The Sneetches (band)
| The Sneetches | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Indie pop, power pop |
| Years active | 1985–1995 |
| Labels | Kaleidoscope Sound, Creation, Alias, Bus Stop, spinART |
| Past members |
Mike Levy Matt Carges Daniel Swan Alejandro "Alec" Palao |
The Sneetches was an indie pop/power pop band formed in San Francisco, California in 1985, who released several albums before splitting up in the mid-1990s. The band was described by Trouser Press as "one of the most tasteful, consistently tuneful pop bands on the American scene".[1]
History
The initial line-up was Mike Levy (vocals, bass) and Matt Carges (guitar) adding English drummer Daniel Swan, formerly of The Cortinas by 1988.[2][3] The band showed influences from the likes of The Zombies, The Left Banke and The Easybeats, all of whom had tracks covered by The Sneetches.[1] They signed to the London-based Kaleidoscope Sound label, and debuted in 1988 with "Only For a Moment", followed by the mini-album Lights Out! With The Sneetches. They were then signed by Creation Records in the UK and Alias Records in the United States, who issued the band's debut full-length album, Sometimes That's All We Have, in 1989, described by Allmusic as "a masterful album highly recommended to all fans of the style".[2][3] Levy switched to guitar with the recruitment of former Stingrays bassist Alejandro "Alec" Palao in 1990.[2] Slow followed on Alias in 1990, the band then moving on to the Bus Stop label for three singles between 1991 and 1993, later compiled on the Think Again compilation.[1]
In 1993, the band recorded a mini-album with Chris Wilson of The Flamin' Groovies, and recorded a final album, Blow Out the Sun, in 1994, before splitting up.[2] A posthumous mini-set, Starfucker, comprising demo recordings of tracks that were not included on Blow Out the Sun, was released by Bus Stop in 1995.[4]
Levy began work on a solo album in 1995, Fireflies, which was eventually released in 2000.[5]
Discography
Albums
- Light Out! With The Sneetches (1988) Kaleidocope Sound
- Sometimes That's All We Have (1989) Creation/Alias
- Slow (1990) Alias
- Chris Wilson & The Sneetches (1993) Marilyn
- Blow Out the Sun (1994) spinART
- Starfucker (1995) Bus Stop
- Compilations
- 1985-1991 (1991) Alias
- Think Again (1993) Bus Stop
- Obscureyears (1994) Creation Rev-Ola
Singles
- "Only for a Moment" / "54 Hours" (1987) Kaleidoscope Sound (UK only release)
- "Please Don't Break My Heart" / "He's Frank" / "Love Comes My Way" (1989) Alias
- "She Does Everything For Me" (1991) Bus Stop
- "...and I'm Thinking" (1992) Bus Stop
- "A Good Thing" (1993) Bus Stop
- "She May Call You Up Tonight" (1993) Jelly Bean
- Sunnyside Down EP (1993) Elefant
References
- 1 2 3 Scott McCaughey & John M. Borack "Sneetches", Trouser Press
- 1 2 3 4 5 Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Sneetches", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0
- 1 2 Mason, Stewart "Sometimes That's All We Have Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ↑ Mason, Stewart "Starfucker Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ↑ Faller, Jessica (2001) "Former Sneetches `Fireflies` album shines brightly", The Lantern
External links
- The Sneetches at The Bus Stop Label