Twee/indie folk/pop/ethereal group, featuring members of Heavenly, Razorcuts, Marine Research, Talulah Gosh, Sportique, and Saturn V.
Tracklist
| 1 | Henry Please Don't Chop Off My Head | 3:28 | |
| 2 | Sugarbowl | 2:11 | |
| 3 | Like A Honey Bee (Honey Bee) | 2:54 | |
| 4 | Truelove | 2:42 | |
| 5 | Sidesaddle | 2:38 | |
| 6 | Baby Sweetness | 3:04 | |
| 7 | G.U.N. | 2:52 | |
| 8 | My Boy And His Motorbike | 3:15 |
After the demise of the popular late-'80s indie band the Razorcuts, singer/guitarist Gregory Webster did time in a couple of minor and short-lived side project bands, the Carousel and Saturn V, in his native Oxford, England, before forming Sportique in 1997. Although the band is otherwise entirely composed of people with other musical duties (keyboardist and singer Amelia Fletcher and bassist Rob Pursey have worked together in Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, and Tender Trap; and drummer Mark Flunder was in both the Television Personalities and the McTells, among others), Sportique has thrived, even managing more releases than the Razorcuts did during their four-year run.
Sportique released three singles in 1998, "The Kids Are Solid Gold," "If You Ever Change Your Mind," and "Tiny Clues," all on the cumbersomely-named U.K. indie Where It's At Is Where You Are. Their debut album, Black Is a Very Popular Colour, came out in April 1999 on the slightly larger indie Matinee Recordings, which also released an all-new single, "Love and Remains," in July of that year. A second album, Modern Museums, followed in the summer of 2002.
Tracklist
| 1 | Just Friends | 2:28 | |
| 2 | Anatomy Of A Fool | 3:07 | |
| 3 | P58 | 2:39 | |
| 4 | It Couldn't Last Forever | 4:17 | |
| 5 | The Impersonator | 3:10 | |
| 6 | If You Ever Change Your Mind | 3:00 | |
| 7 | Tiny Clues | 2:45 | |
| 8 | The Cover | 3:14 | |
| 9 | Northern Sky | 3:31 | |
| 10 | A World Without Pity | 3:40 |
by request
The Pooh Sticks were rock's most inside joke, a monumental yet affectionate prank on the very mythology of pop music itself. Cloaked behind ridiculously overblown marketing schemes, made-up histories, and cartoon-character images, the Welsh group punctured the industry's myriad excesses, freely pilfering from the entirety of pop's past by shoplifting titles, lyrics, and melodies at will; wrapping their barbs in cotton-candy singalongs, their subversions worked on many levels -- postmodern cultural criticism, retro-irony, slavish imitation, and power pop manna among them -- to forge an identity as high concept as it was lowbrow.
The Pooh Sticks were ostensibly led by frontman Hue Pooh (born Hue Williams), who in October 1987 teamed with Swansea-area schoolmates Paul, (guitar), Alison (bass), Trudi Tangerine (keyboards), and Stephanie (drums) -- no last names, please -- and debuted with the single "On Tape," a witty jab at indie rock fan boy mentality released on manager/svengali Steve Gregory's Fierce label. (In actuality, Gregory was the real mastermind behind the Pooh Sticks, writing, arranging, and producing their records, designing their cover artwork, and even choreographing their live performances.) Alan McGee -- an ironically lavish box set comprised entirely of one-sided singles including the famed "I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well," a nod to the Creation Records chief -- followed in 1988.
The Pooh Sticks EP, a streamlined collection of the box set material, appeared later in 1988, trailed by Orgasm, a set "recorded live...in Trudi Tangerine's basement" including the wonderful "Indie Pop Ain't Noise Pollution." The 1989 mock-bootleg Trademark of Quality was next, compiling live material from a pair of recent club dates including a cover of the Vaselines' "Dying for It" as well as an early rendition of the group's semi-original "Young People." In 1990, they even finally recorded a proper studio LP, Formula One Generation.
In 1991, the Pooh Sticks added Talulah Gosh and Heavenly vocalist Amelia Fletcher to their ranks; the resulting LP, The Great White Wonder, was their masterpiece, a collection of ace pop songs built entirely around other people's ideas, from the Neil Young "Powderfinger" guitar solo at the heart of "The Rhythm of Love" to the liberal use of Stephen Stills' "Love the one you're with" credo right down to the record's title, borrowed from a legendary Bob Dylan bootleg. 1993's sublime Million Seller took the same path; 1995's Optimistic Fool was the Pooh Sticks' swan song.
Tracklist
| 1 | I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well | 2:24 | |
| 2 | Heroes And Villains | 2:39 | |
| 3 | Foxy Boy | 1:36 | |
| 4 | Force Fed By Love | 3:01 | |
| 5 | Sex Head | 2:51 | |
| 6 | On Tape | 3:31 | |
| 7 | Indiepop Ain't Noise Pollution | 2:05 | |
| 8 | 1-2-3 Red Light | ||
| 1:51 | |||
| 9 | Heartbreak | 1:35 | |
| 10 | Cinnamon | 1:35 | |
| 11 | When The Night Falls | 1:38 | |
| 12 | Do Something To Me | ||
| 2:16 | |||
| 13 | Force Fed By Love | 2:53 | |
| 14 | Tear The Roof Right Off My Head | 1:08 | |
| 15 | Goody Goody Gumdrops | ||
| 2:01 | |||
| 16 | Saturday Night's The Big Night | 2:08 | |
| 17 | It's A Good Day For A Parade | ||
| 1:26 | |||
| 18 | Just Another Minute | 1:52 | |
| 19 | Do It Again (A Little Bit Slower) | 2:19 |
Pop/indie rock released on Emperor Norton record label
Tracklist
1. The Hang-Ups - Pardon
2. Ivy - L'Anamour
3. Luna - La Poupee Qui Fait Non
4. Air [French Band] - Jeanne
5. The Apples In Stereo - Avril En Mai
6. Lloyd Cole & His Negatives - Si Tu Dois Partir
7. Heavenly - Nous Ne Sommes Pas De Anges
8. Godzuki - Contact
9. John Wesley Harding - Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'En Vais
10. Sukia - Zoooom!
11. Magnetic Fields - Le Tourbillion
12. The Ladybug Transistor - Puis-Je?
Obscure cassette only compilation of indie pop and poetry
Tracklist
| A1 | The Suncharms– | Sparkle |
| A2 | Spectral Alice– | Jet Black |
| A3 | The Pristines– | Indian Summer |
| A4 | The Lovelies– | Don't Listen |
| A5 | Throwaways (2)– | Trainstation Friend |
| A6 | Heavens Above– | Autumn Anorak |
| A7 | Smile Poet– | With My Blood |
| A8 | They Go Boom!!*– | Sunny September |
| A9 | Heavenly– | Don't Be Fooled |
| A10 | White Town– | Cold As Hell |
| A11 | Dreamscape (3)– | Never Wanted This |
| A12 | Huckleberry Pie– | Caramel Girl |
| A13 | The Sweetest Ache– | Sing |
| A14 | Kindergarten (5)– | Everything You Do |
| A15 | Crystal Garden– | A Love That Died |
| A16 | Gentletrap– | Not That Far |
| B1 | The Big Paintings– | Penny Picture Postman |
| B2 | Saturn V (2)– | Rocket Space Ship |
| B3 | Cradleyard– | Purple |
| B4 | Heavens Above– | God Told Me To Do It |
| B5 | Poem By Rachel– | Who |
| B6 | Hood– | Girl Called Heaven |
| B7 | Howard (14)– | Fake |
| B8 | Kindergarten (5)– | Jellybelly |
| B9 | The Balloon Farm (2)– | Never By You |
| B10 | Gyroscopes– | Jump Into The Sunshine |
| B11 | White Town– | Annie Hall |
| B12 | Smile Poet– | Persistence Of Memory |
| B13 | The Pristines– | So Low |
| B14 | Shelley's Children– | World Turned Updide Down Pt2 |
| B15 | Boyracer– | My Town |
| B16 | Librarian (2)– | My Eyes Never Close |
| B17 | The Sweetest Ache– | Marianne |
Compilation on K Records that came with the Spanish magazine, Factory No. 12.
Tracklist
| 1 | Timothy Brock & The Olympia Chamber Orchestra– | Industrial March | 2:06 |
| 2 | Satisfact– | Life Aboard | 2:04 |
| 3 | Lois (3) & Dub Narcotic Sound System– | Rougher | 5:58 |
| 4 | The Halo Benders– | Halo Bender | 4:31 |
| 5 | The Crabs– | Spilt Milk | 2:44 |
| 6 | Karp– | Connect Five | 3:26 |
| 7 | Wandering Lucy– | I Have No Love | 1:59 |
| 8 | The Softies– | Alaska | 2:28 |
| 9 | Black Anger– | No Commercial | 3:23 |
| 10 | Fitz Of Depression– | I Can't | 2:21 |
| 11 | Lois (3)– | Sunrise Semester | 3:48 |
| 12 | Love As Laughter– | Uninvited Trumpets | 5:00 |
| 13 | Plastique Sc*– | Xandax Baby | 4:13 |
| 14 | Dub Narcotic Sound System– | Monkey Hips And Rice | 4:18 |
| 15 | Nikki McClure– | No More Talk Talk Talk | 2:35 |
| 16 | Some Velvet Sidewalk– | I Blame You | 2:12 |
| 17 | Mecca Normal– | Paris In April | 2:14 |
| 18 | Timothy Brock & The Olympia Strings– | Holstenwall Fair | 2:35 |
| 19 | Heavenly– | Trophy Girlfriend | 3:06 |
| 20 | Glo-Worm– | Wishing Well | 1:48 |
Sarah Records compilation - Japan only release
| 1 | St. Christopher– | Say Yes To Everything | 4:29 |
| 2 | The Orchids (2)– | Tiny Words | 3:42 |
| 3 | Blueboy– | Clearer | 3:52 |
| 4 | Heavenly– | Boyfriend Stays The Same | 4:37 |
| 5 | The Wake– | Carbrain | 2:46 |
| 6 | Secret Shine– | After Years | 3:23 |
| 7 | Another Sunny Day– | You Should All Be Murdered | 4:39 |
| 8 | Brighter– | Noah's Ark | 5:12 |
| 9 | The Field Mice– | Holland Street | 2:53 |
| 10 | Even As We Speak– | Beautiful Day | 3:18 |
| 11 | The Sea Urchins– | Pristine Christine | 2:49 |
| 12 | Action Painting!– | These Things Happen | 2:50 |
| 13 | The Hit Parade– | In Gunnersbury Park | 3:08 |
| 14 | The Springfields (2)– | Sunflower | 3:55 |
| 15 | Gentle Despite– | Shadow Of A Girl | 6:43 |
| 16 | The Sweetest Ache– | If I Could Shine | 4:57 |
| 17 | Tramway– | Maritime City | 3:15 |
Marine Research formed in late 1997 as a continuation of Heavenly -- who disbanded the prior year following the tragic suicide of drummer Mathew Fletcher. With the remaining four-fifths of Heavenly moving on with drummer John Stanley (aka DJ Downfall), Amelia Fletcher (vocals), Cathy Rogers (vocals/keyboards), Rob Pursey (bass), and Peter Momtchiloff (guitar) continued with their formula of uppity twee-pop and punk rock undertones that root back from their Talulah Gosh days. Immediately releasing their debut single "Queen B" in 1998 and a split EP with Built to Spill, K Records eventually signed the Oxford quintet that resulted in the CD EP Parallel Horizons and the full-length Sounds of the Gulf Stream later on that same year.
| 1 | Parallel Horizontal |
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| 2 | You And A Girl |
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| 3 | Hopefulness To Hopelessness |
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| 4 | Queen B |
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| 5 | Chucking Out Time |
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| 6 | Glamour Gap |
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| 7 | At The Lost And Found |
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| 8 | Venn Diagram |
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| 9 | End Of The Affair |
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| 10 | Y.Y.U.B. |
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| 1 | –The Wake | Holy Head | 3:21 |
| 2 | –The Field Mice | It Isn't Forever | 6:00 |
| 3 | –The Orchids (2) | The Sadness Of Sex Part I | 5:01 |
| 4 | –The Sweetest Ache | Sickening | 3:16 |
| 5 | –Tramway | Boathouse | 3:38 |
| 6 | –Heavenly | Cool Guitar Boy | 3:12 |
| 7 | –Brighter | Christmas | 3:39 |
| 8 | –St. Christopher | Say Yes To Everything | 4:27 |
| 1 | –The Field Mice | Sensitive | 5:04 |
| 2 | –Heavenly | Atta Girl | 3:56 |
| 3 | –The Sugargliders | Ahprahan | 2:36 |
| 4 | –The Springfields (2) | Sunflower | 3:53 |
| 5 | –The Orchids (2) | Peaches | 4:31 |
| 6 | –Blueboy | The Joy Of Living | 4:29 |
| 7 | –The Harvest Ministers | 6 O'Clock Is Rosary | 4:04 |
| 8 | –Brighter | Inside Out | 4:04 |
| 9 | –East River Pipe | Make A Deal With The City | 2:55 |
| 10 | –The Wake | English Rain | 4:17 |
| 11 | –Secret Shine | Temporal | 3:46 |
| 12 | –Northern Picture Library | Paris | 5:04 |
| 13 | –Harvey Williams | She Sleeps Around | 2:59 |
| 14 | –St. Christopher | All Of A Tremble | 2:32 |
| 15 | –The Sea Urchins | Pristine Christine | 2:46 |
| 16 | –Boyracer | He Gets Me So Hard | 2:33 |
| 17 | –Action Painting! | Mustard Gas | 2:09 |
| 18 | –The Sweetest Ache | Tell Me How It Feels | 4:55 |
| 19 | –Another Sunny Day | Rio | 2:53 |
| 20 | –The Hit Parade | In Gunnersbury Park | 2:56 |
| 21 | –Even As We Speak | Drown | 2:56 |
| 1 | –The Field Mice | Holland Street | 2:53 |
| 2 | –Another Sunny Day | Rio | 2:53 |
| 3 | –Eternal (3) | Sleep | 3:52 |
| 4 | –The Sweetest Ache | Tell Me How It Feels | 4:55 |
| 5 | –The Orchids (2) | Farewell, Dear Bonnie | 3:35 |
| 6 | –The Sea Urchins | A Morning Odyssey | 4:45 |
| 7 | –The Springfields (2) | Wonder | 3:50 |
| 8 | –The Field Mice | So Said Kay | 5:05 |
| 9 | –Heavenly | I Fell In Love Last Night | 5:20 |
| 10 | –The Orchids (2) | Something For The Longing | 5:25 |
| 11 | –Even As We Speak | Goes So Slow | 2:27 |
| 12 | –The Field Mice | Quicksilver | 5:01 |
| 13 | –Eternal (3) | Breathe | 3:19 |
| 14 | –St. Christopher | Salvation | 2:35 |
| 15 | –Even As We Speak | Nothing Ever Happens | 1:27 |
| 16 | –The Sweetest Ache | If I Could Shine | 4:48 |
