Various Artists-No Alternative (1993)
Artist: Various Artists
| 1 | Matthew Sweet– | Superdeformed | 3:58 |
| 2 | Buffalo Tom– | For All To See | 3:36 |
| 3 | Soul Asylum (2)– | Sexual Healing | 4:45 |
| 4 | Urge Overkill– | Take A Walk | 4:39 |
| 5 | American Music Club– | All Your Jeans Were Too Tight | 3:33 |
| 6 | Goo Goo Dolls– | Bitch | 3:17 |
| 7 | Pavement– | Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence | 3:54 |
| 8 | Smashing Pumpkins*– | Glynis | 4:53 |
| 9 | Bob Mould– | Can't Fight It | 3:49 |
| 10 | Sarah McLachlan– | Hold On | 4:23 |
| 11 | Soundgarden– | Show Me | 2:48 |
| 12 | Straitjacket Fits– | Brittle | 3:24 |
| 13 | Barbara Manning– | Joed Out | 3:52 |
| 14 | The Verlaines– | Heavy 33 | 4:21 |
| 15 | Uncle Tupelo– | Effigy | 5:59 |
| 16 | Beastie Boys– | It's The New Style (Live) | 2:20 |
| 17 | The Breeders– | Iris (Live) | 3:44 |
| 18 | Patti Smith– | Memorial Song (Live) | 3:33 |
| 19 | Nirvana– | Sappy | 3:24 |
Title: No Alternative
Label: Arista
Format: CD
Cat: 07822-18737-2
Year of Release: 1993
Country and Year of Edition: US 1993
Sell Price: $2.99 VG+/VG+ 4/20/23
Discogs Last Sold: 4/21/23 M/M $15.45
Low:$1.00
Median: $3.00
Average: $4.91
High: $15.50
Current low price: $1.97
Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 32
Have/Want: 875/67
Where Sold: Pittsburgh, PA
Time it took to sell: 11 years
Where and When mid-90s Sounds NYC $4.99 sticker still on it
Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: C+
Sad To See It Go: No
Uneventful compilation considering it contains most of indie-to-major indie rock of the late 80's/early 90's. Most of these bands were entering the end of their prime but still were toward the top of their commercial success. This was done for the Red Hot and Blue organization so hopefully that charity got some money.
The best song, and probably the main reason I bought it was the otherwise unavailable Nirvana track "Verse Chorus Verse" otherwise known as "Sappy" or vice-versa. This song had been part of pre-Nevermind demo tape flying around that I had a 4th generation copy of in 1991 or early 1992. This was actually recorded better, but maybe I should A/B, maybe it's the same thing remixed.
Of the rest you've got a mishmash of sub-B sides, live tracks and the Arista alternative roster including the out of place Sarah McLachlan. Better are Patti Smith's poem and Straightjacket Fits whom I just reviewed the other day. Uncle Tupelo delivered the best sounding track on the record, "Effigy" that closed out Creedence's Willy and the Poor Boys.
The other highlights are the Matthew Sweet opener "Superdeformed" and the Verlaines cover by Barbara Manning that Mary Lou Lord did in her pre-Kill Rock Stars Boston salad days "Joed Out." The Verlaines track that followed wasn't their best, but that could be said about almost anyone here. Even the Pavement as REM historian track is kind of annoying even though I remember it well. Soundgarden, Bob Mould, Buffalo Tom (too fast for a excellent midtempo band) and Urge Overkill (post Girl Your Be A Woman soon meandering) all go by with sub-par contributions.
Otherwise does the world need a Soul Asylum cover of "Sexual Healing" or a Goo Goo Dolls cover of "Bitch" by the Stones? Do we need live versions of "It's The New Style" by the Beastie Boys or "Iris" by The Breeders? I was content not to listen to this since 1993, and my wide awake headphone listen before the alarm went off this morning didn't make me pumped to ever hear it again. A second headphone listen to cover another pre-alarm morning reconfirmed this.
One thing that must be noted is there are two cover editions one with a boy and one with a girl. I never realized this or that I had one of each until this week. They were both up for my $2.99 bottom, but I noticed the Girl edition was fetching more money, so I repriced that one accordingly in it’s proper listing place.
It's probably gonna sit for the rest of my life.
ED NOTE: Raised grade a bump cuz “Superdeformed” going through my head all day.
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