Touch me, I'm Dick

August 4, 2007 8:00 PM

Music AskMefi People: A playlist challenge. I'm looking for "lesser known", but excellent, grunge. In particular, I'm interested in songs you have heard once or twice, and if they're ever played on the radio, you find yourself saying: "Damn, that's a great song, why don't they play that one more?"

My basic Zen in this playlist is songs that, if I heard them on a new CD, I'd listen to a couple of times over and over again, because I thought they were cool -- but the DJs and the corporate radio programmers never seemed to agree with me. The only problem with this idea is that most of these songs sit in my memory as "Hey, what was the name of that song, again?" So, I need your help.

So far, I have:

Soundgarden -- Birth Ritual

Alice in Chains -- Right Turn

Screaming Trees -- Shadow of the Season

Mother Love Bone -- Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns

Monster Magnet -- Negasonic Teenage Warhead

Soundgarden -- Like Suicide (Acoustic 1995 version)

(Bonus points if you can name the song being played in the following scene: Lloyd Dobbler packs his bag, hugs his nephew and sister, and is about to leave when he thinks better of it, turns up the stereo really loudly, and then leaves...)

posted by thanotopsis to Media & Arts (34 answers total)

We-ell, if we're gonna be inclusive enough to throw in Monster Magnet, you might want to add something like "Born with a Tail" by the Supersuckers, or really any number of L7 songs that weren't "Pretend We're Dead" and therefore were completely ignored by commercial radio.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:13 PM on August 4, 2007

(The Supersuckers would probably get in a line to kick my ass for identifying them as a grunge band, but I get the feeling you're talking more about an era and a general semi-metalness than a style, if grunge really was one beyond "this sounds kinda like slowed down Black Sabbath -- gold!")
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:15 PM on August 4, 2007

archers of loaf -- wrong
posted by phil at 8:18 PM on August 4, 2007

For bonus points, working from fuzzy memory of the scene in question: The Replacements' "Within Your Reach"?
posted by jjg at 8:36 PM on August 4, 2007

Lesser-known songs by famous bands:
Nirvana - Blew (or School, or Aneurysm)
Smashing Pumpkins - Bury Me

Lesser-known bands:
Sugartooth - Sold My Fortune
Dandelion - Waiting for a Ride
posted by Jaltcoh at 8:40 PM on August 4, 2007

rival schools

they did one album (i think), it's got several well known guys (at least in underground circles) in it that were in gorilla biscuits and quicksand. quicksand may be up your alley as well, they're pretty great and did a couple records "slip" is especially awesome.
posted by andywolf at 9:15 PM on August 4, 2007

Touch Me I'm Sick uh, whoops I suddenly see the title of the post.

Anyway, I just love Mudhoney. True grunge.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:18 PM on August 4, 2007

Maybe some Canadian grunge-pop?

Killjoys - "Rave and Drool"
Thrush Hermit - "North Dakota"
Sloan - "Underwhelmed" but also the lesser-known "Sugartune"
posted by mrmcsurly at 9:30 PM on August 4, 2007

Not sure if they fall into the grunge bucket quite, but Local H's "born to be down" is a nice walkup from casual conversation to screaming in pain.
posted by davejay at 10:45 PM on August 4, 2007

plus, it's only two guys, a drummer and a guy playing a guitar with two bass strings and singing -- they sound as huge live as they do on the album, it's crazy
posted by davejay at 10:46 PM on August 4, 2007

Argh, sorry, it's "Bound To The Floor".
posted by davejay at 10:48 PM on August 4, 2007

Okay, one more from them: "Bag of Hammers."

This FPP gave me a good reason to go back and listen to 'em, haven't done so in a long time.
posted by davejay at 10:51 PM on August 4, 2007

Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:14 PM on August 4, 2007

Sponge - Plowed
posted by euphorb at 11:52 PM on August 4, 2007

Response by poster: The Replacements' "Within Your Reach"?

Wow, thanks, man, that answers for me a question I've had for ...decades.
posted by thanotopsis at 11:56 PM on August 4, 2007

Kyuss--Demon Cleaner/ Thumb/ Hurricane
posted by vaportrail at 12:55 AM on August 5, 2007

Hold on, Thanatopsis, I'm about to change your life, or at least your weekend: everyone else in this thread needs to go have a look at the mp3 blog Lame Stain, which "archives lesser-known grunge and similar music from the Pacific Northwest." I know, it's almost too good to be true, isn't it?

And oh my god: a blog devoted to forgotten grunge that calls itself "Lame Stain" is almost completely genius. (Search Wikipedia for the term to find out why.)
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:11 AM on August 5, 2007

Dinosaur Jr. is one of those early/mid 90's grunge bands that helped inspire the movement but didn't get a ton of airplay. "Start Choppin" was probably their biggest hit and I think it was even on MTV back when they still played music. They have a greatest hits cd that's worth checking out.
posted by meditative_zebra at 1:27 AM on August 5, 2007

Now why did it do THAT!?

Lame Stain:
http://lamestainnorthwest.blogspot.com
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:56 AM on August 5, 2007

Just buy the Singles soundtrack. Half the songs recommended already are on it.
posted by fire&wings at 2:24 AM on August 5, 2007

L7 - "Shitlist"
Brad - "20th Century"
Flop - "En Route to the Unified Field Theory"
posted by RossWhite at 6:23 AM on August 5, 2007

Response by poster: fire&wings: Just buy the Singles soundtrack. Half the songs recommended already are on it.

Hey, thanks, F&W. You'll notice, I hope, that one of the songs I noted in the FPP is from that Soundtrack, and the thread is named after the fake play on the Mudhoney track. ...but thanks for playing. :)

RossWhite: Brad - "20th Century"

Wow, man, that's a cool track.

vaportrail: Kyuss stuff

Hey, these guys don't suck.

davejay: Local H stuff.

Sorry, dave, but my experience with Local H was in the NYC market, and WXRK played them on maximum rotation. I'm all Local H'ed out. :(

Ian A.T.: Hold on, Thanatopsis, I'm about to change your life, or at least your weekend

Damn, man, you aren't kidding. Added that puppy to my feed reader. Thanks.
posted by thanotopsis at 6:57 AM on August 5, 2007

[disclaimer - most of these bands aren't from anywhere near seattle but the music is from that era.. jesus lizard did a split 7" with nirvana after all..]

[early] afghan whigs - retarded
sebadoh - something from sebadoh III
jesus lizard - puss (this song completely rules all)
L7 - andres
hole - mrs. jones

something by Tad? I don't know them but they definitely fit..
also something by the Melvins.
posted by citron at 7:42 AM on August 5, 2007

(Tangentially related, and not-really-grunge: Along with scoring and providing two songs to the Singles soundtrack, Paul Westerberg was also the lead singer of...the Replacements.)
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 10:30 AM on August 5, 2007

Tad - Loser, don't why more people didn't like Tad.
posted by Max Power at 11:05 AM on August 5, 2007

don't why more people didn't like Tad

I'll second you on that. TAD were fantastic! Shame their stuff is virtually all out of print now (come on Sub Pop, where are the reissues of God's Balls/Salt Lick/8-Way Santa???).
posted by macdara at 11:11 AM on August 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

Thirding TAD.

"Wood Goblins," "High on the Hog" or "Cooking with Gas" (B-side of the "Loser" single). That Salt Lick EP was my favorite TAD material, sounding a wee bit like Killing Joke in parts.

other favorites:

Dinosaur Jr - "Little Fury Things", "Freak Scene", "Let it Ride"

Monster Magnet - early singles like "Murder"/"Tractor" and "Freak Shop USA"/"Lizard Johnny", all compiled on a Glitterhouse EP in 1991. This material, plus incredible raw demo collections like I'm High, What Are You Gonna Do About It and Drug Rock USA, is readily available on Soulseek.

L7 - "Shove", "Packin' a Rod"

Halo of Flies - intricate, brutal punk with grunge and noise influences. "Richie's Dog", "MD 20/20", "Death of a Fly" and other singles can be found on the Music for Insect Minds comp.
posted by porn in the woods at 11:29 AM on August 5, 2007

These aren't exactly grunge but they were listened to a lot by people going to those shows in the early 90s.

Monster Magnet: 'Nod Scene' and 'Spine of God'

Butthole Surfers: 'Hairway to Steven' album and the tracks 'Sweatloaf', 'Kuntz' and 'Cannonball'

Poison Idea (NW punk rock legends): 'Kings of Punk' album and the track 'Push the Button'

And yeah, definitely Tad and the Melvins but I can't point you to specific tracks on those two.
posted by BigSky at 12:18 PM on August 5, 2007

Sugar - "Come Around"
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:52 PM on August 5, 2007

Kiss Molly's Lips by the Vaselines. Also, She's a Real Bitch.
posted by walla at 1:32 PM on August 5, 2007

For the Melvins, "Honey Bucket" or "Revolve" are probably pretty good places to start.
posted by freem at 1:46 PM on August 5, 2007

Butthole Surfers: 'Hairway to Steven' album and the tracks 'Sweatloaf', 'Kuntz' and 'Cannonball'

Those tracks are actually on Locust Abortion Technician, which is their best album in my view, and I still spin it every now and then (even if it is a little tainted by what they subsequently did to Touch & Go).
posted by macdara at 5:48 AM on August 6, 2007

I don't know if it's grunge per se, but Blind Melon's St. Andrew's Fall is one of my all time favorites, and it definitely has that gritty feel.

Blind Melon was a much harder rockin' band than No Rain would indicate.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 11:28 AM on August 6, 2007

This question was eating at me - I finally remembered the song that was on the tip of my brain: Goin' Home by Dinosaur Jr.

During the grunge era, Portland had no alternative radio station, not even a watered down mainstream version. So MOST grunge, with a few huge exceptions (Nirvana, AIC) falls into the "rarely played" category, in my memory.
posted by peep at 2:23 PM on August 6, 2007