Month: June 2024

I took a couple months off between SP releases but I now present an alternative version of their most successful and some might say, overblown album. Well, in their first phase anyway.

Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness was a true double album for the CD age with around a hours worth of music on each disc. There was so much music that the limited edition vinyl release of this album back in 1995 were a triple set. I was quite surprised see this get a vinyl release back int he day as I was relying informed by my friends that vinyl was dead. Needless to say, the LP was a sound investment if I was ever tempted to sell it.

Anyway, Corgan brought so many songs to the sessions that a box set of the singles was released which contained around 30 fully recorded songs, very few of which was filler.  He was most defiantly on a hot streak here.

New co-producers in the form of Alan Moulder and Flood came on board and new working practises were adopted. The included working more together as a band by rehearsing together before they went into the studio. Time was set aside for jamming as well as James Iha and D’arcy Wretazky given more of an opportunity to contribute musically to the album. This was also the first album where Iha was given some space to include a couple of his songs he written by himself instead of in collaboration with Corgan. More would be included on the singles as B-Sides. The album was a massive seller, shipping over 5 million unites in the USA alone. It did beg the question though, where could the band go next?

This reconstruction of ‘Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness’ does not quite follow the original vinyl because some of the sides would be too long for the record to sound any good due to the grooves being too close together. Looking at vinyl double albums in my collection, most run between 70 and 90 odd minutes, but this one went on for a mind blowing 121 (CD & cassette) and 128 minutes (for the original 1995 vinyl release). It fully utilised the time afforded with a CD. With traditional vinyl, that would a be triple and so it proved with the 1995 vinyl release doing just that. The band included two bonus tracks not included on the CD version to make up the time as well.

I do have one question about this LP and it is, was this the only triple album of new music released in the 1990s? I would love someone to confirm that. The only other triples vinyls I can think of from the decade were The Beatles ‘Anthology’ LPs’.

Side A

1. Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness – Home Piano Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Tonight, Tonight – Band Version, No Strings (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Thirty-Three – Badlands Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. In The Arms Of Sleep – Early Love Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. Take Me Down – Instrumental Mix (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)

Side B

1. Jellybelly – Instrumental Pit Mix 3 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Bodies – Live In Philadelphia 1996 – The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe
3. To Forgive – Sadlands Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Here Is No Why – Pumpkinland Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. Porcelina Of The Vast Ocean – Live Studio Rough (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)

Side C

1. Bullet With Butterfly Wings – Sadlands Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Thru The Eyes Of Ruby – Acoustic Version (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Muzzle – Live At Rockpalast 1996 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Galapogos – Double Door Rehearsal (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
5. Tales Of A Scorched Earth – Instrumental Pit Mix 3 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)

Side D

1. 1979 – Acoustic Mix (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
2. Beautiful – Loop Version (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Cupid De Locke – BT 2012 Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. By Starlight – Double Door Rehearsal (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
5. We Only Come Out At Night – Live Roskide Festival 1997 – (Exit Mellon Collie – Bootleg)

Side E

1. Where Boys Fear To Tread – Live Cleveland 1996 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Zero – Synth Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Fuck you (An Ode To No One) – Production Master Rough (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Love – Flood Rough Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. X.Y.U. – Take 11 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)

Side F

1. Stumbleine – Live Chicago 1995 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Lily (My One & Only) – Double Door Rehearsal (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
3. Tonight, Tonight – String Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Goodnight – Basic Vocal Rough (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness – Nighttime Version 1 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)

After completing a second volume of the compilation ‘Caught Beneath The Landslide’, I found that I have music left over to make a third volume. 

So here we have another four disc set of tracks from Britpop big hitters, second division acts and a section of songs from bands who were part of the scene but their records weren’t successful at the time, or any time for that matter. 

Disc 1

1. The Living Dead (Piano Version) – Suede
2. Information Man – The Farm
3. Her Jazz – Huge Bear
4. Feel The Pain – Dinosaur Jr.
5. Punk Boy – Ash
6. Wembley – The Candyskins
7. French Disko – Stereolab
8. Cat’s Chorus – Lush
9. Planet In The Ocean – Salad
10. Modern History (Acoustic) – The Auterus
11. Blue (US Mix) – The Verve
12. Lewis (Mistreated) – Radiohead
13. Time Baby III – Medicine
14. Teenage Emergency – Flamingoes
15. Happy Day – Blink
16. You’re Always Right – These Animal Men
17. Zoo’d Out – Strangelove
18. Snakedriver – The Jesus & Mary Chain
19. It’s A Fire – Portishead
20. Big Nurse – Sleeper
21. Take Me Away – Oasis
22. Sunshine Smile – Adorable
23. Even When Your Eyes Are Open – Leviathon

Disc 2

1. Addicted To A.T.V. – The High Fidelity
2. Shut Up – The Sweeney
3. The Joy Of Living – Blueboy
4. Mr. Appointment – Shack
5. Under Canvas Wraps – The Delgados
6. Checking In, Checking Out – The High Llamas
7. Whirlpool (1995 Version) – BMX Bandits
8. Hypersonic – Fluffy
9. Cleopatra – Elastica
10. Brains – Nut
11. Sleep – Marion
12. Steve Austin – Sexlovebusterbaby
13. Delicious – Shampoo
14. Firebox – Lick
15. The Young Own The Town – Soda
16. I Suppose – Puresence
17. Look At You Now – Elcka
18. Don’t Say You’re Sorry – Blameless
19. Being Brave – Menswear
20. 6am Jullander Shere – Cornershop
21. An Open Letter To The Lyrical Transporter – Mansun

Disc 3

1. Egotripper – The Kind
2. Wake Up America – Poppyheads
3. Mum’s Gone To Iceland – Bennett
4. No Bell At Bognor – Twister
5. Mermaid – Posh
6. Ginger – David Devant & His Spirit Wife
7. We Love You – Subcircus
8. Get Out Of Cities – Blur
9. I Can’t Make it – Dodgy
10. Vote You – The Boo Radleys
11. Summer Smash – Denim
12. Chill Out – Pa Skinny
13. One In A Million – Sussed
14. Polly’s Domain – Coast 
15. Ever – Descent
16. 1962 – Grass Show
17. Punka – Kenickie
18. Dance Of The Bad Angel (Archive Mix) – Booth & The Bad Angel
19. Keep The Light On – Geneva
20. Since – Mercedes
21. Huckleberry Grove – Ocean Colour Scene
22. Adrenalina – Octopus
23. 24 – The Hybrids

Disc 4

1. Theme From Dweeb – Dweeb
2. First Foot – Po!
3. Somebody’s Follow Me – Speedomatic
4. Four Skinny Indie Kids – Half Man Half Biscuit
5. (Never Be A) Milksop – Ricky Spontane
6. Fat Neck – Black Grape
7. Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir – Super Furry Animals
8. That’s Why We Lose Control – The Young Offenders
9. Lava – Silver Sun
10. Long Live The UK Music Scene – Helen Love
11. Drive In – Catch
12. Govinda, Hari & St. George – Kula Shaker
13. Something To Tell Her – Topper
14. Ciao – Lodger
15. Fantastic Legs – The Yummy Fur
16. Tiny Meat (Original Version) – Ruby
17. Beatnik Girl – Snug
18. Grease – 18 Wheeler
19. You Make Me Want To Scream – The Dandy
20. Liar – Pullover
21. Come & Go – Astral
22. Bad Old Man – Babybird
23. Rolled On Southern Blues – Mainstream
24. Hanging Around – Me Me Me

The front cover is similar to Volume 1 with different bands added. The cover stars are as follows. 

Top row (l to r) – Ocean Colour Scene, Dodgy, Stereolab

Middle row (l to r) – Kula Shaker, Silver Sun, Booth & the Bad Angel

Bottom row (l to r) – BMX Bandits, Mansun, Radiohead

Volume 2 can be found at this link. – https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/various-artists-caught-beneath-the-landslide-volume-2/

Now this was a compilation I really enjoyed putting together. All bands/artists start somewhere before making it, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the earliest releases by a number of the more well known bands that have graced some of the compilations I have posted this month. What was most interesting for me was how long some of the bands were plying their trade before finding success. Pulp being the most extreme by taken the best part of a decade. 

Side 1

1. It’s Not True – The Wonder Stuff
2. Who Wants to Know – The Charlatans
3. I Know (Single Version) – Blur
4. You Can – Catatonia
5. Sway (12” Mix) – Ocean Colour Scene
6. The Last Days Of Winter – The Levellers

Disc 2

1. It Happens – Primal Scream
2. What’s The World – James
3. Oasis – Happy Mondays
4. Art – Suede
5. Strange Ones (Backbeat Version) – Supergrass
6. Same Old Story – The Farm
7. Here It Comes – The Stone Roses

Side 3

1. Give Me Less Time – Inspired Carpets
2. Everybody’s Problem – Blur
3. Heaven Can Wait – Salad
4. Quite Content – The Soup Dragons
5. Seance Sight – Lush
6. Seems Like A Bad Day – Dodgy
7. Endless – The La’s

Side 4

1. Walking 5th Carnival – The Boo Radleys
2. Columbia (White Label Demo) – Oasis
3. One Way To Go – The Verve
4. The Waning Moon – The Mock Turtles

It’s Not True – The Wonder Stuff – First song on their first EP (called ‘A Wonderful Day’), from 1986. 

Who Wants to Know – The Charlatans – Second of the two B-Sides issued with their debut single from 1990. The A-Side was called ‘Indian Rope’. 

I Know (Single Version) – Blur – B-Side of their debut single from 1990. This is the shorter version of the song which was initially only available on the 7’ single. The A-Side was ‘She’s So High’. 

You Can – Catatonia – B-Side of the their debut single from 1994. The A-Side was called ‘Whale’.

Sway (12” Mix) – Ocean Colour Scene – ‘Sway’ was the A-Side of the bands debut single. This was the longer version that was released on the 12” version of that single. Released in 1990. 

The Last Days Of Winter – The Levellers – The opening song on the bands debut release, a cassette EP called ‘All The Free Commons of England’ from 1988. 

It Happens – Primal Scream – The B-Side of their debuts single from 1985. The A-Side was called ‘All Fall Down’. 

What’s The World – James – The B-Side of the bands debut EP called ‘Jimone’ from 1983. This was the first of two B-Sides included on that release. 

Oasis – Happy Mondays – The second of two B-Sides from the bands first EP from 1985. The EP was called ‘Forty-Five EP’. This song was not the inspiration for the band of the same name. 

Art – Suede – The only song on this compilation to not be officially released, now or then. It got as far as a white label stage in 1989 but was rejected by the band as they were dissatisfied with it. The line up was included both Justine Freshman and Justin Welch who would later form the band Elastica. ‘Art’ was the B-Side of this release with ‘Be My God’ on the other. If this fantasy compilation release were to ever happen, to have a genuine rarity like this included would be a necessity. 

Strange Ones (Backbeat Version) – Supergrass – The B-Side of their debut single from 1994. Re-rerecorded once the band had signed for Parlophone. The A-Side was ‘Caught By The Fizz’. I could have included a song by The Jennifers, as two members of Supergrass were in that band. However, I did not as I covered them for my fantasy Record Store Release back in April https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/rsd-special-the-jennifers-the-complete-recordings/.

Same Old Story – The Farm – The fourth song on their debut EP, called ‘Hearts & Minds’  from 1989

Here It Comes – The Stone Roses – This was the B-Side of the ‘Sally Cinnamon’ single, released in 1987.

Give Me Less Time – Inspiral Carpets – Inspiral carpets released two albums worth of songs on a couple of cassettes in 1987. Some of the songs were re-recorded for later records but this song was not (as far as I can tell), even though it did appear on a couple of cassette collections of demos in the same year.  

Everybody’s Problem – Pulp – This was the bands second single, but unlike the first, this was a non album release. This was the A-Side and was released in 1983. 

Heaven Can Wait – Salad – The third song on their debut EP called ‘Kent’ from 1993. 

Quite Content – The Soup Dragons – The first song on their debut EP, ‘The Sun Is In The Sky’ from 1986.

Second Sight – Lush – Taken from their Mini LP, ‘Scar’, released in 1989. What was surprising is that the mini album came out before their released any singles. 

Seems Like A Bad Day – Dodgy – The B-Side to the second single, released in 1991. The A-Side was called ‘Easy Way’.

Endless – The La’s – The B-Side to the debut single, released in 1987. The A-Side was called ‘Way Out’. 

Walking 5th Carnival – The Boo Radleys – This was the sixth song on their debut LP, released in 1990. Like Lush, they released an album before they had released a single. 

Columbia (White Label Demo) – Oasis – Released in 1993 as a single-sided white label as a way of introducing the band to the world. 

One Way To Go – The Verve – The B-Side of their debut single from 1992. The A-Side was ‘All In The Mind’. 

The Waning Moon – The Mock Turtles – The fourth song on their debut EP. Called ‘Pomona’ and it was released in 1987. 

The cover is from the Twitter (or X, or whatever Elon Musk wants to call it this week) account of Images That Could Be Album Covers (@imagesalbum)