Track Listing
1. Mad Dog 20/20 - Teenage Fanclub
2. Pay to Play - Nirvana
3. Jamie - Weezer
4. Never Too High - Cell
5. Beautiful Son - Hole
6. Bogusflow - Beck
7. Compilation Blues - Sonic Youth
8. Grunge Couple - that dog.
9. Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman) - Counting Crows
10. Open Every Window - The Posies
11. Stove/Smother - Sloan
12. Wild Goose Chasing - St. Johnny
13. Allegory - Murray Attaway
14. Don't Tell Your Mother - The Sundays
| Details | | Playing Time: | 50 min. | | Distributor: | Universal Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | AAD |
Album Notes
Compilation producers: Luke Wood, Jeff Magid.
With the release of DGC RARITIES, VOL. 1, the David Geffen Company stakes claim to the notion that (among the majors) they are now, and have been for some time, on the very cutting edge of the alternative rock scene.
Nirvana's "Pay To Play" (a demo version of "Stay Away," the song that originally appeared on their disc NEVERMIND), recalls the emotional power and angst which distinguished this band's breakthrough into the mainstream of pop consciousness, while Cobain's alter-ego Courtney Love leads Hole through a harrowing "Beautiful Son" ("you look good in my dress, my beautiful son, you're barren...like me").
But grunge is only one of the stylistic sound signatures represented by DGC RARITIES, VOL. 1. Alternative progenitors Sonic Youth unearth the lost rarity "Compilation Blues," with its crystalline opening harmonics, folkish rhythm guitar, and a frenzied distortion vocal/flute lead line. Renegade folkies That Dog offer "Grunge Couple" as a tribute to Spinal Tap and Sonic Youth, alternating between crashing cacophony and acoustic innocence (with a sly reference to "Pipeline" in the coda). Most surprising though are a pair of chirpy, upbeat anthems from Counting Crows ("Einstein On The Beach [For An Eggman]") and Teenage Fanclub ("Mad Dog 20/20") that didn't make the final cut on their respective albums.
Audio Remasterer: David Donnelly.
Recording information: Philadelphia, PA (08/1990/01/1991); Smart Studios (08/1990/01/1991).
Photographer: Robert Fisher.
Unknown Contributor Role: Lincoln Wheeler.
Featuring a selection of outtakes and B-sides from Geffen's powerhouse alternative roster, DGC Rarities, Vol. 1 is predictably a mixed bag. None of the bands -- including Nirvana, Weezer, Counting Crows, Hole, and Sonic Youth -- contribute their finest tracks, although Nirvana's "Pay to Play," a working version of "Stay Away," is certainly interesting, and Counting Crows' "Einstein of the Beach" is looser and better than anything on August and Everything After. There's a fair amount of diversity on the album -- nearly every band included has an identifiable, unique style -- but the uneven quality of the material keeps the record from being anything other than a curiosity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Editorial Reviews
3 Stars - Good - ...a sampler of highly listenable outtakes...
Q (11/01/1994)
6 - Good - ...fortunately GEFFEN RARITIES measures up as less frustrating than most...
NME (09/10/1994)
...the result is a pretty dandy artifact... - Rating: A-
Entertainment Weekly (07/08/1994)
...Forget the overblown conceit of the title, and maybe 40 percent of this collection makes a great label sampler. And that, in itself, is something of a rarity...
Alternative Press (10/01/1994)
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