PART ONE (1980-1984) PART TWO (1985-1989) PART THREE (1990-1994) 4AD Tribute 1995 The Wolfgang Press began the year with the release of Funky Little Demons (CAD 4016), a further refinement of Queer's sonic advances that showcased an increased fascination with swampy blues and '60s soul. The down-and-dirty single "Going South" (BAD 5001) featured an array of interesting mixes by the likes of Michael Brook, Jah Wobble and Apollo 440. Their subsequent departure from 4AD marked the departure of the label's longest-serving artists (as members of Mass and In Camera, all three members had been making records for 4AD since 1980). Throwing Muses University (CAD 5002; a deluxe limited edition was available as CADD 5002) had actually been recorded well over a year prior to its release, having been held up to allow space for Kristin Hersh's solo album. Recorded at Daniel Lanois' studio in New Orleans, it was one of the group's hardest-edged efforts, with "Bright Yellow Gun," released as a single the preceding year, picking up a solid amount of radio play. Belly travelled to the legendary Compass Point studios in the Bahamas to record their second album, King (CAD 5004; a limited-edition, with the CD housed in a hard cover book, was issued as CADD 5004), with celebrated producer Glyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who). The result was a polished, tightly-coiled set of Tanya Donnelly songs that included such powerful singles as "Now They'll Sleep" (BAD 5003) and "Seal My Fate" (BAD 5007). The fourth Red House Painters album in less than three years, and their last for 4AD, Ocean Beach (CAD 5005) was a quietly devastating record that confirmed Mark Kozelek's status as one of the finest songwriters to emerge in the '90s. Many of Kozelek's songs were now expanding to epic length, as exemplified by the graceful 9-minute ebb-and-flow of the concluding "Drop." (A double-10-inch-vinyl edition of the album (DADD 5005) also included a cover of "Long Distance Runaround" by Yes). As a founding member of both the Dream Syndicate and Opal, Kendra Smith had participated in some of the most influential recordings of the '80s. After a lovely solo EP in the early '90s, she'd vanished into the woods of Northern California, living in a small cabin without electricity. Ivo, a longtime fan, was able to persuade the reclusive Smith to record for 4AD. Five Ways of Disappearing (CAD 5006) was a highly individual slab of modern psychedelia, which climaxed with a stunning performance of Richard Fariña's "Bold Marauder." After two public appearances to support the record--a show in New York and an in-store performance at a Hollywood record store--she returned to the forest and hasn't been heard from on record since. Ivo was also a fan of Jenny Toomey, frontwoman of Tsunami and co-founder of the Simple Machines label. He invited her to make a solo album for 4AD, and the result was Liquorice's Listening Cap (CAD 5008), a lovely, low-key record, produced by His Name Is Alive's Warren Defever, that felt like a fresh update on the singer/songwriter albums of the 1970's. During a hiatus from Dead Can Dance, Lisa Gerrard recorded her first solo album, The Mirror Pool (CAD 5009). A lushly orchestrated mixture of Western classical music, medieval chants and Middle Eastern influences, it featured some of her most radiant vocal work. Using country music as a springboard, San Francisco's Tarnation explored harrowing emotional terrain on Gentle Creatures (CAD 5010), their first record for 4AD. Frontwoman Paula Frazer' s stark vocals split the difference between Patsy Cline and Leonard Cohen, while the band's plaintive twangs and rumbles imbued the music with an ever-escalating sense of unease. After the demise of Unrest, band members Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross formed Air Miami, whose lone album me, me, me (CAD 5011) presented a brighter, shinier, giddier take on Unrest's brand of cryptic humor and post-everything pop music. The Fuck You, Tiger EP (BAD 5014) backed me, me, me's punky "I Hate Milk" with a trio of non-album tracks. Northern Ireland's Scheer made their label debut with the release of the five-song Schism EP (BAD 5012), which showcased their unlikely combination of Audrey Gallagher's plaintive vocals with the band's sledgehammer riff-rock aggression. Sherri Hood--who had been 4AD's first American employee back in the '80s before moving on to artist management--sent Ivo a tape of demos by Slowdive's Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell. Ivo was stunned by the quality of the music--a hazy swell of male/female harmonies and Halstead's languid acoustic melodies--and insisted that it deserved to be heard just as it was. The result was the first Mojave 3 album, Ask Me Tomorrow (CAD 5013), most of which consists of the demo as Ivo heard it (a few more songs--such as the breathtaking "Mercy"--were recorded later). After the massive success of The Breeders' Last Splash, Kim Deal deliberately chose to scale things back a bit when she returned to the studio. The result was Pacer (CAD 5016), released under the alias The Amps, a blast of scruffy punk rock featuring Kim bashing out 12 new tunes in just over half an hour. One of the album's standout tracks, "Tipp City," (BAD 5015) was also issued as a single. Kristin Hersh saw 1995 out with a limited edition holiday EP, The Holy Single (TAD 5017), featuring covers of Alex Chilton's "Jesus Christ," the Carter Family's "Can The Circle Be Unbroken," the traditional "Amazing Grace" and "Sinkhole," written by her father (the latter song had been featured on Throwing Muses' original demo tape ten years previously; it was later included on the Muses compilation In A Doghouse). 1996 1996 saw a successful 4AD package tour barnstorming across the United States. Cryptically dubbed Shaving The Pavement, it teamed Lush, Mojave 3 and Scheer for a string of 25 shows. Lush blazed into 1996 with Lovelife (CAD 6004), their last and most successful album. Drawing inspiration from the then-current Britpop scene--exemplified on the album by "Ciao!," a Nancy & Lee-style duet between Miki Berenyi and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Lovelife was by far the catchiest and most song-oriented record of the group's career. The album spawned a trio of exemplary singles--"Single Girl" (BAD 6001), "Ladykillers" (BAD 6002) and "500 (Shake Baby Shake)" (BAD 6009)--all of which were Top 25 hits in the UK. The album proved a success with American audiences, as well; the band played to sold-out crowds while topping the bill on the Shaving The Pavement tour. Tragically, what should have been Lush's finest year thus far ended in tragedy when drummer Chris Acland committed suicide in October. Unwilling to continue after the loss of their friend, Lush chose to split up. Scheer released their debut album Infliction (CAD 6006), matching one of Vaughan Oliver's most in-your-face sleeve designs with equally forceful music. Two singles from the album were also issued: "Shéa" (BAD 6003) and "Wish You Were Dead"(BAD 6005). His Name Is Alive made a triumphant return with Stars On ESP (CAD 6010), a wildly eclectic avant-pop record that found Warren Defever drawing inspiration from such diverse influences as Phil Spector, the echo and reverb of early reggae and ska, Woody Guthrie, '60s cult label ESP (hence the album title) and a series of forgotten albums by actor David McCallum. The album's centerpiece was the jaw-dropping single "Universal Frequencies" (BAD 6007)--which was nothing less than Defever's successful attempt to reinvent the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." As an appropriately Spectorian touch, Defever created a special mono mix of Stars On ESP, available only on vinyl. Throwing Muses released their final album, Limbo (CAD 6014), which saw them out in peak form. Perhaps their most fully-realized work, it perfectly captured the electric side of Kristin Hersh's music, while proving yet again that the latter-day Muses lineup ranked as one of the great rock trios of the decade. Two singles were extracted from the album: "Shark" (BAD 6016) and "Ruthie's Knocking" (TAD 6017), a limited edition one-song 7-inch with an etching on the B-side. Although it wasn't intended as such, Dead Can Dance's Spiritchaser (CAD 6008) also proved to be the group's recorded swan song. Their most rhythmically-driven work, it brought elements of African, Caribbean and Australian aboriginal music into the mix. Filled with long, mantric tracks that spiral ecstatically towards completion, Spiritchaser's material truly came to life in the summer of '96 on their extraordinary final tour. Dead Can Dance split up in late 1998 during the recording of what would have been their ninth album. Heidi Berry's Miracle (CAD 6011) was her third (and sadly, last) album for 4AD. An exquisitely folky collection of new songs (and a Jesse Colin Young cover) given life by Heidi's voice and the masterful production of Hugh Jones, the album possesses the same timeless quality of all of her work. Lisa Germano's follow-up to Geek The Girl was the somewhat lighter-in-tone Excerpts From A Love Circus (CAD 6012), a mesmerizing cycle of dysfunctional relationship songs punctuated by occasional contributions from Lisa's cats. It was followed by the "Small Heads" single (BAD 6019), which also featured the supremely ironic "Fun, Fun For Everyone." An important new addition to the 4AD roster was Iceland's Gus Gus, a nine-person multi-media collective from Reykjavik whose beguiling post-trip hop sound was augmented with startling video clips and a carnival-styled live show. Their first release was the Polyesterday EP (BAD 6013), an appetizer before the release of their debut album the following year. Since moving to California, Ivo had become a fan of The Paladins, a hard-charging roots-rock band who'd been one of the West Coast's most dependably great live attractions for close to twenty years. After a particularly memorable show at the House Of Blues on New Year's Eve 1995, he approached the band about the prospect of cutting a live album for 4AD. The ferocious Million Mile Club (CAD 6015) was the result. Having dissolved Belly, Tanya Donelly embarked upon a solo career. She released an EP, Sliding & Diving (BAD 6018), prior to her debut album the next year. 1997 Tarnation returned with a new album, Mirador (CAD 7004), which found the group's subversive country sound moving in a more bluesy, Nick Cave-esque direction. "There's Someone" (TAD 7000) previewed one of the album's key tracks on a limited edition 7-inch. "You'll Understand" (BAD 7001; a limited double 7-inch was issued as ADD 7001) matched two of Mirador's songs with a pair of non-album tracks. Gus Gus's debut album Polydistortion (CAD 7005) ably demonstrated that Iceland had more than Bjork to contribute to the global music scene. Mixing sinuous electronic grooves with a perverse pop sensibility, Gus Gus caused a stir in clubs around the world with tracks like "Believe" (a two-part single: BAD 7002 came with non-album tracks while BADD 7002 featured a slew of remixes). Michael Brook's first 4AD release in five years was his soundtrack to actor Kevin Spacey's directorial debut, Albino Alligator (CAD 7003). A set of disquieting music perfectly appropriate to the film's portrayal of raw nerves and bungled plans. Brook's sound palette veered from swampy blues-rock to modal keyboard ostinatos á la Philip Glass. The album's most unusual moment was a slow motion duet between R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and peerless jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott on the standard "Ill Wind," featuring Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass. Scheer issued "Demon," (BAD 7006), a final single drawn from the Infliction album. Having been an integral part of Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly during more than a decade on the 4AD roster, Tanya Donelly's debut as a solo artist was long overdue. Lovesongs For Underdogs (CAD 7008) was an album of quirky, evocative tunes in a variety of musical settings unified by the force of Tanya's personality. It featured the singles "Pretty Deep" (a 7-inch and two CD's--AD 7007, BAD 7007 and BADD 7007--all featured different B-sides) and "The Bright Light" (another multi-B-side phenomenon: AD 7012, BAD 7012, BADD 7012). As an epilogue, of sorts, to the Stars On ESP project, Warren Defever issued Nice Day, a limited edition EP (JAD 7009) featuring six new songs. Issued to commemorate the tenth anniversary of The Pixies' first release, Death To The Pixies (DAD 7011) assembled 17 of the band's greatest moments. Two deluxe editions--one a boxed set of four 10-inch vinyl records (DADD 7011), the other a slipcased double-CD set (DADD 7011CD)--added a complete live concert recording from 1990. The 10-inch vinyl set also included a pair of previously unreleased demos, which also showed up on a few super-limited copies of the 2CD set; these can only be identified by the initials "GT" (for "Golden Ticket") on the matrix numbers of the CD's themselves. Released as a single just prior just before Death To The Pixies hit the racks, "Debaser" was issued as a single with a variety of choice unreleased material on its various formats: three Dutch radio session tracks on BAD 7010, three live tracks from a Chicago broadcast on BADD 7010, and a demo of the otherwise unissed "Number Thirteen Baby" on the 7-inch AD7011. The soundtrack to an American independent film that wound up going straight to video, Joyride (46825) featured a variety of tracks culled from numerous 4AD releases over the years (two non-4AD tracks came courtesy of the German label Recycle Or Die). 1998 1998 began with the release of Anakin (TAD 8001), a limited edition sampler, compiled and sequenced by Ivo, intended to provide a preview of the year's release schedule. It included several otherwise unavailable demos, as well as tracks from albums that never saw the light of day. The first era of Gus Gus concluded with a new two-part single of "Polyesterday" (BAD 8002 and BADD 8002) featuring remixes by such cutting-edge sound manipulators as Carl Craig, Amon Tobin and DJ Vadim. Meanwhile, the group were back in the studio crafting their second album, to be released the following year. Strange Angels (CAD 8003) was Kristin Hersh's first effort following the demise of Throwing Muses. An acoustic effort in the vein of Hips And Makers, it was co-produced by acclaimed singer/songwriter Joe Henry. A limited edition tour single, "Like You" (TAD 8005), featured a pair of live songs as well as the title track. Later in the year, Kristin issued 4AD's first-ever mail-order-only release, an album of doom-laden traditional folksongs entitled Murder, Misery and then Goodnight (4ADM1). On a related note, the 2CD anthology In A Doghouse (DAD 607) collected the first Throwing Muses album, the long-unavailable Chains Changed EP, the group's previously unreleased 1985 demo tape and five songs from 1983 that had finally been committed to tape 13 years later. Lisa Gerrard stepped outside the confines of Dead Can Dance for a second time on Duality (CAD 8004), recorded with Pieter Bourke, who'd toured and recorded with Dead Can Dance over the past several years. A more accessible album than The Mirror Pool, it placed the emphasis squarely upon Lisa's uncanny singing abilities, while "Human Game" featured one of her rare English-language vocal performances. Rich Holtzman, of 4AD's Los Angeles office, was the first person at the label to discover the music of Washington D.C.'s Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, better known as Thievery Corporation. One of the most fascinating exponents of the worldwide electronica explosion, the duo's music was an open-minded fusion of dub reggae, drum-and-bass and Brazilian music, as depicted on Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi (CAD 8006). "38:45" (BAD 8007) was a 12-inch vinyl single featuring extended versions of a track from the album, while the non-album single, "Lebanese Blonde" (BAD 8017), was issued later in the year. Seven years after the release of the final This Mortal Coil album, Ivo unveiled his much-anticipated new project, The Hope Blister. ...smile's ok (CAD 8008) was a haunting album composed entirely of cover versions, including songs by Brian Eno, John Cale, Neil Halstead of Mojave 3, David Sylvian and Heidi Berry. Unlike This Mortal Coil, it was recorded with only a small group of musicians: the spectral vocals of Louise Rutkowski (who'd contributed to the second and third TMC albums) were backed only by bassist Laurence O'Keefe (Dark Star, Levitation), a string quartet led by Audrey Riley, and, on two tracks, Dif Juz's Ritchie Thomas. The less-is-more approach yielded an album whose emotional power lay in its sparseness. Having by now trained his listeners to always expect the unexpected, Warren Defever returned with a new His Name Is Alive album. Ft. Lake (CAD 8009) was an unexpected move, even by Defever's unpredictable standards. Teaming for the first time with an outside producer--Steve King, who'd worked with Funkadelic and Aretha Franklin--Defever managed to incorporate screaming rock & roll, cheesy electronics, gospel (courtesy of new co-vocalist Lovetta Pippen) and miscellaneous funkiness into something that was still immediately recognizable as His Name Is Alive. The "Can't Always Be Loved" CD single (BAD 8015) contains the utterly essential 17-minute version of "Wish I Had A Wishing Ring," featuring some truly over-the-top guitar heroics. Cuba--a duo of Christopher Andrews and former Chapterhouse drummer Ashley Bates--made their 4AD debut with a trio of singles--"Urban Light" (BAD 8010), "Cross The Line" (BAD 8012) and "Havana" (BAD 8019)--which introduced their sample-crazed, genre-blurring mixture of club culture and rock energy. The Pixies' Pixies At The BBC (GAD 8013) was precisely what it sounded like--a compilation of 15 of the band's BBC radio sessions recorded between 1988 and 1991. Lisa Germano's Slide (CAD 8014), her final recording for 4AD, was another outstanding set of of musical dispatches from places most songwriters wouldn't dare to tread. An intriguing mixture of Lisa's home recordings and studio sessions featuring such all-star players as Jerry Scheff (Elvis Presley), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello) and Joe Gore (Tom Waits), it was produced by Tchad Blake (Latin Playboys). Mojave 3 followed up Ask Me Tomorrow with the equally impressive Out Of Tune (CAD 8018), which surrounded Neil Halstead's warm, golden-hued songs with a rich variety of musical settings. The results recalled the organic simplicity of The Band or early Neil Young. Two singles were released, each with excellent non-album tracks--"Who Do You Love?" (BAD 8011) and "Some Kinda Angel" (BAD 8016). 1999 4AD's second mail-order-only release, The Hope Blister's Underarms (4ADM2), was Ivo's instrumental companion piece to ...smile's ok. Created during the ...smile's ok sessions, Underarms was a set of ultra-minimalist drone-scapes with a vast, cavernous sound and an austere beauty. Gus Gus made their return with "Ladyshave," a classic pop single (BAD 9001, BADD 9001). The much-anticipated This Is Normal (CAD 9006) proved a dizzying cocktail of sometimes danceable, sometimes dreamlike songs. Further singles included the electro-funky "Starlovers" (BAD 9004, BADD 9004) and the mutant house groove of "VIP" (BAD 9017, BADD 9017). Warren Defever summed up the first seven years of His Name Is Alive recordings with the release of Always Stay Sweet (CAD 9002), a 21-track greatest-hits-album-from-a-parallel-universe that served as a perfect point-of-entry for those still uninitiated into the band's unique sound-world. For the benefit of the already-addicted, the previously unreleased "Underwater" was also included. Cuba began the year with another single "Black Island/White Shadow" (BAD 9003) before finally making their album debut with Leap Of Faith (CAD 9014), a provocative showcase for the group's post-Primal Scream, post-big beat brand of widescreen sound, featuring vocals from Shara Nelson, Mojave 3's Rachel Goswell and rapper Mau. A revised, post-album single of "Black Island" (BAD 9016) added a remix by Groove Armada. The Birthday Party's Live 1981-82 (CAD 9005) was, quite literally, a blast from the past. Assembled from shows in London, Bremen and Athens, it's an unflinching document of the unstoppable juggernaut that Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Rowland S. Howard, Tracy Pew and Phill Calvert were able to conjure onstage. Included were three of the four songs from the long out-of-print Drunk On The Pope's Blood EP, as well as a climactic rendition of the Stooges' "Funhouse" featuring Jim "Foetus" Thirlwell on saxophone. After the acoustic splendor of her three previous solo records, Kristin Hersh's Sky Motel (CAD 9008) was her first set of electric music since the demise of Throwing Muses. Recorded in New Orleans (at the same studio where the Muses had made University) with producer Trina Shoemaker (Sheryl Crow), Kristin played virtually all the sounds on the record (except for a few drum tracks) by herself. The single "Echo" (BAD 9007) featured covers of Nirvana and the Beatles as B-sides. Former Throwing Muse David Narcizo--one of the most original rock drummers of recent decades--made his solo debut under the name Lakuna. Castle Of Crime (GAD 9010) was a kaleidoscopic album built from a dizzying array of samples and loops all held together by Narcizo's forceful rhythms. It was accompanied by a limited edition 12-inch single (TAD 9009) featuring two mixes of "So Happy." Red House Painters' Retrospective (DAD 9011), a two-CD anthology, provided a detailed look at the band's 4AD recordings. Disc 1--compiled and sequenced by Ivo--assembled 13 of the finest songs from their back catalogue, while Disc 2 brought together a selection of unreleased demos, outtakes, radio performaces and live tracks (including two previously unheard pieces). Following the breakup of Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry finally unleashed the solo album he'd been promising since his epochal set at London's ICA in 1993. Eye Of The Hunter (CAD 9015) proved more than equal to expectations. An album of sweeping drama and private emotion in the vein of visionary loners like Tim Buckley and Scott Walker, its eight tracks glided on layers of quiet instrumentation and Perry's immense vocal presence. It was timeless music, in every sense of the word. PART ONE (1980-1984) PART TWO (1985-1989) PART THREE (1990-1994) 4AD Tribute