Pecan pie (Golden Smog) (LP 800 - 802)

Golden Smog  down by the old mainstream (CD, Ryko, 1995) **** 

Golden Smog  Weird Tales (CD, Ryko, 1998) ****  

Golden Smog   another fine day   (CD, Lost Highway, 2006) ****

Genre: Country rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Reflections On Me (Weird Tales)

Gear costume: Pecan Pie (down...); Corvette (AFD)

Active compensatory factors: The supergroup aspect drew me to Golden Smog. That and the downhome vibe going on in new-alt country rock - or whatever it's called.

Golden Smog members come from a large variety of places - The Jayhawks, Wilco, The Replacements, Big Star and Soul Asylum among others - it's a fluid operation.

These first two albums in this trio are the band's debut and follow up. The first one is good for its rougher style - it feels more spontaneous, but Weird Tales has a more polished vibe so I tend to go between them in terms of preference, given my mood.

Just now Weird Tales has the edge among this more relaxed version of the band.

Another Fine Day is their third outing - again with Jeff Tweedy and Gary Louris at the core with a large supporting cast.

This time, eleven years in, the sound has evolved and has a rockier edge, which is great. Who wants a band to stand still and do the same old same old?

Where do they all belong? A fourth album - Blood On The Slacks (ho ho), recorded shortly after Another Fine Day, remains out there somewhere for me to find (no Jeff Tweedy on that one though).