''On Golden Smog'' is the debut EP from American band

Golden Smog Golden Smog is an alternative country-rock supergroup of loosely connected musicians mostly from the Minneapolis area. At various times members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, The Honeydogs, and Big Star ha ...

, released in 1992.

Background

Golden Smog was a loosely connected group of musicians comprising, at various times, members of

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit " Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dave Pirner ...

, The Replacements,

Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...

The Jayhawks The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene in the mid-1980s. Led by vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson, their country rock sound was influentia ...

, Run Westy Run,

The Honeydogs The Honeydogs is a band from Saint Paul, Minnesota that opened at First Avenue in 1994. History The band's popularity grew after signing with record label Mercury Records and their major label debut album release, '' Seen a Ghost'' in 1997.Hor ...

and

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American ...

. Golden Smog's lineup has often changed, but relative constants who appear on all the recordings are guitarists Kraig Johnson (Run Westy Run), Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum) and

Gary Louris Gary Michael Louris (born March 10, 1955) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter of alternative country and pop music. He was a founding member of the Minneapolis-based band the Jayhawks and their principal songwriter and vocalist a ...

(The Jayhawks), along with bassist

Marc Perlman The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene in the mid-1980s. Led by vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson, their country rock sound was influentia ...

(The Jayhawks).Pitchfork media review of Stay Golden, Smog
/ref> The album consists entirely of

cover songs In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

. The album sleeve art was by the band's then-drummer,

Chris Mars Chris Mars (born April 26, 1961) is an American painter and musician. He was the drummer for the seminal Minneapolis-based alternative rock band The Replacements (band), the Replacements from 1979 to 1990; he later joined the informal supergroup ...

. The track "Shooting Star" was featured in the 1994 film ''

Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and administ ...

''. ''On Golden Smog'' was reissued in 1996 by

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...

Reception

Writing for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, music critic Jason Ankeny wrote of the album "After a few years of haphazard shows in and about their native Minneapolis, the members of Golden Smog were approached by a small local label to put out a record; many, many beers later, On Golden Smog appeared."

Track listing

# "Son (We've Kept the Room Just the Way You Left It)" – 4:26 - A

Michaelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

cover. # "

Easy to Be Hard "Easy to Be Hard" is a song from the 1967 rock musical ''Hair''. It was written by Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni, who put the musical together in the mid-1960s. The original recording of the musical featuring the song was releas ...

" – 3:20 - A

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

Cover. (Sung by

) # "

Shooting Star A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a ...

" – 4:44 - A

Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...

Cover. (Sung by

Dave Pirner David Anthony Pirner (born April 16, 1964) is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock band Soul Asylum. Early life and work Pirner was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and ...

). # " Back Street Girl" – 3:55 - A

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Cover. # "Cowboy Song" – 5:29 - A

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...

Cover. (Sung by Soul Asylum roadie, Bill Sullivan).

Personnel

The band members of Golden Smog used pseudonyms in the credits. *Anthony James (

) – vocals *Johnny Vincent (Bill Sullivan) – voices *David Spear-Way ( Dan Murphy) – vocals, voices in your head, guitar, ocarina *Jarret Decatur-Laine (Kraig Johnson) – vocals, guitar, choreography, light show *Raymond Virginia-Circle (

) – bass, staplegun, fish, synthesizer *Eddie Garfield-Avenue (

) – drums, kazoo *Michael Macklyn-Drive (

) – vocals, bass pedals, kettle drums, string arrangements *The Straight Shooter Chorus – background vocals

Production notes

*Paul Pacific – producer *Sir James Bunchberry – engineer *Chris Mars – artwork *Dave Pinsky – editing *Bonnie Lynn Butler – photography *Dave Biljan – design

References

{{Authority control Golden Smog albums 1992 debut EPs Covers EPs Rykodisc EPs