Posted on by The Squire

Belly – The 4AD Years

Belly – The 4AD Years

Belly are an alternative rock act formed in 1991 by ex-Breeders and Throwing Muses member, Tanya Donnelly. I published a lost album of them which covered some of their best B-Sides back in January of 2023*, but this is complete over view of their work whilst they were signed to the 4AD label. 

They only released two albums during this period, the second of which would turn out to be their last LP for twenty three years. This second album was called ‘King’  and was met with lukewarm reviews at the time as this was a bit different from their debut, ‘Star’ which was released two years earlier. The songs on ‘King’ were a bit rockier in sound, with heavier riffs and the lyrics were a bit more personal than they had been before. 

Neither the singles or album sold in the quantities that the record label were expecting and this was after they had appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Tanya Donelly, main songwriter and focus of the band decided to break up the group feeling that there was too much negativity around. She decided to start a solo career. Bass player Gail Greenwood played with L7 and Big Naked as well as her own group. Drummer and lead guitar player, Chris and Thomas Gorman founded a commercial photography business. All went quiet until 2016 when it was announced that they would be going out on a short tour and a year later, they started to record their third album. 

I loved Belly and I was really disappointed when they split. I spent the next few years trying to find all of the different versions of singles so I could acquire all of the B-Sides. The album ‘Sweet Ride’ also included some songs that were not available anywhere else. 

I thought I would put together a box set focusing on the years they were signed 4AD records, especially as this was one of my favourite bands form the 90s which is my focus for a lot of my playlists this year. What we get here are a five CD set which includes both albums, B-Sides and rarities. If I was curating this set, I would also include a DVD (or Blu Ray) disc which the official videos of the singles, TV appearances from the US and UK (I could not find any reference to any appearances from other countries) as well as their spots at the Glastonbury Festivals in 1993 and 1995 as well as the Great Expectations concert to raise money for the radio station, XFM. 

A quick note on some of the songs. ‘It’s Not Unusual’ from the ‘Gepetto’ (Remix Disc 2) and ‘Ivo’ Version ‘ from the ‘Moon EP’ are very similar. I think they cold even be the same even though the credits make it seem as though they are different. The single version of ‘Gepetto’ on Disc 5 was only placed there because there wasn’t space on any of the others discs. 

I am sure that if this was to be released, I would hope that there would be some previously unreleased performances included, including more demos. 

Disc 1 – Star & Slow Dust EP

  1. Someone To Die For
  2. Angel
  3. Dusted
  4. Every Word
  5. Gepetto
  6. Witch
  7. Slow Dog
  8. Low Red Moon
  9. Feed The Tree
  10. Full Moon, Empty Heart
  11. White Belly
  12. Untogether
  13. Star
  14. Sad Dress
  15. Stay
  16. Dusted (Original Version)
  17. Slow Dog (Original Version)
  18. Dancing Gold
  19. Low Red Moon (Original Version)
  20. Dusted (Orignal Version)
  21. Gepetto (Single Version)
  22. Slow Dog (Radio Remix 3m 50 sec version)

Tracks 1-15 – Star LP

Tracks 16-20 – Slow Dust EP

Track 21 – Single Mix

Track 22 – US Single Promo

Disc 2 – Star Sessions

  1. Gepetto (Remix) – Gepetto EP
  2. Hot Burrito #1 – Gepetto EP
  3. Sexy S – Gepetto EP
  4. Sweet Ride – Gepetto EP
  5. It’s Not Unusual – Gepetto EP (Remix Disc 2)
  6. Star (Demo) – Gepetto EP (Remix Disc 2)
  7. Dusted (Demo) – Gepetto EP (Remix Disc 2)
  8. Are You Experienced? – Stone Free, A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
  9. Feed The Tree (U.S. Remix) – Feed The Tree Single
  10. Star (Full Band Version) – Feed The Tree Single
  11. Dream On Me – Feed The Tree Single
  12. Trust in Me – Feed The Tree Single
  13. Slow Dog (Remix) – Video Version
  14. Dusted – Indie Top 20 Compilation Volume 16 Version 
  15. Gepetto – UK 7” Version
  16. It’s Not Unusual (Ivo’s Version) – Moon EP
  17. It’s Not Unusual (The Usual Mix) – Moon EP
  18. It’s Not Unusual (Unusual Mix) – Moon EP
  19. Full Moon, Empty Heart (Lunar Mix) – Moon EP
  20. Full Moon, Empty Heart (Bloody Mary Mix) – Moon EP

Disc 3 – King

  1. Puberty
  2. Seal My Fate
  3. Red
  4. Silverfish
  5. Super-Connected
  6. The Bees
  7. King
  8. Now They’ll Sleep
  9. Untitled & Unsung
  10. L’il Ennio
  11. Judas My Heart

Tracks 1-11 – King LP

Disc 4 – King Sessions & Live Tracks

  1. Judas My Heart (Live In London) – Sun EP1.
  2. The Bees (Live In London) – Sun EP
  3. Spaceman – Sun EP
  4. Seal My Fate (U.S. Radio Version) – Seal My Fate (Studio)
  5. Diamond Rib Cage – Seal My Fate (Studio)
  6. Think About Your Troubles – Seal My Fate (Studio)
  7. Broken – Vinyl B-Side
  8. Seal My Fate (Live) – Seal My Fate (Live)
  9. White Belly (Live) – Seal My Fate (Live)
  10. Untitled & Unsung (Live) – Seal My Fate (Live)
  11. Thief – Now They’ll Sleep
  12. Baby’s Arm – Now They’ll Sleep
  13. John Dark – Now They’ll Sleep
  14. Lilith – Sweet Ride, The Best of Belly
  15. Super-Connected (Edit) – Super-Connected
  16. Judas Mon Coeur – Sun EP

Disc 5 – Live & BBC Session

  1. Low Red Moon
  2. Dusted
  3. Angel
  4. Full Moon, Empty Heart
  5. Star
  6. Dream on Me
  7. White Belly
  8. Gepetto
  9. Sexy S
  10. Feed The Tree
  11. Slow Dog
  12. Stay
  13. Dusted
  14. Feed The Tree
  15. Gepetto
  16. White Belly
  17. Angel
  18. Gepetto (US. Radio Mix)

Tracks 1-12 – Live Grant Park, Chicago,  7th April 1993

Track 13 – Unknown

Tracks 14-17 – Mark Goodier BBC Session, 25th July 1992

Trak 18 – US 7” Single 

Disc 6 – Blu Ray/DVD Disc

Official Videos For The Singles

Gepetto

Feed The Tree

Slow Dog

Super-Connected

Now They’ll Sleep

Seal My Fate

TV Appearances 

Full Moon Empty Heart (Later with Jools Holland 18th June 1993)

Slow Dog (Later with Jools Holland 18th June 1993)

Gepetto (BBC Late Show 1993) Can’t find the exact date.

Feed The Tree (Late Show with David Letterman 1993) Can’t find the exact date.

Gepetto (The John  Stewart Show 1993) Can’t find the exact date.

Feed The Tree (The Word 1993) Can’t find the exact date.

Are You Experienced (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 25th February 1994)

Seal My Fate (Late Night With Conan O’Brien 30th January 1995)

Super-Connected (Late Show with David Letterman 4th April 1995)

Red (The John  Stewart Show 19th June 1995)

Super-Connected (Ray Coke’s MTV Most Wanted 22nd June 1995)

Seal My Fate (Ray Coke’s MTV Most Wanted 22nd June 1995)

Great Xpectations Finsbury Park 13th June 1993

Low Red Moon

Angel

Gepetto

Full Moon, Empty Heart

Sexy S

Star

Feed The Tree

Slow Dog

Dusted

Glastonbury 25th June 1993

Feed The Tree

Angel

White Belly

Glastonbury 23rd June 1995

King

Puberty

Now They’ll Sleep

Untitled & Unsung

Full Moon, Empty Heart

Dusted

Judas My Heart

Super-Connected

Feed The Tree

Slow Dog

Red

Seal My Fate

Gepetto

The cover is based on the 2016 vinyl pressing of ‘Star’. 

*https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/belly-broken/

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