer (Songwriter), Jo(h)n Auer (Songwriter), Jim Basnight (Songwriter), Bill Belknap (Songwriter), Bill Belknap (Songwriter), Alex Carlin (Songwriter), Alex Carlin (Songwriter), Matt(hew) Cullen (Songwriter), Matt(hew) Cullen (Songwriter), John DeNicola (Songwriter), John DeNicola (Songwriter), Tommy Dunbar (Songwriter), Tommy Dunbar (Songwriter), Doug Edmunds (Songwriter), Doug Edmunds (Songwriter), Jim Ellison (Songwriter), Jim Ellison (Songwriter), Ron Flynt (Songwriter), Ron Flynt (Songwriter), Parthenon Huxley (Rick Rock/Miller) (Songwriter), Randell Kirsch (Songwriter), Bobby La Roche/LaRoche (Songwriter), Bobby La Roche/LaRoche (Songwriter), Bill Lloyd (Songwriter), Matt Machaffie (Songwriter), Matt Machaffie (Songwriter), Jeff McDonald (Songwriter), Steve McDonald (Songwriter), Steve McDonald (Songwriter), Jeff McDonald (Songwriter), John Murphy (Songwriter), John Murphy (Songwriter), Greg(ory) Reinel (Songwriter), Greg(ory) Reinel (Songwriter), Lane Steinberg (Songwriter), Brian Stevens (Songwriter), Brian Stevens (Songwriter), Ken Stringfellow (Songwriter), Ken Stringfellow (Songwriter), Matthew Sweet (Songwriter), Kyle Vincent (Songwriter), Chris Von Sneidern (Songwriter), Nick Walusko (Songwriter), Nick Walusko (Songwriter), Michael Weidenhammer (Songwriter), Michael Weidenhammer (Songwriter), Dean Brownrout (Executive Producer), David Wolin (Executive Producer), Mike (Michael Donald) Chapman (Produced By), Jordan Oakes (Compiled By), Don Grossinger (Mastered By), Joshua Melville (Remastered By), Tommy Dunbar (Drum Programming), Nancy Brennan (Design By), Joshua Melville (Digitally Edited By), Jordan Oakes (Liner Notes By)

Record Label »

Big Deal/Victor Entertainment

Catalogue Number »

VICP-60682

Running Time »

73:41

Liner Notes »

Mastered at Europadisk. Power-pop is back, and so are we - with a second volume. The style's impressive resume' keeps getting longer and more accomplished, and finally seems well-qualified for success. It's somewhat ironic that some of the very groups I mentioned last time - as evidence of the music's timely resurgence - appear on this volume. This includes Matthew Sweet and The Posies, two bands that have bridged the gap between melodic pop and "alternative". What's fascinating (and a personal thrill) is to hear their songs juxtaposed with those of vintage practitioners like Shoes and 20/20. It's analogous to a family photo with different generations standing side by side. In a way, this compilation is a progression - if I may use a word in reference to pop - from the first one. If Volume One had a '65/'66 feel, then Volume Two - in spots at least - is a little more evocative of '67. Ultimately, power-pop's backbone will always be a reverence for it's British Invasion forefathers, as well as that rock-solid triad of the '70s: Big Star, Badfinger and the Raspberries. It's what new bands do with those raw (some might argue, polished) materials that's so exciting - it justifies the form's longevity. Basically, good songs never get old, and that explains pop's fountain of youth. Whether you play this CD in your living room, office or bedroom, its magic will transport you - you'll suddenly find yourself cruisin' down the boulevard, lost in a melody. - Jordan Oakes To be considered for a future volume, or for a sample copy of the Yellow Pills fanzine on which this compilation is based, contact: Jordan Oakes 4933 Odell #1E St. Louis, MO 63139 (Sample 'zines are $3 and three stamps, payable to Jordan Oakes; foreign orders, please inclde extra postage.) Material Issue appears courtesy of Mercury Recards, The Posies appear courtesy of DGC Records. Redd Kross appears courtesy of This Way Up. Matthew Sweet appears courtesy of Zoo Entertainment. (P) & (C) 1994 Big Deal P.O. Box #2072 Peter Stuyvesant Station NY, NY 10009-9998 1999 Japan CD Reissue Notes: All Rights of the manufacturer and of the owner of the recorded work reserved. Unauthorised copying, public performance, broadcasting, renting and making transmittable of this record prohibited. Manufactured & distributed by Victor Entertainment, Inc., Japan Steroe Jasrac Compact Disc Digital Audio

Reviews »

Add your review here. Sweet is sweet but short, still some other good stuff Review written by John Fitzgerald, July 20th, 2005 Mick Fleetwood pounds away on the drums on this disc's best song, Matthew Sweet's "Bovine connection". It rumbles along in a winning way like The Who's "My generation". This is my favorite Sweet song. The problem is that it's less than two minutes long. One just wishes it was longer but the rest of the disc is pretty good too although many songs sound rather similar to each other. (there's two songs included from 20/20) but good sounding 90's rock. Not too grungy, not too poppy although the CD is billed as a "power pop" collection. Going by the Mac connection alone, I'd recommend it anyways but even if the shortness of that song may irritate some, there's still some other good sounding musical moments included herein.

Comments »

Reissued in Japan on April 21, 1999

Last Modified »

2011-09-02

Tracklisting »

Discography entry submitted by Marty Adelson.