DAMON KRUKOWSKI & NAOMI YANG PART 1: GALAXIE 500/ PIERRE ETOLIE

"A gem of swirling, haunting, melodic rock."

"Euphoric aural melancholia."


"Dismissing Galaxie 500 as "another Velvet Underground knockoff" is like calling Joy Division "another Doors knockoff". Sure, there are obvious similarities. But Galaxie 500 created their own sound: a sound to match a lethargic teenager and his romantic yearnings"

"It's shocking how most of the indie community isn't familiar with Galaxie 500. One of the most essential underground acts in history."

"In fact, they're a marvellous late 80s indie outfit, an embodiment of the alternative scene in its vibrant and youthful days. Largely undiscovered in their day, this enigmatic, slightly arty Boston/NYC combo is steadily gaining recognition for an important contribution to the development of the 90s alternative scene on both sides of the Atlantic"

"Galaxie 500 exists again as one of the most enrapturing and glorious bands to emerge from the underground in the past 25 years."


GALAXIE 500

Country:
UK
Genre:
Rock
Style:
Shoegazer, Indie Rock


Members:
Damon Krukowski - Drums, Percussions
Dean Wareham - Guitar, Vocals
Naomi Yang - Bass


VIDEO:
"When Will You Come Home (Live)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igfXqhRxIcM




DEMO TAPES (1987)

Tracklist:

01 Walking Song
02 The Other Side
03 On the Floor
04 Pride
05 On The Sofa
06 Open Road
07 Well... All Right

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326258569/g-deta.rar

TODAY (1988)

Credits:
Artwork By [Design] - Naomi Yang
Bass - Naomi Yang
Drums - Damon Krukowski
Guitar, Vocals - Dean Wareham
Photography [Cover] - Eugene Atget (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Atget)
Producer, Engineer - Kramer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kramer)
Executive Producer - Marc Alghini (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marc-alghini/6/39a/675)
Written-By - Galaxie 500
Written-by [Credited To] - Krukowski* , Wareham* , Yang*

Notes:
Produced & engineered by Kramer at Noise New York, 1988.
Reissue of their 1988 debut album, with extra bonus track "King Of Spain" & a video track for "Tugboat".

VIDEO:
"Flowers (live)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNmgM9_7ytY

Tracklist:

01 Flowers (4:26)
02 Pictures (3:23)
03 Parking Lot (2:52)
04 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (6:47)
05 Temperature's Rising (5:05)
06 Oblivious (3:18)
07 It's Getting Late (3:29)
08 Instrumental (3:01)
09 Tugboat (3:53)
10 King Of Spain (4:33)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326261500/g-tod.rar

Interview:
http://www.damonandnaomi.com/interviews/g500interview.html


Q:
Why do you think Galaxie 500 still has such a fervent cult following?

Dean Wareham:
"I happen to think the records are great, innocent and melancholy and beautiful, and almost out of time. Even when we were putting those records out, people either loved us or hated us, there was something extreme in what we were doing. Most every other band in Boston was playing thrash or metal or proto-grunge. We dared to play slow, to drone on one chord for ten minutes, singing about parking lots and Twinkies and cold snowy evenings.

Then Galaxie 500 broke up after releasing three albums, and when our label, Rough Trade, filed for bankruptcy, the records disappeared for some years in the early 90s. This was still a period where it was hard to find out-of-print records (today, if your record isn't available on Amazon, then surely someone has digitized it and uploaded it to their filesharing website), and I think the fact that the records were impossible to find for a while maybe helped the mystique grow. People had to resort to making cassette copies of those albums for their friends."


"Galaxie 500's debut doesn't merely live up to the sweet promise of the band's debut single "Tugboat," Today's final song, but almost without trying becomes its own gently powerful touchstone. While the influences are clear -- third album Velvet Underground, early non-dance New Order, psychedelic haze and fuzz thanks to the reverb Kramer piled on as producer -- the resulting brew easily stands on its own. By never feeling the need to conventionally rock out, the Krukowski/Yang rhythm section comes up with its own brand of intensity. Sometimes the two are persistently skipping along without Krukowski having to bash the hell out of the drums (the downright delightful "Oblivious" is a good example), other times they simply play it soft and slow. Meanwhile, Wareham's low-key chiming and slightly lost, forlorn singing, at places wry and whimsical, often achingly sad, forms the perfect counterpoint to the songs' paces, feeling like a gauzy dream. When he comes up with his own brand of electric guitar heroics, it's very much in the Lou Reed and such descendants vein of less being more, setting the moods via strumming and understated but strong soloing.
One particular Descendant gets honored with a cover version: Jonathan Richman, whose "Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste" is turned into a deceptively calm epic, with marvelous playing by all three members. It's easier to lose oneself in the flow of the sound rather than worry about any deep meaning, making the stronger images that come to the fore all that more entertaining, like "watching all the people fall to pieces" in "Parking Lot." "Tugboat" itself, meanwhile, remains as wonderful as ever, a cascading confession of love at the expense of everything else, somehow mournful and triumphant all at once. Later CD versions included the "Tugboat" B-side, "King of Spain."" Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

"A fantastic record. The minimal beauty of Galaxie 500, both lyrically and musically, leaves you addicted and craving more by the end. One of my all-time favorite albums."

"Euprhoric aural melancholia. Beautiful stuff.
I saw G500 for the first time at the Rat in Boston opening for the Pixies. Not many G500 fans in that crowd.

I was there to see the Pixies whom I'd never heard, but who were said to be good. I'd not yet heard of G500. This album had only been just released according to Dean. I think I cried listening to them play. We left during the Pixies set as I started to get asthmatic from the smoke and the crowd started to bash around like crazy."

"The best sounding lead guitar i`ve ever listened to,plus a very special voice, makes me fall in love with this american band.To see these guys live should have been a mystical experience,that screamin`guitar whining under red lights and focuses...The direction that is going to take the song is never predictable due to Dean Wareham`s guitar style,chaotic and fuzzy.His voice seems to be coming from another dimension ,filled with angst and alienation.This was authentic and innovative in the 80`s.And nowadays it can amaze many with those catchy guitar harmonies still fresh.As others have said,the music here can hardly be catalogued or classified, strange, abstract...but leaves a great impact on the listener.Either you love it or you hate it.I belong to the first group of course.Being original is no easy thing."

"While this album has many merits, I think it's greatest is that it was recorded in 1988. Admist the hair bands, Reaganomics, and Members Only jackets, Galaxie 500 managed to create a near-perfect album of warm, fuzzy psych-pop.
When I first read about Galaxie 500, I could tell they were a musical missing link for me- creating a bridge between standard indie-pop fair and beautifully woven pyschedelia, all the while remaining simply and truly romantic. This is a make-out album, from the utterance of "I could be there when you're sleeping, I could be there in your dreams" on the opening number to the song "Tugboat", which relies on a scant few lyrics to cultminate in what may be the best love song never to make it to radio.

While Naomi's solid bass work provides a backbone for the album, the lead guitar evokes memories of the acid rock of the 60's and 70's with seering, sparkling riffs. Not that the pop of those decades has been forgotten either; Galaxie 500 can go from brooding to bubble gum so subtly you never notice until the music has built to a roar as warm and dense as it is undeniable.

Think of this as proof that just a little soul survived the ravages of the Me Decade"

"Galaxie 500 has been as faithful to me as the best woman in the world could be (as far as the women go, that's never happened). TODAY is a great album to listen to if you're tired, awake, drunk, sober, in love, out of love, lonely, social, and most importantly quite sick of things that most think of as "great." It is entirely moody, much like most individual's personas. It can be very dark, but has such beautiful melodic texture so the darkness is masked in a way. A brilliant, brilliant piece of work from a band whom broke up too early. Not only is it a classic, but it was on Rough Trade...I owned it on that label, lent it to a high school girlfriend and never saw it again.....like the album, bitter and romantic."

"A 3 piece who met in Boston Ma. in the late 80s. Comprised Dean Wareham. a New Zealander transplanted in the States and Naomi Yang and Damon Krukowski. A smorgasbord of influences ranging from The Young Marble Giants, The Modern Lovers, The Velvet Underground, The Feelies and the Flying Nun discography. A cracking debut album - timeless and one which they could never really follow- up."
(http://www.thewonder.co.uk/lost.htm)

More review:
http://www.jezebelmusic.com/88/record-review-today/

http://www.xsilence.net/disque-4291.htm

http://www.auralexploits.com/product_6617.htm























































































ON FIRE (1989)

Credits:
Bass - Naomi Yang
Drums, Percussion - Damon Krukowski
Guitar, Vocals - Dean Wareham
Organ [Cheap], Backing Vocals - Kramer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kramer) (tracks: 10)
Producer, Engineer - Kramer
Saxophone [Tenor] - Ralph Carney (tracks: 6)
Vocals - Naomi Yang (tracks: 7)
Written-By - Krukowski (tracks: 1 to 9, 13) , Wareham (tracks: 1 to 9, 13) , Yang (tracks: 1 to 9, 13)
Written-By - Thompson , Cunningham (track 11), Joy Division (track 12)

Notes:
Comes in a mini LP sleeve with OBI strip. Includes a folded insert with info and lyrics in English and Japanese.
Originally released in 1989. This is a reissue of the 1997 issue on Rykodisc (RCD 10357), which includes three bonus tracks (11, 12, 13) not on the original album.
Produced and engineered by Kramer at Noise New York, 1989.

VIDEO:
"Tell Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTOSXb9-k80&feature=related

Tracklist:

01 Blue Thunder (3:45)
02 Tell Me (3:50)
03 Snowstorm (5:10)
04 Strange (3:16)
05 When Will You Come Home (5:21)
06 Decomposing Trees (4:05)
07 Another Day (3:41)
08 Leave The Planet (2:40)
09 Plastic Bird (3:15)
10 Isn't It A Pity (5:10)
11 Victory Garden (2:48)
12 Ceremony (5:55)
13 Cold Night (2:36)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326262205/g-fi.rar

"Having already made a fine account of themselves on Today, the three members of Galaxie 500 got even better with On Fire, recording another lovely classic of late '80s rock. As with all the band's work, Kramer once again handles the production, the perfect person to bring out Galaxie 500's particular approach. The combination of his continued use of reverb and the sudden, dramatic shifts in the music -- never exploding, just delivering enough of a change -- makes for fine results.
Consider "Snowstorm," with Krukowski's soft-then-strong drums and Wareham's liquid solo and how they're placed in the mix, leading without dominating. Yang's vocals became more prominent and her bass work more quietly narcotic than before, while Krukowski adds more heft to his playing without running roughshod over everything, even at the band's loudest. Wareham in contrast more or less continues along, his glazed, haunting voice simply a joy to hear, while adding subtle touches in the arrangements -- acoustic guitar is often prominent -- to contrast his beautifully frazzled soloing. Leadoff track "Blue Thunder" is the most well-known song and deservedly so, another instance of the trio's ability to combine subtle uplift with blissed-out melancholia, building to an inspiring ending.
There's more overt variety throughout On Fire, from the more direct loner-in-the-crowd sentiments and musical punch of "Strange" to the Yang-sung "Another Day," a chance for her to shine individually before Wareham joins in at the end. Again, a cover makes a nod to past inspirations, with George Harrison being the songwriter of choice; his "Isn't It a Pity" closes out the album wonderfully, Kramer adding vocals and "cheap organ." Inspired guest appearance -- Ralph Carney, Tom Waits' horn player of choice, adding some great tenor sax to the increasing volume and drive of "Decomposing Trees." Later CD pressings included the bonus tracks from the Blue Thunder EP." Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

"Just one year after a very good debut album ("Today"), Galaxie 500 hit the jackpot with "On Fire." This is one of those albums where a band miraculously gets everything right, with all the elements of their sound falling into place. The Galaxie 500 formula was basically pretty simple, and all three instrumentalists contributed about equally. Damon Krukowski's splashy drumming did as much to set the mood as did Naomi Yang's understated bass and Dean Wareham's blaring guitars.
The overall effect is sort of a musical glow, as suggested by the orange album cover, and there are enough earthly concerns in the lyrics to remind us which planet we inhabit after all. "On Fire" is pervaded by themes of escape, isolation, and longing. Though the music has a soothing effect, there is an angst here, a genuine attempt to connect. This is no mere exercise in style.

The Galaxie 500 sound was heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground, especially VU's droniest material, such as "Venus in Furs." Yet somehow, the Galaxie 500 drone does not borrow so obviously from Indian music. It sounds entirely American, with hints of jazz, blues, folk, and rock and roll. But only hints. Mostly, Galaxie 500 sounded nothing like any band that came before it--at least as far as I know. Their music was ahead of its time.

"Blue Thunder" may be the band's best song ever, with a crescendo leading to the chorus: "I'll drive so far away!" "Snowstorm" is a brilliant take on how we experience snowstorms nowadays, watching the TV and maybe hoping we can get out of work early; the music approaches quietly before rushing in and enveloping us. "Another Day" features a haunting vocal by Naomi Yang, and the remake of George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity" is perfect, staying true to the spirit of the song while gently recasting it in the Galaxie 500 mold.

"On Fire" is a classic of its genre, and a great combination of sound and songwriting. This is the place to start if you are interested in the music of Galaxie 500"


"Back when music sucked in the late 80s, there were a few notable exceptions. It seems that every critic later realized that grunge would have been nothing were it not for prototypical bands like the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine, and... OK, the late 80s didn't totally suck, I guess. Galaxie 500 was a trio from Boston, with simple instrumentation (guitar/voice, bass/voice, drums) and likewise simple tunes. They were extremely adept at utilizing their untested and somewhat limited talents, and ended up with something that was much more than the sum of its parts. True, the lyrics weren't particularly great, Dean Wareham (later the leader of Luna) usually sang an octave too high for my liking, and the bass player claimed she hardly knew how to play. But, as evidenced by the purposefully-sometimes-lagging drumming in "Strange", they knew exactly what they were doing and what they were capable of, and here they turned out a subtle masterpiece of consistently lulling, tuneful songs And they knew who and how to cover, too - Yoko Ono ("Decomposing Trees"), George Harrison ("Isn't It A Pity"), and even New Order's "Ceremony" as a bonus track, which is the standout."

"I don't know how or why Galaxie 500 slipped under the radar. Perhaps their music is so soothing, so warm, so trancelike, that they can move unnoticed, except by those listening for them. How they crafted music of this sort in the 80's remains a mystery; psych guitar melded with a Velvet Underground inspired drone and a knack for melody makes this pop of the mellowest sort. Even though the voice of Warhem is far from that of a crooner, it's perfect for the mood they set. On Fire is a gorgeous and worthy follow-up to its predecessor. The sweet opener, Blue Thunder, exemplifies what the band does best: it starts out simple and sparse, and transforms into an all-out rocker that roars with a soft purr."

"I love this album. It's like walking across the street with a friend; a show of appreciation for the everyday workings of this ordinary world. The singer grows on you (he sounds off-key at first) and the lyrics are wonderfully casual--i.e. in one song he sings about eating his twinkie while waiting in line at a store. All of the songs are suffused with an incredible sadness that is beautiful and uplifting at the same time."


More review:
http://altmusic.about.com/od/reviews/fr/galaxie500.htm

http://archivedmusicpress.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/simon-reynolds-reviews-on-fire-by-galaxie-500-october-1989/

http://cgi.ebay.com/Galaxie-500-On-Fire-Vinyl-LP-Record-Remaster-indie-NEW_W0QQitemZ390074918783QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item5ad246e77f

http://vassifer.blogs.com/alexinnyc/2007/11/ceremony-by-gal.html

http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Galaxie-500

http://www.xsilence.net/disque-1101.htm



LIVE AT TECH, GLASGOW, UK (08 Dec 1989)

Tracklist:

01 Decomposing Trees
02 Snowstorm
03 Flowers
04 Victory Garden
05 Temperature's Rising
06 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste
07 Here She Comes Now
08 When Will You Come Home
09 Blue Thunder
10 Ceremony

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326277391/g-glasg.89.rar


LIVE IN ATLANTA, USA (1989)

Tracklist:

01 Decomposing Trees
02 Pictures
03 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste
04 Blue Thunder
05 Plastic Bird
06 When Will You Come Home
07 Ceremony

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326275333/g-atlan89.rar























THIS IS OUR MUSIC (1990)

Credits:
Backing Vocals - Krukowski, Kramer
Bass - Naomi Yang
Drums, Percussion - Damon Krukowski
Flute [Cheap] - Kramer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kramer)
Guitar, Vocals - Dean Wareham
Vocals - Naomi Yang (track 06)
Photography [Blue] - Norman Gholson
Photography [Red] - Ray Agony
Producer, Engineer - Kramer
Written-By - Galaxie 500 (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 9) , Yoko Ono (tracks: 6)

Notes:
Reissue, includes bonus track "Here She Comes Now" that was not on the original album, and a video (Directed by Sergio Huidor, 1990) for the song "Fourth Of July". Originally released in 1990. Produced and engineered by Kramer at Noise New York, 1990.

VIDEO:
"Melt Away"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh5IwrW6uNM

Tracklist:

01 Fourth Of July (5:36)
02 Hearing Voices (3:38)
03 Spook (4:35)
04 Summertime (6:02)
05 Way Up High (4:04)
06 Listen, The Snow Is Falling (7:46)
07 Sorry (4:18)
08 Melt Away (4:35)
09 King Of Spain, Part Two (5:10)
10 Here She Comes Now (5:57)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326519039/g-ourmu.rar

"What turned out to be the final Galaxie 500 album was also arguably the band's most accomplished. Not that the earlier records lacked either charm or ability, but right from the charging, chugging start of "Fourth of July," the amazing single and leadoff song from This Is Our Music (even including a cheeky Velvet Underground reference from "Candy Says"), the trio here sounds like they could take on anyone.
Kramer's production and the use of reverb from past releases all once again contribute to Galaxie 500's magic, while the individual members continue to sound fantastic. Somehow, though, everyone aims higher, Wareham's singing among his finest and his guitar going for the truly epic more than once, Krukowski and Yang even more perfectly in sync than before, often being very bold without losing their intrinsic warmth. From a generally different approach, Galaxie 500 here easily equaled the heights of their U.K. shoegaze contemporaries and often trumped them -- "Summertime" in particular is a stunner -- while making a lot of contemporary American indie rock seem fairly dull and workaday.
The choice of cover version this time out is astonishing -- Yoko Ono's "Listen, the Snow Is Falling," with Yang singing beautifully over, initially, Wareham's echoed guitar strums, and Krukowski's barely-there percussion cascade. The switch to a full-band arrangement, far from destroying the song's spell, makes it even more intense and gripping a listen. The subtle touches throughout the album add immeasurably to its magic -- the soft ringing bells shimmering through "Hearing Voices," quiet synth on "Spook," and Kramer's self-described "cheap flute" on "Way up High." It all concludes with "King of Spain, Part Two," a reworking of the flip side to "Tugboat" -- while it wasn't a planned finale, as an unexpectedly right bookend to a career, it ends both Galaxie 500 and This Is Our Music on a perfect note. Later CD versions include a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Here She Comes Now," originally the B-side from "Fourth of July."" Ned Raggett, All Music Guide


"...Dean realized he and his bandmates could never top it. In parting, Galaxie 500 left their short-lived career without a blemish. A perfect end for a near-perfect band."

"I must admit that it took me many listens to This Is Our Music before it truly sunk in as a piece of slow-moving dream-pop genius. Galaxie 500 create a lush epic where guitars both acoustic and electric swirl together in a gorgeous haze. The record opens with the incredible "Fourth Of July," which for a long time ruined the album for me. This song is perhaps Galaxie 500's strongest, and to me, everything that followed just could not hold a candle to it. But after a while, and after getting heavily into the work of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, The Velvet Underground, and Low, the other songs on the record began to show themselves as unique, brilliant entities. "Hearing Voices" and "Spook" are surreal pop tunes, while the superb "Summertime" and a cover of Yoko Ono's "Listen, The Snow Is Falling" are lavish guitar epics that give Dean Wareham a chance to let loose while all the sounds build to a monumental crescendo. If you decide to explore this record by Galaxie 500, do not let initial disappointment scare you away. Like all great records, This Is Our Music takes time to infiltrate one's consciousness as a piece of extraordinary artistry."

"Being a big Luna fan, I was excited to learn about Dean Wareham's former band Galaxie 500. When the G500 releases started to be reissued and become available I decided to try pick this up and give it a spin. The good news, it has all the same elements as Luna - slow, methodical, stratocaster and Fender twin reverb driven tunes. But, it's just not working here. Rather than lush and textured though, the songs on this disc end up being thin and tinny - all haunting treble and no deep groove or rhythm. The vocals are thin and weak, the bass spends too much time lightly dancing on the high end of the register and the songwriting doesn't make you care for any of the tunes."

"When I first heard this album, I found it almost unlistenable, save for the first 2 songs. Having been delighted by TODAY and ON FIRE, I found it to be a very disappointing listen. The songwriting sounded uninspired, the melodies sounded weak, and the whole thing lacked momentum. A couple of months later, I decided to put THIS IS OUR MUSIC on while I took a nap. It was easy to fall asleep to, so I used it as my napping music a few more times. Soon I began hearing the songs in my head during the day. I became just as hooked, if not moreso, on this album as I had been on the other 2 Galaxie 500 releases. My advice: be patient with this recording, it will probably become more enjoyable with repeated listens."

"I love this album ... but I will defend the rights of anyone to hate it. On paper, this whole concept shouldn't work. The beat is slow enough to appear hesitant. The guitars are strumming one chord off a Velvet Underground album. But by god, they captured a mood perfectly - "Listen The Snow is Falling" says it all. Galaxie 500's "On Fire" has better songs, but this album is their most individualistic statement. Perfect summer listening."

"I've sat in the middle of conversations about this band: "Are they SHOEGAZE or DREAM-POP?" I've seen people get in scraps about this. Go all Francis Begbie to hell on this. It's nonsense!! Who cares? It's just good indie music, when "indie" meant what it was intented to mean. If your a fan of Unrest or the Bomb-pops, I highly suggest buying any of their albums. There is no reason why you shouldn't at least check it out. This american college band was a HUGE influence on many European bands in the early 90's. As powerful as the Velvet Underground?(tick that under "yes").**I know there's some Jesus and Mary Chain fan who wants to lamp me one!! But errm, at least Galaxie 500 didn't use drum-machines!! gawd no they're not the Cocteau Twins!!"

"Galaxie 500's final studio album was the all time classic that both On Fire and Today had hinted at. Although devastated that they split soon after its release as a final musical statement it is simply superb.
Galaxie 500 inherited the sound of The Velvet Underground and cemented it firmly in the conscious of the indie scene around 1992. Without them so much of what we here today (BDB, Mercury Rev et al) would simply not exist.

So come on - ride the fiery breeze of Galaxie 500"

"`This Is Our Music' indeed - with their boldly-titled final album title Galaxie 500 transcend their Velvet Underground influences and deliver the best and most confident record of their career.

All of the elements of their sound which so endeared them to the indie scene of the late 1980s are present; delicate percussion, emotional vocals and beautifully atmospheric guitars, but there is a new boldness to the band's sound here. Listen to them tacking an obscure cover version (Yoko Ono, anyone?), improvising an extended guitar workout and marvel at the power of the heavily reverbed guitar solo on `Sorry'.

`This Is Our Music's" best track is `Summertime' - a wonderfully controlled guitar piece, drenched in atmosphere and melody, superbly evocative of its subject matter. This is the band at their strongest and most self-assured, but the songwriting is strong throughout.

Their wonderfully kooky lyrics are also in evidence - witness the record's opening couplet: `I wrote a poem on a dog biscuit/And my dog refused to look at it'. Genius.

Once more, Kramer the producer is the de facto fourth member of the band, introducing otherwordly effects and sounds into the mix.

If you are reading this review you probably know all this already but Galaxie 500 have an almost iconic status in their genre and have influenced successive bands such as Low. When they split not long after this record came out they did so at the height of their powers and left a much-loved musical legacy. I love `This Is Our Music' as much today as I did in 1990 which is a rare thing indeed. Precious stuff."


More review:
http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Galaxie-500,6073

http://recordsinmylife.blogspot.com/2009/07/galaxie-500-this-is-our-music.html

http://www.jezebelmusic.com/74/record-review-this-is-our-music/

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-8200485.html

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318367,00.html

http://www.xsilence.net/disque-1616.htm

http://www.lankelot.eu/index.php/2006/07/10/galaxie-500-this-is-our-music/

LIVE AT FALCON, LONDON, UK (11 Feb 1990)

Tracklist:

01 Decomposing Trees
02 Snowstorm
03 Plastic Bird
04 Here She Comes Now
05 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste
06 Pictures
07 Flowers
08 When Will You Come Home
09 Victory Garden
10 Ceremony
11 Temperature's Rising

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326285362/g-falc90.rar




LIVE AT KENNEL CLUB, SAN FRANCISCO CA, USA (15 Oct 1990)

Tracklist:

01 Fourth of July
02 Summertime
03 Decomposing Trees
04 When Will You Come Home
05 Spook
06 Hearing Voices
07 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste
08 Melt Away
09 Listen The Snow Is Falling
10 Ceremony
11 Here She Comes Now
12 Snowstorm

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326282434/g-kenn90.rar




LIVE AT TREFCENTRUM VK, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (21 Nov 1990)

Tracklist:

01 Blue Thunder
02 Fourth of July
03 Hearing Voices
04 Decomposing Trees
05 Summertime
06 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste
07 Spook
08 When Will You Come Home
09 Sorry
10 Melt Away
11 Listen The Snow Is Falling

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326285156/g-bruss90.rar



LIVE AT PARAMOUNT THEATER, DENVER, USA (26.03.91)

Notes:
They were the opening act for Cocteau Twins

Tracklist:

01 When Will You Come Home
02 Summertime
03 Sorry
04 Fourth of July
05 Flowers
06 Melt Away
07 Listen The Snow Is Falling

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326281638/g-denv91.rar

"In 1991 Galaxie 500 headed out on what was to be their last tour of the US supporting The Cocteau Twins. This recoding is from the second night at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco and was probably a couple of nights after the accidental or pre-meditated use of a spotlight signalled the beginning of the end of Galaxie 500 (see BOTH Damon & Naomi’s Ptolemaic Terrascope interview and Dean’s Black Postcards for both sides of that story).

The recording is not too bad, and the seven song set is a gem. Within a couple of months it would all be over. I first read about the split in the Melody Maker at the beginning of May. I was sad." (You can download their 1991 San Francisoc concert here: http://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/)





















COPENHAGEN (1997)

Credits:
Artwork By [Design], Bass, Vocals - Naomi Yang
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals - Damon Krukowski
Engineer - Peter Molander Christensen (http://www.hotfrog.dk/Firmaer/Creative-Connections-V-peter-Molander-Christensen)
Featuring [Live Sound] - Kramer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kramer)
Guitar, Vocals - Dean Wareham
Photography [Cover] - Richard Bellia (http://www.richardbellia.com/)
Producer [Recording] - Anders Dohn

Notes:
Recorded live at 'Barbue', Copenhagen by Danmarks Radio P3, December 1, 1990

VIDEO:
"Here She Comes Now"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8hixY2vHpU

Tracklist:

01 Decomposing Trees (4:50)
02 Fourth Of July (5:01)
03 Summertime (6:42)
04 Sorry (4:30)
05 When Will You Come Home (5:31)
06 Spook (4:54)
07 Listen, The Snow Is Falling (8:19)
08 Here She Comes Now (5:38)
09 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (7:52)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326258331/g-copn.rar

"A presumably final punctuation mark on Galaxie 500's work, Copenhagen, released in 1997, is actually a recording from the last date of the band's late 1990 European tour, captured for radio broadcast in the Danish capital in front of a vocally appreciative crowd. One main reason to listen in is hearing how the band's studio approach clearly differed from the concert arena -- while Kramer handles the live sound, the cocooning web of reverb familiar from the records isn't present here. As a result, the performances have a more direct approach, Wareham's voice a little more naked, his thoughts on emotional connection, and the oddities of life easier to capture. Yang's bass gains in prominence as well, almost more so than Wareham's guitar at points, while Krukowski as always keeps the beat well, adding subtle flourishes and touches as he goes. All this would be mere technical notation if the performance itself wasn't worthy, though, and that it is. Touring for This Is Our Music as the trio was, the set list is mostly focused on that, though a fine version of "Decomposing Trees" starts things off. Three of the band's favored covers close the set -- Yoko Ono's "Listen, the Snow Is Falling," the Velvet Underground's "Here She Comes Now," and a version of Jonathan Richman's "Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste" that provides a great final kick. For all the excellence of the show, one can hear a little more than once in Wareham's soloing what Yang and Krukowski later described as his tendency to play the big rock star toward the end of the band's life. It's not bad work, but the cracks were starting to show. Longtime Galaxie 500 fanatic Byron Coley provides the detailed essay in the booklet, a useful history of the group and its influence." Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

"Before Low, before Mogwai and before Luna, these guys were perfecting the perfect slow core pop, I was lucky enough to catch them play live and since they wont be doing that anymore this is a perfect document as to how great Galaxie 500 sound outside of the studio."

"OK - it's not as if Galaxie 500's live show ever was much to brand with superlatives. Check out Damon & Naomi's modern-day wankfests for evidence (and bring me back some Romilar as a souvenir ... zzzz ... ). Aside from serving some sentimental purpose for the G500 folks now moping through middle age, ain't much this CD, documenting the band's final European performance, has to offer. Like most live recordings, the bass is mixed too high, the guitars too low in some sort of a jagged murk, the vocals from some cave north of Omsk. And those voices - yeesh, and this is when Wareham's forlorn whininess actually sounded most at home. On "When Will You Come Home," though, it sounds as if he's been hanging out in the kitchen with the Swedish Chef and a puppeteer has a hand up his rear. The covers (Yoko Ono, George Harrison) are interesting in and of themselves, but God bless y'all if you see the need to listen to them more than once."

"I was at this concert in a tiny little club in Copenhagen way back when. It was packed I could hardly breathe, but the band were uterly sublime. I'll never forget it. It was one of the most amazing nights of my life. This is a piece of pure rock n roll history. The quality reached by this band in this, their final performance, is unspeakable, so thank the heavens that someone had the insight to record it."

"Recorded on their last tour (this particular date was my twentieth birthday!), you'll be sorry you never saw them live. Proves that they had the courage to split at the height of their powers. Essential for any devotees. Naomi's voice always sounds so fragile on the Galaxie 500 recordings but that's part of the beauty as proved here on a long version of Listen the Snow is Falling. Comes in a nice jeweled case to match the CD box set. Listen and weep."

More review:
http://17dots.com/2009/04/29/galaxie-500-copenhagen/

http://www.musicarcades.com/2009/05/galaxie-500-copenhagen.html

http://www.ekoliniol.com/7f4a326e.htm

http://www.xsilence.net/disque-6334.htm





















THE PORTABLE GALAXIE 500 (1998)

Credits:
Artwork By [Design], Bass, Vocals - Naomi Yang
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals - Damon Krukowski
Guitar, Vocals - Dean Wareham
Written By - Yoko Ono (track 04), Jonathan Richman (track 07)

Notes:
Tracks selected from the albums : Today, On Fire, This Is Our Music, Copenhagen, Galaxie 500 Box.

VIDEO:
"Tugboat (Live)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6o2mc-xKa8&feature=related

Tracklist:

01 Blue Thunder (With Sax) (3:45)
02 Flowers (4:26)
03 When Will You Come Home (5:21)
04 Listen, The Snow Is Falling (7:47)
05 Sorry (4:15)
06 Fourth Of July (5:35)
07 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (6:47)
08 Strange (3:16)
09 Another Day (3:41)
10 Snowstorm (5:10)
11 Summertime (Live) (6:42)
12 Tugboat (3:53)
Video Blue Thunder (3:53)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326267511/g-po.rar

"Though the partnership between Harvard students Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang was a brief one, Galaxie 500's sonic handprints can be found on almost every post-punk/space rock/shoegaze act that followed them. Listeners who found 1996's four-disc eponymous box set a little too daunting have another option in Rykodisc's Portable Galaxie 500, a 13-track dream pop novel that dutifully displays the group's minimalist, lo-fi grandeur through standout cuts like "Fourth of July," "Tugboat," and "Blue Thunder." It's no On Fire or Today, but if sifting through these pre-slowcore nuggets sends people in the direction of those two landmark records, then it can only be a good thing." Reverend Lee Power, All Music Guide

"Their quiet might still looms. Not simply in their own material ... but also--and this is a fine thing--in their cover versions. Galaxie 500 took Jonathan Richman's "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste", and Yoko Ono's "Listen, The Snow Is Falling" and filled them (frighteningly hollow, exultantly sad), simply, with their sound. If that sound has a name, it's an ache. And rarely does fragility feel so strong." (New Musical Express)

"The music of Galaxie 500, like the music of Nick Drake, lends itself well to compilations, because it all sounds so similar. It would be difficult to put together a collection of songs by either artist that did not hold together well. For that very same reason, however, compilations are unnecessary. You can get the same high quality listening experience by buying one of the original albums, and then if you like it you can buy the others. With Galaxie 500, the best place to start is "On Fire," and you won't go wrong with "Today" either. (Stay away from "This Is Our Music," however. That one only contains a few good songs.)
"The Portable Galaxie 500" is a nice selection, but like all other fans of the band, I do have my quibbles about some of the omissions, especially "Temperature's Rising," "It's Getting Late," and "Isn't It A Pity." The compilers also missed a golden opportunity by failing to include "The Other Side," a magnificent track with Naomi singing lead, which as far as I know is only available in the boxed set (a virtually impossible-to-find item right now--at a reasonable price, that is). Furthermore--and I may be completely alone in this opinion--I can't stand the saxophone version of "Blue Thunder" included here, while the "straight" version of that song (from "On Fire") is my favorite Galaxie 500 song.

So if you're looking to test the waters with this great band, go straight to the original releases. Other reviewers on this site have already provided some wonderful descriptions of the Galaxie 500 sound, so no need for a recap here."

"This "best-of" of the wonderful Galaxie 500 does them more than justice by wisely pulling off all of the high points from their three albums. the alternate version of "Blue Thunder" is especially affecting, what with the addition of devastating saxophone-- the broken-apart climax that Galaxie 500 always hinted around without ever tipping over that edge. Blue Thunder is worth your hard-earned money as it is. The somber "Flowers" follows, giving you that feeling of watching someone you're totally enamored with live their life apart from you-- all in the snow, of course. Other high points include the cover of Yoko Ono's "Listen..." and "Another Day," their best song, in my opinion, shich again nearly breaks down with it's trying-to-keep-it-together vocal harmonies. I get misty-eyed just thinking about it. "Tugboat" ends this set, centering around the line "there's a place I'd like to be." Thanks to Dean and crew, we're there with him."

More review:
http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/dec-7-98/aag.html#aag6

http://www.xsilence.net/disque-860.htm


























UNCOLLECTED GALAXIE 500 (2004)

Credits:
Artwork By [Design], Photography, Bass - Naomi Yang
Drums, Percussion - Damon Krukowski
Guitar - Dean Wareham, Dave Rick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Rick) (track 14)
Saxophone [Tenor] - Ralph Carney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Carney) (track 04)
Producer, Engineer - Kramer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kramer) (tracks: 1 to 10)
Recorded By - Kramer (tracks: 14) , Perkin Barnes (tracks: 11 to 13)
Remastered By - Alan Douches , Kramer
Vocals - Dean Wareham , Naomi Yang

Notes:
A collection of rarities & outtakes originally compiled for the Galaxie 500 Box.
Track 14 : Recorded live, May 13, 1989.

Tracklist:

01 Cheese And Onions (3:05)
02 Them (3:42)
03 Final Day (2:54)
04 Blue Thunder (3:46)
05 Maracas Song (3:52)
06 Crazy (1:54)
07 Jerome (2:46)
08 Song In 3 (3:25)
09 Oblivious (3:21)
10 I Can't Believe It's Me (3:56)
11 Walking Song (2:50)
12 The Other Side (4:55)
13 On The Floor (2:48)
14 Rain / Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (8:51)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326265025/g-uncol.rar

Production description:
Uncollected is a compilation album by Galaxie 500, originally released in 1996 as a part of the Galaxie 500 box set. It was later reissued as a single disc in 2004 by Rykodisc Records


Q:
What was your first instinct upon disbanding Galaxie 500?

Dean Wareham:
"I remember I felt good. I felt kind of free. Yeah… No, I felt good. I think I’ll feel good when Luna disbands, too."
(http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/interview/dean-wareham-of-luna.htm)

Q:
Readers are going to be interested in the reasons why Galaxie 500 and Luna split up. Can you talk about what led to the break-up of the two bands?

Dean Wareham:
"The simple answer is that I decided I had had enough, and decided to quit both bands. But bands are supposed to break up, that's part of the story, unless your band develops into a large multinational corporation like U2 or the Rolling Stones.

The breakup happens when you can't stop thinking about breaking up, when you no longer want to spend the majority of your waking hours in close proximity to your fellow musicians, when the reasons to break up outweigh the reasons to stay together. And when resentments, some of them petty, build… to the point where you can't see what you loved about each other, but only what is driving you crazy.

I left Galaxie 500 because I felt trapped and controlled. The situation was inherently untenable—a 3-piece band where the rhythm section form a married faction who meet prior to band meetings (at home) and vote as a bloc. It may have been a democracy, but it didn't feel democratic to me. I felt trapped inside my own band. When I dared to record a song outside the band, for a compilation album that our producer Kramer had put together, my bandmates were upset. When I participated in a benefit show for the Chemical Imbalance fanzine (playing songs on acoustic guitar after Damon and Naomi said they didn't want Galaxie 500 to do it), they were angrier still, and said I had no right to play Galaxie 500 songs without them. Our friendship was deteriorating—we were business partners, not friends, and the joy of making music together was gone.

Luna lasted much longer—twelve years—until we reached a point where I really thought there were enough Luna albums in existence (seven). What was the point of making another? Perhaps if we had been making millions of dollars. But we weren't, and I felt a constant pressure to help making a living for four band members, in a time when it was becoming more difficult to sell CDs, partly on account of the internet revolution.

And things that were fun and easy at age 28 were different at age 40. Rock and roll bands are for kids. As you get older (and maybe have a family), you find it is not the easiest way to organize your life—that family life and rock and roll do not mix easily. A life on the road presents many hazards for your life at home."
(http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/features/blackpostcards-p2.html)

KM:
There’s a dark undercurrent running through Black Postcards - “Your friendship has been poisoned,” is a line about being in a band with your friends that launches the reader into the meat of the memoir. This hasn’t been my experience in music but frankly I’ve never had much success. Success in any form, it seems, does no one any favors. Would you agree? Even small amounts of money that really aren’t going to make huge differences in individual lives seem to wreak havoc - was that your experience? Did it HAVE to be that way?

DW:
"Perhaps you’re right - that if success doesn’t come, then there’s less at stake, less reason to fight. But maybe I overstated it — being in a band doesn’t have to poison your friendships forever. I’m on good terms with everyone in Luna - probably better terms now that we’re not in a band together. I don’t really think there was any good reason for the Galaxie 500 breakup to be so acrimonious, but Damon and Naomi viewed my leaving the band as a terrible betrayal, and I was guilty of not giving them an explanation for my departure. I see your point about success causing problems, but money was not part of the problem in Galaxie 500. Ego perhaps, but not money."
(http://www.brahrecords.com/katchin.php?brah=10)

Q:
Does it seem like Galaxie 500’s legacy shall remain eternal, whereas Luna, your ‘underrated’ band, could slide into obscurity?

Dean Wareham:
“Well, in England and Europe, Galaxie 500 was beloved there, and remains so. In the United States, that’s not so true; here I feel like far more people tell me they love Luna. Personally, I love all the Galaxie 500 records, whereas I don’t like all the Luna records. But, I don’t know if you can make eight records, like Luna did, and be totally on top of your game on each one. People always asked me, when I was in Luna, how it felt to be ‘underrated.’ And, y’know, it didn’t feel that way when we were out on tour, playing in front of a lot of adoring people.”
(http://altmusic.about.com/od/interviews/a/deanwareham.htm)


"These songs are essential for any fan of the band. I can't imagine being without them. The disc was a revelation the first time I heard it, and it remains a top favorite. It's hard to spotlight individual songs, because the overall quality is so high, but "Final Day" alone is more than worth the price of the disc."

"This was the rarities disc included in the `96 box set of their complete recordings.Some fine moments here like covers of The Rutles`"Cheese And Onions",Young Marble Giants`"Final Day",and a live versions of The Beatles`"Rain" and Jonathan Richman`s "Dont Let Our Youth Go To Waste".Some notable originals are "Blue Thunder"(with sax by Tom Waits sideman Ralph Carney),"Crazy","Song In 3","Walking Song",and "Other Side" with some beautiful vocals from Naomi.Worth checking out if you`re a big G500 fan like I am."

"whether you are a fan or not, galaxie 500 remains as one of the best, unknown bands of the last 20 years. their style remains unchallenged with the durability to remain timeless. however, in this latest album, "500" seems to take a step back in their meloncholic, progressive style that their fans have grown uccustomed to. their first two albums were great, but this one seems to need some work."

More review:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/3381-uncollected/

http://deafmantalking.blogspot.com/2009/07/galaxie-500-uncollected.html

http://www.rockfeedback.com/review/611/galaxie-500-uncollected-galaxie-500-rykodisc/

http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/galaxie-500/uncollected

http://www.xsilence.net/disque-5645.htm





















PEEL SESSIONS (2005)

Credits:
Bass, Vocals - Naomi Yang
Drums, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals - Damon Krukowski
Engineer - Andrew Rogers (http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/introducing/advice/whatdotheseguysdo/andyrogers_engineerproducer/) (tracks: 1 to 4) , Dave Dade (http://arcade.demon.co.uk/dd.html and http://www.soundweb.co.uk/ and http://www.davedade.com/) (tracks: 5 to 8)
Guitar, Vocals - Dean Wareham
Mastered By - Alan Douches (http://www.westwestsidemusic.com/alan.htm)
Producer - Dale Griffin (tracks: 5 to 8) , Mike Walter (tracks: 1 to 4)
Written-By - Sex Pistols (track 01), Young Marble Giants (track 02), Buffy Sainte-Marie (track 04), Jonathan Richman (track 08)

Notes:
All tracks recorded for BBC Radio 1's John Peel Show.
Tracks 1 to 4 recorded 30th October 1990. First transmitted 4th November 1990.
Tracks 5 to 8 recorded 24th September 1989. First transmitted 17th October 1989.

Tracklist:

01 Submission (4:10)
02 Final Day (2:54)
03 When Will You Come Home (5:11)
04 Moonshot (3:21)
05 Flowers (4:39)
06 Blue Thunder (3:49)
07 Decomposing Trees (4:04)
08 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste (6:48)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326264559/g-pee.rar

More info:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/g/galaxie500/

"The amazing thing about Galaxie 500, as evidenced by the many covers featured on their excellent Uncollected disc and the box set, is their ability to take a song, cover it, and make it into something uniquely their own, sounding as if the song emanated from the minds of the group themselves. Capturing their October, 1989 and November, 1990 Peel Sessions for BBC Radio, this disc includes songs from Jonathan Richman, the Sex Pistols, Young Marble Giants, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, all falling under Galaxie 500's spell, with the remainder of the disc being rounded out by various EP and album cuts. The band is in top form, sounding every bit as fresh and relevant in 2005 as they did 15-years prior. There's a good chance die-hard fans will already own bootlegged copies of this with substantially worse sonic quality; the high pedigree of sonic quality here is enough to warrant purchasing this disc, even for the most stalwart of fans." Rob Theakston, All Music Guide

"As soon as the cover of the Sex Pistols’ “Submission” begins, it’s apparent that Galaxie 500’s Peel Sessions manages to capture what makes this seemingly ordinary sounding band so memorable. That a band this languid could take a punk anthem of rage and transform it into their own (and their genre’s) sonic ideal is the mark of sheer excellence. They bury the riffs under delicate interplay between bass and electric guitars to the point where the Pistols’ version (almost) sounds like it could pass as a Galaxie 500 cover.

“Submission” makes it clear why Peel Sessions is being released in November of 2005—additional reminders of what a great rock band sounds like are always worthwhile. These eight songs, culled from two sessions for the John Peel Show in 1989 and 1990, find the band right around their artistic apex, and they managed to do both the covers and their own material justice.

Their version of Buffy Sainte Marie’s “Moonshot” is handled skillfully. Instead of attempting to match Sainte Marie’s unmistakable quiver, singer Dean Wareham delivers the song in a straight-forward manner, as he and his bandmates infuse a palpable hollowness into the music itself to best acclimate their aesthetic to the lyrics’ eerie nature. Other covers include a slowed-down take on the Young Marble Giants’ “Final Day,” and an inspired version of Jonathan Richman’s “Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste.”

Both sessions are delivered with clear quality, enhancing the covers and making the subtle differences with the original versions of the band’s songs easily identifiable. The guitar solo at the end of “Blue Thunder” is spacier than On Fire’s version, for example. In every case, the original songs are performed as carefully as they would be for an official recording; Galaxie 500 sounded as tight as ever.

The only substantial complaint that could be lobbied against Peel Sessions is that it’s simply too scant, leading to legitimate questions of whether or not it’s truly suitable for release and/or purchase. But seeing as how the biggest problem with the eight songs that are included is that they cause one to wish that Galaxie 500 had recorded more songs for Peel, it only serves as testament to the strength of everything found within. For longtime fans, there’s little reason not to buy this. For newcomers, Peel Sessions might not be a logical starting point, but you’ll still walk away understanding why Galaxie 500 are still revered."
(http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/galaxie-500/peel-sessions.htm)

"Scraping the bottom of the barrel rarely sounds this good. Galaxie 500ís long-awaited Peel Sessions disc represents what is most likely the last archival release from this brief-running band, whose members went on to form Luna and Damon & Naomi following an acrimonious breakup in the early '90s.

Far from being audio table scraps, these two radio sessions, recorded in 1989 and 1990, are an essential addendum to the Galaxie 500 story. The recordings show the band in a loose, playful mood, mixing originals with covers by the likes of Jonathan Richman, Buffy Sainte Marie, Young Marble Giants and, most surprisingly, the Sex Pistols. The latter bandís iSubmissionî is given a fun, irreverent reading, as singer-guitarist Dean Wareham warbles his way through the lyrics. The only sad thing about Peel Sessions is that it is the last unreleased music weíll hear from Galaxie 500. Until the reunion, of course. Hey, if Dinosaur Jr can get back together, all bets are off." (http://www.junkmedia.org/index.php?i=1778)

"4 stars out of 5 -- 'Flowers' and 'Blue Thunder' are one-off moments captured with startling clarity, the power axis sliding between Dean Wareham's distended guitar strafes" (Mojo)

"Galaxie 500 greatly benefits from the studio effects and overdubs on their two official releases, but the spontaneity and off-the-cuff elements of the guitar tones and phrasings in the live setup are certainly enjoyable." (Under The Radar)

More review:
http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/galaxie-500/peel-sessions/15193/

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/3382-peel-sessions/

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Music/620-GALAXIE-500-PEEL-SESSIONS/?rel=inf

http://www.limahuli.net/revolverusa.news/archives/2006/02/

http://www.xsilence.net/disque-3724.htm




VARIOUS - SNOWSTORM: A TRIBUTE TO GALAXIE 500 (2003)

Notes:
Released by Elefant Records (http://elefant.com/compilations/tribute)

CD 1.

01 BMX Bandits Featuring - Angel Corpus Christi - Tugboat
02 Hula Hoop - Sorry
03 Hefner - Oblivious
04 Polar - King Of Spain
05 The Ladybug Transistor - Tell Me
06 Orange Cake Mix - Flowers
07 Musical Chairs - Fourth Of July
08 Beef - Melt Away
09 Trains And Boats And Planes - Spook
10 Migala - Leave The Planet
11 Tugboat - Cold Night
12 Magoo - Another Day
13 Silly Pillows, The - Way Up High
14 Purple Ivy Shadows - Blue Thunder
15 Dabj - Instrumental

CD 2.

01 Silvania - King Of Spain Part 2
02 ISAN - Strange
03 Seely - Plastic Bird
04 Portastatic - Tugboat
05 Godstar - Parking Lot
06 The Pribata Idaho - Fourth Of July
07 Stephanie Sayers - Spook
08 Satellites - Temperature's Rising
09 Holiday Flyer - It's Getting Late
10 Sugar Plant - Sorry
11 Zookeeper's Wife - Tell Me
12 Stormclouds - Hearing Voices
13 Watoo Watoo - When Will You Come Home
14 18th Dye - Isn't It A Pity

Links to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326267327/tri1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/326272503/tri_2.rar


A TRIBUTE TO GALAXIE 500. Brilliant selection of tracks covering some of the band'S best tunes. A real must for any Galaxie 500 fan!

"There's a real difference between covering another artist's material, and then finding yourself asked to actually be on a compilation of cover songs, especially when it comes to a band like Galaxie 500 ... a band who's slow-drive textured layerings, are rich and etherial, full of reverb and echoings; managing to take you somewhere you've never dreamed of being before. So daring to step into these warm dark waters is a challenge at anytime, and while it's certainly fun to hear others cover these magnificent numbers, it's also important that the artists bring something of themselves to the music, present the songs in perhaps a shifted fashion that both speaks of "what is" and "what was." Sadly, on Snowstorm: A Tribute To Galaxie 500, the notion that the artists are doing anything but coving the songs word for word, and note for note is hardly an understatement. Even more sad is the fact that Galaxie 500 did these songs better the first time around, leaving the listener longing to head back to the source material for a breath of fresh air ... because there's nothing here to hold your attention, or speak to you from where this music has lead these artists.

The real truth to what I've just said can be heard with the magic Dean & Britta created on the album Just Like Heaven, and their version of "Friday, I'm In Love," where they take one of the most off the wall, pop-ie, Cure songs and completely make it their own. They manage to do this while allowing the original to shine through, yet at the same time creating something that's special, unique, has no trouble holding your attention ... and actually is a breath of fresh air. So in the end, it's not about the material, it's about the artists who are doing the material. Perhaps sometimes it's better to leave things just as they are, less of course you ask Dean Wareham to cover a track ... which he'll do brilliantly. Just check out Luna's or Dean & Britta's covers of The Doors, Tom Rush, Jonathan Richman, Alice Cooper, Gun's N' Roses, Donavon, and even Abba. And from there you can step back and listen to Galaxie 500 cover Joy Division, The Velvet Underground, or even George Harrison, and do it like the songs belonged to them and them alone."
(http://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/various_artists_f2/snowstorm___a_tribute_to_galaxie_500/)

"Released last year, this double-CD compiles tracks recorded over a number of years in tribute to one of the most influential bands of the late 1980s. Whils I have always loved Galaxie 500, it's strange to conceive that the three members, pursuing useless post-graduate degrees in the most prestigious Ivy League school, probably hadn't even imagined what sort of impact they would have on the rock community, subtly combining surrealistic post-VU art-rock into a melancholy mix that was noisy enough for the indie rockers and dark enough for the desperate goths looking for a way out.
Following their almost legendary unamicable split in 1990, a rash of shoegaze and slowcore acts seemed to emerge, further attempting to tie similar precious binds between divided scenesters. Coincidence? This set is rather atypical in the fact that most of the tracks seem to be culled over years of recordings, rather than curated and commissioned by a label boss who really wants to get their fave artists to do versions of some of their fave songs. Thus, there's both a lot of repeats and a decent amout of musical variety, strangely enough almost mimicing various artist compilations once released on Shimmy Disc (a label run by Galaxie 500 producer, Kramer). It's similar in the fact that on a Shimmy Disc comp, it would be an almost inconsistent mess of people: some who only ever seem to pop up on random compilations, some who I was fond of, some who I've heard of but not from, and some who will never be heard from again.
While there's almost no comparison to the feel of the tunes in their original forms, a number of these groups do indeed do a sincere job of paying homage. The music on disc one seems to drag towards the middle, however, especially when Trains and Boats and Planes enter their sixth minute of "Spook," leaving me to wonder that age-old question about "why expend on the styles set forth on the original when you can easily put a far more original take on the songs?" Luckily disc two has a wider variety of both electronics-based and guitar-based acts and, from track to track, holds my interest longer.
Be warned, however, that Sugar Plant's version of "Sorry" was recorded way back in 1994, while ISAN's version of "Strange" has no date attached&$151;neither sound remotely like what each band sounds like today. Neither Musical Chairs nor The Pribata Idaho seem to do my fave G500 track, "Fourth of July" good enough justice while Seely do a fine job with "Plastic Bird," leaving me wondering what's the deal with them these days? (Has Scott Herren become too big with Prefuse, Savath + Savalas, and Delarosa and Asora to be a part of a cool rock band any more?) One of the things I can't get over is that I find it rather odd to own a two-CD tribute to a band who only recorded three albums. At the discounted price, however, there's really enough good material to be worth it." - Jon Whitney (http://brainwashed.com/brain/brainv05i31.html)

Biography:
Galaxie 500 was an American indie rock trio that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums.

Though criminally overlooked in their own lifetime, Galaxie 500 later emerged as one of the pivotal underground groups of the post-punk era; dreamy and enigmatic, their minimalist dirges presaged the rise of both the shoegazer and slowcore movements of the 1990s. The group formed in Boston, MA, in 1986 and comprised vocalist/guitarist Dean Wareham (a transplanted New Zealand native), bassist Naomi Yang and drummer Damon Krukowski, longtime friends who first met in high school in New York City before all three attended Harvard University. Wareham and Krukowski initially teamed in the short-lived Speedy and the Castanets, which split after their bass player experienced a religious conversion; upon re-forming, the duo recruited Yang to play bass, although she had no prior musical experience.

Named after a friend's car, Galaxie 500 began performing live throughout Boston and New York before recording a three-song demo tape which they sent to Shimmy Disc honcho Kramer, who agreed to become the trio's producer. After bowing in early 1988 with the singles "Tugboat" and "Oblivious" (the latter track featured on a flexi-disc included in an issue of Chemical Imbalance magazine), they issued their full-length debut, Today, which highlighted the group's distinct, evolving sound pitting Wareham's eerie, plaintive tenor, elliptical songs, and slow-motion guitar textures against Yang's warm, fluid bass lines and Krukowski's lean drumming.

After signing to the U.S. branch of Rough Trade, Galaxie 500 issued its defining moment, 1989's evocative On Fire, a remarkably assured and rich record including the superb singles "Blue Thunder" and "When Will You Come Home." After a limited-edition 7" release featuring live renditions of the Beatles' "Rain" and Jonathan Richman's "Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste," the group returned in 1990 with This Is Our Music, a diffuse collection spotlighting the wry, sunny single "Fourth of July" and a haunting cover of Yoko Ono's "Listen, the Snow Is Falling." Following a subsequent tour, Galaxie 500 disbanded after Wareham phoned Yang and Krukowski to say he was quitting the group.

A few months later, after Wareham formed his new band, Luna, Rough Trade went bankrupt, and with the label's demise went the trio's three albums, as well as their royalties. In 1991, at an auction of Rough Trade's assets, Krukowski purchased the master tapes for the group's music, and five years later the Rykodisc label issued a box set containing Galaxie 500's complete recorded output; a previously unreleased 1990 live set, dubbed Copenhagen, followed in 1997. In the meantime, after first resurfacing under the name Pierre Etoile, Krukowski and Yang later recorded as Damon and Naomi; additionally, the duo served as the rhythm section for the Wayne Rogers-led Magic Hour.
(http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:difexqe5ldke~T1)

Q:
In 2004 two important materials were released for Galaxie 500. A brilliant DVD and unreleased songs, which fans have been waiting for years. How was it to work on these materials and looking back at the past? Is there a posibility of you coming back together with Dean Wareham?

Naomi:
"Working with the Galaxie 500 materials has gotten easier and easier over the years. When we worked on the Box Set, in 1997, it was still really difficult to think about G500. G500 had a very bad break-up and I don't think Damon & I felt like we were at a point where our work as a duo was appreciated, so it was hard to look backwards. But actually, putting the Box Set together forced us to have some perspective on things, and I think, in the end, it really helped us appreciate what we had accomplished musically, on our own. By last year, when we put the DVD together though, the G500 breakup seemed really, really in the past. We are very far from all of it now. So we had a lot more distance on the whole thing and it was a bit nostalgic to assemble the video clips. We even have been on fairly friendly terms with Dean recently. I don't see any reunion, but it is nice to have the past be truly behind us."

Damon:
"Well we still haven't actually spoken with Dean since 1991 — but we email each other now, and the contact we do have has gotten much more relaxed."


More bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxie_500

http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/galaxie-500-biography


ALBUMS:
Today (1988)
On Fire (1989)
This Is Our Music (1990)
Galaxie 500 (box set) - Compilation (1996)
Copenhagen (live, 1990) (1997)
The Portable Galaxie 500 (best-of) (1998)
Uncollected (rarities) (2004)
Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste 1987-1991 - Compilation (2004)
Peel Sessions (2005)




DEAN WAREHAM
he also played in Cagney And Lacee (1997-1998), Luna (1992-2005, see: http://www.fuzzywuzzy.com/) and currently plays as Dean & Britta (since 2006, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_and_Britta)

Dean Wareham (born Michael Dean Wareham, August 1, 1963) is an American musician, who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Wareham moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia, before settling in New York City in 1977. Wareham attended high school at Dalton School in New York, and then attended Harvard University, where he graduated with a B.A. in Social Studies. He left Galaxie 500 in April, 1991 and founded the band Luna. Since Luna's breakup in 2005, Wareham has released albums with fellow Luna bandmate (and wife) Britta Phillips (see Dean and Britta). He also works as a film composer, notably on the Noah Baumbach film The Squid and the Whale, and has been an occasional actor.

Wareham has written a memoir about his years in indie rock. The book recounts his experiences in music, from high school in New York City in the 1970s through his years in Galaxie 500 and Luna. Titled Black Postcards, it was published by Penguin Press in March, 2008.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Wareham)

Read also these interviews:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/05/11/dean-wareham-qanda-a-life-in-rock-is-still-fun-despite-hu/

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2007/12/03/qa-with-dean-wareham/

http://www.stopsmilingonline.com/story_detail.php?id=1025

http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/music/2009/06/03/a-conversation-with-dean-wareham-part-one/

http://hmusicreviewse.blogspot.com/2009/11/he-interviews-dean-wareham-perfect-song.html


More info:
http://www.myspace.com/deanandbritta

http://www.deanandbritta.com/

More info of Galaxie 500:
http://www.myspace.com/galaxie500official

http://www.damonandnaomi.com/frameset/frame.html?http%3A//www.damonandnaomi.com/about/g500.html

http://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/

http://db.fullofwishes.co.uk/galaxie500box/

http://fierybreeze.com/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2209594548

http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=galaxie_500

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/galaxie_500/ (Lyrics)

http://www.netblogsrocknroll.com/2007/08/fan-communities.html

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/10/27/the-overunder-galaxie-500/

http://shockmountain.com/2009/11/10/galaxie-500/

http://www.last.fm/music/Galaxie+500

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Galaxie-500-the-band/69173385848?v=info

http://www.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=15504

http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4136204-slowcore-week--rediscover-galaxie-500?relevant-artist

http://www.scaruffi.com/vol5/galaxie.html#won (Italian)

http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2009/03/12/ivy-league-bands-vampire-weekend-vs-galaxie-500/

http://stason.org/TULARC/music-bands/galaxie-500/03-Magnetophone-Galaxie-500-and-related-artists.html

http://www.urbanhonking.com/greatestband/archives/2004/07/oblivious_galax.html

http://www.geocities.jp/tel1400/g500/gtl.html

http://optimisticunderground.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/galaxie-500/

http://www.deafsparrow.com/Tales-From-Cutout-Bin-5.htm

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/283

http://www.salon.com/music/music961115.html

http://www.musicline.de/de/artist_bio/Galaxie+500 (German)

Interviews:
http://www.splendidezine.com/features/galaxie/

http://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/2006/12/08/interview-galaxie-500-bucketful-of-brains-1989/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn6db8RuV1I (1990 interview)

http://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/2006/12/08/interview-galaxie-500-in-boston-rocks-95/

PIERRE ETOILE

Genre:
Rock
Style:
Shoegazer, Indie Rock

Members:

Damon Krukowski, Naomi Yang

IN THE SUN (Maxi) (1991)

Credits:
Bass, Backing Vocals - Naomi Yang
Engineer - Jonathan Lupfer (http://www.qdivisionstudios.com/facilities/staff/jonlupfer.html)
Guitar, Drums, Vocals - Damon Krukowski
Photography, Artwork By [Design] - Naomi Yang
Producer, Written-By - Pierre Etoile

Notes:
Also released as Pierre Étoile (12")
Recorded at Q-Division, Boston 1991

Tracklist:

01 In The Sun
02 Nineteen Sixty-Nine
03 This Car Climbed Mt. Washington

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/326255317/pierre_etoile_-_pierre_etoile_ep__1991_.rar


PT:
Let's move along to the project which followed the demise of Galaxie 500, Pierre Etoile. I remember you saying about your post-G500 plans, "we always loved the part of the band that was collective, the jamming, so we'll probably put something together based on that idea"...

NY:
"I remember talking to you from London around that time. G500 received a lot of press, but DK and I always felt that you were one of the few that really understood G500 in the way that we did, not as a shoe-gazer-whatever-the-trend-was at the time. Yes, we did/do really believe in the collaborative nature of a band, and so we were delighted at the idea of being in a band with Kate and Wayne, but of course, that gets ahead of our story!"

PT:
The EP material was recorded in Boston, when? Was this while Galaxie 500 was still a going concern?

NY:
"We did the Pierre Etoile project after we returned from what would be the final G500 European tour, in the winter of 1990. Dean told us that he wanted to take a few months break from music and go back to New Zealand for a vacation.
Meanwhile, we were thinking about the next record, and writing songs for it. We planned to work with Kramer for the next record, but Noise New York had become progressively more chaotic; before "This Is Our Music" the New York City Fire department had come and torn down the wall between the recording room and the control booth at Noise New York because they said it was a fire hazard. Kramer didn't care, and said that isolation was overrated! We also joked that the records were recorded on 15 track, because at some point, one channel had broken, and Kramer had never fixed it. So, we had been sort of kicking around the idea of going to another studio with Kramer.
Meanwhile, the past summer, while we had been in the midst of making "This Is Our Music", Dean had secretly recorded tracks by himself for a Chemical Imbalance single and some other compilations. This had been hurtful to us because we had been busy struggling, as a band, to get enough material together for the record, and also because DK and I had first learned about these tracks not from Dean, but from a journalist who asked us what was up with them. When we asked Dean about them, he said he had to worry about his own career... hence the "tensions" in the studio. So, when he announced he wanted a vacation, we were restless, and thought that we could try and check out another studio for the next record by recording a few songs there and do a little E.P. But we were conscious of trying not to undermine the unity of the band any further, we didn't want our little experiment to compete with the band's reputation, or sound just like the band minus Dean.
So we strived to make it as different as possible. That's why we didn't do it with Kramer and I didn't sing, etc, etc. We named it "Pierre Etoile" as a little joke on the absurdity of the rock star persona/state of mind. Little did we know the joke was on us."

PT:
Where was the material finally recorded?

DK:
"We asked Rough Trade (in the U.K.) what they thought, they listened to a homemade cassette of the songs, and were enthusiastic. They gave us money to record it and we chose a studio in Boston that has a lot of beautiful analog and tube equipment. It's where Steve Albini made that Pixies album (I hated the Pixies, but suspected Albini knew what he was doing in choosing a studio). It was also down the street from our rehearsal space, so we thought that if it worked out, it might be a comfortable place to do the next album. "

PT:
So was the material written especially for the "solo" project, or were they written as projected G500 songs?

DK:
"The songs were written by me and Naomi initially as possibilities for the next Galaxie album, but then we did have to write lyrics especially for this project, because we never did that for Galaxie 500 (except on rare occasions). As per our usual working habits, had we not recorded these songs on our own we would have brought them in to rehearsal and taught their basics to Dean, then we would have all played them and fooled with them until we decided we either liked them or didn't, and if we still liked them then at that point Dean would have added lyrics. Instead we just wrote our own lyrics and that was that. The really weird thing is that for one song, "This Car Climbed Mt. Washington", I had already written a lyric. Maybe it's hard to explain how odd that was for me, but it was just a completely unprecedented thing for me to feel like doing; yet when I wrote that melody I just had this feeling and I wrote the lyric for it, too. I still don't know why I did that, it must have been a premonition that everything was heading for disaster. And the lyrics to that song are very much about a relationship heading off a cliff."

PT:
So by the time the Pierre Etoile record finally came out, in June 1991, Galaxie 500 were officially no more?

DK:
"After we had recorded it, and Dean had come back from his vacation, we went on the road with the Cocteau Twins. Rough Trade had already scheduled Pierre Etoile for release in the U.K. when the band broke up. And then they said they wouldn't release it! We said you scheduled it, so release it! I think we shamed them into it. But they buried it when it came out, they must have made the absolute minimum number of copies just to satisfy their obligation.
Also the U.S. company went out of business almost simultaneously, so it was never distributed in the U.S. I never saw it in a store for sale. Then Rough Trade U.K. had the nerve to tell us that it hadn't "generated any interest in our project" and used that as an excuse to sever ties with us. This was all part of the whirlwind debacle that ensued when the band broke up. While the U.K. office was dumping us so unceremoniously, the U.S. office was taking all our Galaxie 500 royalties (worldwide, since our contract was with them) into bankruptcy court, out of which they never emerged. It was the worst year."
(http://www.damonandnaomi.com/interviews/ptinterview.html)

Biography:
The Pierre Etoile EP was recorded by Damon & Naomi as a "side project"
while they were in Galaxie 500.

Before the split of Galaxie 500, Naomi Yang and Damon Krukowski recorded an EP as Pierre Etoile (it was actually released shortly after Galaxie 500's demise). After Galaxie 500 split they were encouraged by Kramer to opt for the less imaginative Damon and Naomi for subsequent releases. They have only one release: In The Sun (CD, Maxi)




YOU CAN CONTINUE WITH PART 2: MAGIC HOUR / DAMON & NAOMI