Listen to 4AD 1994 on Spotify.
The most important thing that happened in 1994 was that Kristin Hersh launched her solo career. While not really that radically different from her Throwing Muses music, it gave us more Kristin Hersh, and that’s always better, right?
Also: 4AD signed Lisa Germano and released her stunning Geek the Girl album. It’s all an album on 4AD should be: Scary, beautiful, gripping.
Lush released their most accomplished album, Split, and some spiffy EPs, too.
Let’s see… Oh, yeah, Frank Black was such a dick that Ivo Watts-Russell let him go, and the incident was perhaps also instrumental in him withdrawing even further from being involved with artists on 4AD, according to that 4AD biography you’ve all read, no doubt. If you haven’t, you should.
Art-wise, I think that Vaughan Oliver and Chris Bigg of v23 make something of a comeback this year. After a couple of years of uneasily adjusting to CD-first designs, and failing a lot, this year we get a number of kinda stunning covers, including the Shinro Ohtake things for Kristin Hersh’ releases.
Some significant releases are missing from Spotify this year (in addition to the usual promo releases): Perhaps most importantly, Inconsiderate Bitch by Lisa Germano. 4AD label boss Ivo remixed a bunch of Germano songs and put out a five track EP, and it’s rather brilliant, I think. But you probably have to get it on discogs.com if you want to listen to it.
But the 10″ limited Head to Toe by The Breeders, BADD4012, is also missing, which is just weird, because… it’s the fucking Breeders, right?
The second version of Frank Black’s Headache EP (BADD4007CD) isn’t on Spotify either; something we can all be thankful for.
1994
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  Kristin Hersh — Your Ghost Your Ghost, The Key, Uncle June and Aunt Kiyoti, When the Levee Breaks |
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   Kristin Hersh — Hips and Makers Your Ghost, Beestung, Teeth, Sundrops, Sparky, Houdini Blues, A Loon, Velvet Days, Close Your Eyes, Me and My Charms, Tuesday Night, The Letter, Lurch, Cuckoo, Hips and Makers |
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TAD4003 Lisa Germano — Inconsiderate Bitch Happiness (remix)*, Energy (remix)*, Puppet (remix)*, Sycophant (remix)*, (Late Night) Dresses (remix)* |
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Red House Painters — Shock Me Shock Me, Sundays and Holidays, Three-Legged Cat, Shock Me (rerecorded), Untitled |
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lp45496 The Glee Club — Mine Need, The Blame, No Reason, Bad Child’s Dolly, Already There, Free to Believe, Drives You Away, Remember the Years, All The Promises, Take you There, Icy Blue |
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Lisa Germano — Happiness Bad Attitude, Destroy the Flower, Puppet, Everyone’s Victim, Energy, Cowboy, Happiness, The Earth, Around the World, Sycophant, Miamo-Tutti, The Dresses Song, The Darkest Night of All |
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TU7CD Insides — Clear Skin Clear Skin |
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 Kristin Hersh — Strings A Loon (strings), Sundrops (strings), Me and My Charms (strings), Velvet Days (strings) |
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Frank Black — Headache Headache (David Bianco), Men in Black, At the End of the World, Oddball |
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Frank Black — Headache Headache*, Hate Me*, This is Where I Belong*, Amnesia* |
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Lush — Hypocrite Hypocrite, Cat’s Chorus, Love at First Sight, Undertow (Spooky Remix) |
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DAD4009 Frank Black — Teenager of the Year Whatever Happened To Pong?, Thalassocracy, (I Want To Live On An) Abstract Plain, Calistan, The Vanishing Spies, Speedy Marie, Headache, Sir Rockaby, Freedom Rock, Two Reelers, Fiddle Riddle, Ole Mulholland, Fazer Eyes, I Could Stay Here Forever, The Hostess With The Mostest, Superabound, Big Red, Space Is Gonna Do Me Good, White Noisemaker, Pure Denizen Of The Citizen’s Band, Bad, Wicked World, Pie In The Sky |
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Lush — Desire Lines Desire Lines, White Wood, Girl’s World, Lovelife (Suga Bullit remix) |
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Lush — Split Light From A Dead Star, Kiss Chase, Blackout, Hypocrite, Lovelife, Desire Lines, The Invisible Man, Undertow, Never-Never, Lit Up, Starlust (rerecorded), When I Die |
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The Breeders — Head to Toe Head to Toe*, Shocker in Gloomtown*, Freed Pig (originally appeared on «Sebadoh III»)*, Saints (htt)* |
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Pale Saints — Fine Friend Fine Friend, Special Present, Marimba, Reprise |
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Pale Saints — Slow Buildings King Fade, Angel (will you be my), One Blue Hill, Henry, Under Your Nose, Little Gesture, Song of Solomon, Fine Friend, Gesture of a Fear, Always I, Suggestion |
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DAD4015 Dead Can Dance — Toward the Within Yulunga (spririt dance) (live), Rakim (live), Song of the Sibyl (live), I Can See Now (live), American Dreaming (live), Cantara (live), The Wind That Shakes The Barley (live), I Am Stretched On Your Grave (live), Desert Song (live), Oman (live), Tristan (live), Sanvean (live), Don’t Fade Away (live), Persian Love Song (live), Piece for Solo Flute (live) |
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Lisa Germano — Geek the Girl My Secret Reason, Trouble, Geek the Girl, Just Geek, Cry Wolf, …a psychopath, Sexy Little Girl Princess, Phantom Love, Cancer of Everything, A Guy Like You, …of love and colours, Stars |
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Throwing Muses — Bright Yellow Gun Bright Yellow Gun, Crayon Sun, Red Eyes, Like a Dog |
This post is part of the chronological look at all 4AD releases, year by year.
*) Missing from Spotify.