Track Listing
1. Chemistry Set
2. Cig Machine
3. Black Leather Stick
4. Goggles On
5. Rattle My Bones
6. Music For Boys
7. Tape Your Wife to the Ceiling
8. Cows
9. Baby Heartbeat
10. Monster Man
11. Spring Came
12. Girlfriend
13. Love Is the Law
14. Drinking With an Angel
15. America Sings the Blues - (Alt. mix, bonus track)
16. Don't Do Me Any Favors - (bonus track)
17. Bango Rock - (live, bonus track, From The Loughorn 1978)
| Details | | Distributor: | E1 Distribution (USA) | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
The Suburbs: Beej Chaney, Bruce Allen (vocals, guitar); Chan Poling (vocals, keyboards); Hugo Klaers (vocals, drums); Michael Halliday (bass).
Additional personnel: Max Ray, Scott Snyder, Tom Burnevik, Kevin Nord (horns); Hearn Gadbois (percussion).
Recorded between 1977 & 1987.
Includes bonus DVD.
In 2003, after Suburbs guitarist Blaine John Chaney had reissued the bulk of the group's back catalog through his Beejtar label, he compiled and issued this "best-of" compilation, replacing Twin/Tone's out of print 1992 collection Ladies and Gentlemen, the Suburbs Have Left the Building. Chemistry Set takes a significantly different approach over the earlier and more comprehensive Twin/Tone set -- while the earlier set jumped back and forth through the band's time line, this album, while not strictly chronological, puts the earlier stuff first and closes out with some post-Love Is the Law rarities. And with 17 songs as opposed to Ladies and Gentlemen's 19, Chemistry Set focuses on fan favorites and "hits" (well, they were hits in Minneapolis) at the expense of worthy but little-known tracks like "World War III" and "The Best Is Over." However, this is still a very listenable collection of Suburbs material, pulling together some superb examples of their muscular, smart-ass take on new wave dance-rock, and any album with "Love Is the Law," "Music for Boys," "Rattle My Bones," and "Cig Machine" is one worth owning. The audio remastering is a significant improvement over Ladies and Gentlemen, the rare final single "Don't Do Me Any Favors" is a welcome addition to the package, and the disc includes a bonus DVD featuring 37 minutes of live footage of the Suburbs on-stage at Minneapolis' First Avenue from a series of 2002 reunion shows. While Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, and Soul Asylum may have had a bigger and hipper rep out of town, the Suburbs were hometown faves in the Twin Cities through the 1980s, and this set shows why -- they played smart, witty, and aggressive music that you could shake to, and Chemistry Set ably documents their strong suits. ~ Mark Deming
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![Chemistry Set: Songs of the Suburbs 1977-1987 * [CD & DVD] by Suburbs (CD, Sep-2003, Majestic Recordings Inc.)](http://i1.ebayimg.com/02/c/06/41/b4/28_7.JPG "Chemistry Set: Songs of the Suburbs 1977-1987 * [CD & DVD] by Suburbs (CD, Sep-2003, Majestic Recordings Inc.)")
![Chemistry Set: Songs of the Suburbs 1977-1987 * [CD & DVD] by Suburbs (CD, Sep-2003, Majestic Recordings Inc.)](http://i1.ebayimg.com/02/c/06/41/b4/28_32.JPG "Chemistry Set: Songs of the Suburbs 1977-1987 * [CD & DVD] by Suburbs (CD, Sep-2003, Majestic Recordings Inc.)")
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