Their Sympathetic Majesties Request (1998)

About this title: Their Sympathetic Majesties Request provides the uninitiated with an excellent overview of independent label Sympathy for the Record Industry. This two-disc collection, subtitled "A Decade of Obscurity and Obsolescence (1988-1998)," actually focuses on the first five years of that span, from 1988 to 1993. SFTRI founder and all-around eccentric Long Gone John has a wide range of musical tastes, though most of the music featured here could be included under the catchall description of garage rock. The set veers from the depraved punk of the Dwarves (weighing in with the none-too-subtle "Sit on ... read more

Tracks:

1. Baby What's New [Houk]
2. Neighborhood Girls
3. Primordial Ooze [Vahlberg/Ahlen/Eric]
4. I'm Poor
5. Baby Lust [Chavez/McClelland]
6. Soft Beds, Hard Battles [Gregory]
7. New Love
8. Sit on My Face [Dwarves]
9. I Love You Big Dummy
10. Kiss That Girl
11. The Happiest Day of Her Life
12. Phonebill Song [Hole]
13. Heavy Black Noise
14. Queenie [Ethyl Meatplow]
15. How Long Can You Go
16. Maria's Name
17. Wild Venus on Wheels
18. True Love
19. Wild Love
20. Barbara [Spencer/Howland]
21. Lou [Gargoyles/Altstatt]
22. Hatred, Ridicule & Contempt
23. Way Back When [Miracle Workers]
24. Zonked Out on Hashish
25. Long Tall Willy
26. Sack Lunch
27. Boychucker
28. I Don't Wanna [Escovedo]
29. Suicide Drive
30. D.I.E. In Indiana
31. Way-Out Lover [Chrome Cranks/Aaron]
32. Tic Tok
33. Spanish Doll
34. Succotash [Wahl]
35. Signorini Signoritti
36. Get on Your Knees
37. Rock in the Sea
38. True Love Will Find You in the End [Johnston]
39. Surfside Date [Triumphs]
40. Shake, Rattle & Roll
41. Fish Pie
42. Gloomy Sunday
43. Lightning Scary
44. St. Jon
45. Little Suzie [Thomas]
46. I'm Trash
47. Theme
48. Gone

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.