Help me make a Violent Femmes Comp

[Ex Lion Tamer]

A friend of mine is a music fan, but not an alternative/indie guy. He has heard "Blister in the Sun" and is intrigued. Wants me to make a comp and I'm finding it hard to strike a balance between the Femmes quirkyness and accessibilty. For instance, I love "Country Death Song" , but would be too off-putting to a non-fan? So I thought I'd solicit a little help for suggestions on must have's and must not's.

My list of no brainers includes...

Gimme The Car
Blister in the Sun
Kiss Off
Add it up
Gone Daddy Gone
Never Tell
Hallowed Ground
Sweet Misery Blues (I know he'd like this)
It's Gonna Rain
I Held Her In My Arms

The albums I have to choose from are: S/T, Hallowed Ground, The Blind Leading the Naked, Why Do Birds Sing, Viva Wisconsin (Live)

Or maybe I should give him the whole s/t album, and make a comp of the other releases? Hmmm......

Is there anybody out there?

[daigoro]

Holy coincindece Batman!

Just caught them at the Del Mar race track. They rocked! Everyone of all ages was getting into it. Their music is so contagious! How could anyone not like the Femmes?

I'm more of a greatest hits officianado when it comes to VF, but from my limited knowledge, your comp looks pretty solid. I for one think you should throw in Country Death Song. Also, there is a downbeat Blister in the Sun out there off of the soundtrack to Grosse Point Blank that is pretty tasty. Excellent sound track by the way. I never even saw the movie.

[MindGoneHaywire]

I think you're best off having the first album in its entirety and then either adding tracks or having a separate disc. I can't see a comp that leaves off any songs from that record.

[Slosh]

"Color Me Once" needs to be on there somewhere.

[Davey]

Listening to the first one right now over some coffee. Fun way to start the day. But I tend to agree with J, that first album is so special because, well, because it just all seems to go together. Rhino remastered it a couple years ago as a 2-disc set with a ton of bonus tracks, but I just have the standard issue on vinyl and CD. And that's my whole VF collection, so I'm just responding because, even after about 25 years, this album still seems almost as fresh and quirky as when it came out. Kind of like early Talking Heads to some of us. But I have read that the new collection that just came out a month or so ago is really good for a single disc, so you might wanna check that out for what they included. Just click on the artist direct page below for the info ... and if you cook up a collection of your own that turns out cool, maybe I'd like one too since I've been meaning to pick up something else for years

http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/stor...304905,00.html

[Stone]

I tend to agree. I think I'd make the comp CD (assuming you'd copy the first album in its entirety for him on another CD) having a couple tracks off each of Why Do Birds Sing, and Viva Wisconsin and fill up the rest from the 2d and 3d albums, which,m as we discussed over on Rocky Road, I like almost as much as the debut.

It'd be hard for me to leave off "Country Death Song" or "Hallowed Ground" or "I Hear the Rain" or "Black Girls" or "No Killing" or "Childre of the Revolution" or "Good Friend" and others too, but that's just me.

[MindGoneHaywire]

I have a copy of Permanent Vacation, that's the new best-of Davey's referring to, haven't listened to it yet. AMG raved about it in comparison to the previous collection, Add It Up. Looking at the track list, I'm not sure why, because on the surface I'm not sure it does a better job, and I think there was a lot more material on the older one, but heck, I only looked at the track list once so I'm going to have to spin this. I had the older one a few years ago & sold it to a used shop, that's how much I listened to it. I liked the fourth album, kinda, but I lost touch with them after that & tracks like Dance MF Dance were hits, so what do I know. But...I do think it's a good thing that you're getting a consensus on somehow having the first album as a cohesive whole be represented on any VF comp, especially to a non-fan. Or a new fan.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Looks like I'll be burning a copy of s/t and making a second disc with "hits" from other albums.

Just caught them at the Del Mar race track. They rocked! Everyone of all ages was getting into it. Their music is so contagious! How could anyone not like the Femmes?

I saw them back in the day, and it remains in my personal top 5 shows of all-time. Good to know they're still putting on a quality gig.

I for one think you should throw in Country Death Song. Also, there is a downbeat Blister in the Sun out there off of the soundtrack to Grosse Point Blank that is pretty tasty. Excellent sound track by the way. I never even saw the movie.

Yeah, I can't leave Country Death Song off. No way, No how!

By the way, I seem to have misplaced that 1979 comp we talked about a couple of days ago...still looking, but if it doesn't turn up I'll post a request, hopefully someone here has it and can burn a couple of copies.

"Color Me Once" needs to be on there somewhere.

I don't have this song, and I don't know if I've heardit before. Where's it from?

Rhino remastered it a couple years ago as a 2-disc set with a ton of bonus tracks, but I just have the standard issue on vinyl and CD.

I actually have that Rhino set, it's pretty good but I still pull out the vinyl more often then not when I need a fix. The Live disc, is quite good though.

... and if you cook up a collection of your own that turns out cool, maybe I'd like one too since I've been meaning to pick up something else for years

I think I can hook you up...but only if it turns out cool.

[Slosh]

I don't have this song, and I don't know if I've heard it before. Where's it from?

If you have my Snowdrift comp (and I believe you do) it's track number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine . . . . . It came from The Crow soundtrack.

[nobody]

OK...I'm late to this party, but I'll just toss something out there. With a lot of those 80s albums, I find that often you can put 2 LPs onto a single CD. I've burned a bunch like that for the car from various 80s bands. I'd probably just burn the first two LPs onto a CD for him.