Search - Various Artists :: What's Up Matador

Various Artists
What's Up Matador
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock

Track Listings (24) - Disc #1
1. Tom Courtenay - Hubley, Georgia
2. Texas Never Whispers - Malkmus, Stephen
3. Catholic Education - Blake, Norman [2]
4. For Tension - Superchunk
5. Vandal-X - Unsane [1]
6. Splat - Bailter Space
7. Pat's Trick - Timony, Mary
8. Nude as the News - Callahan, Bill [1]
9. Tom Boy - Bettie Serveert
10. Couldn't You Wait? [Acoustic] - Midgett, Tim
11. Don't Buy the Realistic - Daniel, Britt
12. Stratford-On-Guy - Phair, Liz
13. Twiggy Twiggy - Nanako, Satoh
14. Hey Student - Hanley, Steve [Memb
15. Bang the Drum - Hall, Marcellus
16. In/Out - Come [US]
17. Dang - Spencer, Jon [Rock]
18. Son of Sam - Gee, Larry
19. Adam & Steve - Flemion, Dennis
20. Unreal Is Here - Chavez [1]
21. Motor Away - Pollard, Robert
22. Still? - Hopkins, J.C.
23. My Pal the Tortoise - Thinking Fellers Un
24. Water Cuts My Hands - Lester, David
Track Listings (20) - Disc #2
1. Back of Your Head - Cat Power
2. Strike - Come [US]
3. One Step Forward - Hall, M.
4. Dig My Shit! - Spencer, Jon [Rock]
5. My Thoughts Are a Gas - Pollard, Robert
6. Telamon Bridge - Spoon [1]
7. The Killing Moon - DeFreitas, Pete
8. Hangman - Walkabouts
9. Don't Say a Word [Demo Version] - Hubley, Georgia
10. The Blood of Feeling - Manning, Barbara
11. Life Is an Imbecile - Bettie Serveert
12. Stuck on an Island - Phair, Liz
13. Alfredo's Welcome - McMahan, Brian
14. Days Away - Brown, Rick [Drums]
15. Hurricane Watch - Lester, David
16. Lucy - Timony, Mary
17. Theme from for Russ - Chavez [1]
18. Small Parade - Sprout, Tobin
19. The Trail - Bardo Pond
20. Happy Birthday - Konishi, Yasuharu

CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists
Title: What's Up Matador
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Matador Records
Original Release Date: 8/26/1997
Release Date: 8/26/1997
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Hardcore & Punk, Indie & Lo-Fi, New Wave & Post-Punk, Singer-Songwriters, Progressive, Progressive Rock
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 744861016328

Synopsis

Amazon.com

With its sardonically intelligent liner notes, this 2 CD (Favorite Tracks and Unreleased Tracks, respectively) collection is the ultimate introduction to the record industry's harbinger of hip. Home to indie-rock integrity, Matador has helped usher critic's darlings like Liz Phair, Guided by Voices, Yo La Tengo, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and others to cult status, just as Matador cofounder Gerard Cosloy's Homestead Records provided a haven for groups like Dinosaur Jr. and Big Black in the '80s. If Homestead's The Wailing Ultimate ably summed that label's influence before Cosloy's departure, What's Up Matador is doubly impressive. Besides, where else can you hear Pavement's lazy-cool version of Echo & The Bunnymen's "Killing Moon"? -- Mark Woodlief

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CD Reviews

What else do you expect?...

Chris | Indianapolis, IN | 03/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a MATADOR compilation. Since the label is immune to signing bad bands, you won't find a bad track on this disc.An excellent sampler, but works just as well as an album. If you prefer to have your sounds mixed, you'll love the variety of this album.Particularly good?: GBV, Pavement, Pizzicato 5, Chavez, Helium, and Yo La Tengo(as usual)."

Something for everybody- not quite

Ryan Kendrick | Colorado | 02/19/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Too cool for mainstream radio listeners. If thats you, you might grimmace through most of the songs. If you listen to indie rock already, then its definately worth the price. It took me a couple times through to weed out the unlistenable tracks, Wich I later sratched out on the jewel back, track list. I am left with about 30 songs that have proven quite enjoyable. This comp has prompted me to buy CDs from Cat Power, pavement, bettie serveert, and posibly more when I find them. If you do own this set, you no longer have to buy these artists "blindly", wich I suspect was the original marketing strategy from the people at Matador."

Sleater-Kinney isn't a Matador band

E. A Solinas | 09/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An earlier review contains an extremely obvious error: Sleater-Kinney isn't on this compilation because S-K IS NOT on Matador!

It's pretty sad when reviewers attempt to sound authoritative when they don't know even the basic facts."

What's up?

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 09/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Matador Records is known for its selection of outstanding musical artists -- the bands that are/were signed to them range from indie-rock legends to obscure gems.

"What's Up Matador" is a good compilation of some of Matador's highlights -- it's not only a good cross-section of the best and most timeless work here, but also a fun listen, and a good introduction to some good music. It's missing a few of the best and bravest, but is still an excellent place to start on some cool indie-rock.

Several indie-rock staples were signed onto Matador over the years, and they are given places of honor: the gone-but-never-forgotten Pavement, excellent Guided by Voices and Spoon, as well as other outstanding bands like The Fall, Cat Power, Superchunk and Yo La Tengo. Often these bands get more than one song.

But Matador also gives the spotlight to lesser known bands and artists. For example, the quirky Japanese pop band Pizzicato Five. Also present are the rough-edged rock of Silkworm and Railroad Jerk, a couple of songs by Liz Phair before she went teeny-pop, the trembling lo-fi of Helium, the energetic pop of Bettie Serveert, and the aggressively weird Mecca Normal.

Okay, sprinkled here and there are a few duds. I have to admit that Chavez is not my favorite -- I can only take a few explosive chords at a time, unless Billy Corgan is playing them. And there are a few glaring omissions -- where are Nightmares on Wax, Solex, Sleator-Kinney?

Fortunately, those omissions are compensated for by the excellent -- sometimes ingenious -- music that surrounds them on all sides. Pop, electronica, rock -- it's all here. Matador plays it safe with some of the songs, such as Pavement and Teenage Fanclub, but also plays risky by including so many songs by little-known bands.

Like the other Matador compilations, "What's Up Matador" is a good place to start on the voyage of indie rock bliss. Smooth sailing."

Best compilation I've ever purchased

E. A Solinas | 03/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Never before have I bought a cd, "blind", and been so all-out psyched with it! There is NOT a dud on here, and I'm a picky listener. I've got a whole bunch of new bands to seek out. Particular stand-outs are Guided By Voices, Helium, Cat Power, Railroad Jerk, Pizzacato Five... VERY guitar-driven, though, so, if that's not your bag, look elsewhere... What a bargain! Snap it up!"