Frogs lp s/t 1988 private orig nirvana grunge pop Kurt Cobain beck RARE 1st WOW

$

139

Frogs lp s/t 1988 private orig 8-08-88 WI nirvana grunge pop Kurt Cobain beck RARE 1st WOW, ex+ to nm lp, ex+ cover still in orig shrink unsealed, scarce debut frogs full album limited to only 1000 copies!!!

The Frogs are an American rock music band founded in 1980, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by brothers Jimmy and Dennis Flemion. The brothers mainly write and perform short, catchy pop songs, but they are also known for their improvised home recordings which are delivered in a comedic style, and often include controversial issues such as race, religion, and sexuality (notably homoeroticism). A history of strife has hindered the band, although a devoted fan base that includes many well-known musicians has supported the group.

Contents

• 1 History
  • 1.1 Early years: 1980-1989
  • 1.2 Grunge and success: 1990-2000
    • 1.2.1 Kurt Cobain and Nirvana
    • 1.2.2 Beck
    • 1.2.3 Billy Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins
    • 1.2.4 Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam
    • 1.2.5 Sebastian Bach
    • 1.2.6 Records and record releases
  • 1.3 2001-present
• 2 Discography
  • 2.1 Studio albums
  • 2.2 Singles and EPs
    • 2.2.1 Split EPs
  • 2.3 Compilations
• 3 Notes
• 4 External links

History

Early years: 1980-1989

Brothers Jimmy Flemion and Dennis Flemion began playing as the "Gila Monsters" and "Stupid Frogs" in 1980, frequenting Milwaukee clubs and coffeehouses.[1][2] In 1983, bassist Jay Tiller joined the group. That same year, Jimmy began wearing what was to become his trademark stage gimmick, a pair of six-foot bat wings,[3] inspired by the band's set list, which at that time featured many glam rock songs about death and gloom. Soon the brothers also began wearing wigs at their performances, and using pyrotechnics. Hence, "wings and wigs" became synonymous with the band.

Although in their early days the Frogs played mostly in coffeehouses, they developed a larger following due mostly to their fan-friendly shows.[citation needed]

In 1988, Brian Hill joined The Frogs as bassist; he continues to make appearances with the group.

That same year saw two significant events related to the Frogs' recording career. The first event was the release of the Frogs' first, self-titled album, which they began recording in 1986.[4] Sources disagree on whether the album was self-released[5] or released by Drag City Records;[1] it's undisputed, however, that only about 1,000 copies were pressed.[1][5]

The second event ended up bringing the group to public attention: Jay Tiller gave a tape of the Frogs' improvised home recordings to his friend Steve Albini, and the tape eventually made its way to Gerard Cosloy, then head of Homestead Records. Cosloy approached the band and offered to release an album.

The Frogs were hoping that Homestead would re-release their first album, but Cosloy wanted to release an LP of the group's improvised home recordings, originally recorded on 4-track reel-to-reel with two microphones, which dealt with over-the-top homo-eroticism. Since the tapes had not been intended to be released, the group hedged at first, but eventually they relented, and mixed a 14 track collection of songs. The result was It's Only Right and Natural, The Frogs' second LP. Songs like "Been a Month Since I Had a Man" and "Gather 'Round for Savior #2" gave the album (and the band) a unique theme. Homestead announced that The Frogs were leaders in a "new gay supremacy movement," and the media ran with it.[1]

The album was received with mixed reactions; some listeners were ecstatic, while others, who either disliked the subject matter or misunderstood the concept, were not as enthusiastic.[citation needed] In the gay press, writer Adam Block wrote, "I'd find the record a lot more remarkable if I believed the Frogs were actually gay."[6] It's Only Right and Natural was even denounced by Pat Robertson on The 700 Club and a number of conservative religious organizations as proof of Satan's control over the entertainment industry.[citation needed]

Grunge and success: 1990-2000

In 1991, the Frogs produced a new album titled Racially Yours, which included songs sung from the point of view of both blacks and whites who find themselves in various race-related situations and predicaments. The lyrics are equally serious and satirical. The Frogs' label Homestead was unwilling to release Racially Yours (although the album was distributed freely by fans). It was eventually released in 2000 by the Four Alarm label. The Frogs' further plans for a live album went unfulfilled, as labels they pursued all seemed to be suffering through bankruptcy and management problems. Jay Tiller left the band in 1992, to be replaced by Damian Strigens, although there were several substitutes in the meantime, including such notables as Eddie Roeser from Urge Overkill and Kelley Deal from The Breeders.

The Frogs, through their unique sense of humor, have gained a small but very devoted fan base. Although critics have attacked the Frogs for poor taste, well-known bands and performers have come to their defense. In 1993, The Smashing Pumpkins' frontman Billy Corgan saw The Frogs at a small club in Madison, Wisconsin, and invited them to open for The Pumpkins. The Frogs were soon opening for Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Urge Overkill, and other bands who were fans of the group, to mixed reaction.

After meeting Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain in 1993, The Frogs wrote two songs about him and also made him a videotape, Toy Porno. The VHS featured select live performances and stop-motion animation with painted action figures. Action figures and dolls were used as sexually promiscuous characters in various short sketches. The tape became constant viewing material on Nirvana's tour bus.[citation needed] The videotape has since been made available to fans and has become a cult classic.

In 1993, musician Beck Hansen used a sample of The Frogs' song "I Don't Care If U Disrespect Me (Just So You Love Me)" on his song "Where It's At", included on his 1996 release Odelay.

In the summer of 1994, the Frogs played the second stage at Lollapalooza, with Billy Corgan joining them at every stop, shredding away on lead guitar for their encore of "I Only Play 4 Money" and "Lord Grunge." Corgan continued to support and promote The Frogs by producing a short film, "Meet the Frogs," which he included on the Smashing Pumpkins' 1994 Vieuphoria video compilation. The short film brought the group recognition, but it has also confused Smashing Pumpkins fans who don't know if they should take the band seriously or not.[citation needed]

From August 1996 to February 1997, Dennis Flemion replaced Smashing Pumpkins' recently-deceased keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin for the Pumpkins' Infinite Sadness Tour. During each night's encore, Jimmy Flemion performed "1979" (which was influenced by an unreleased Frogs song, "Pleasure") with the Smashing Pumpkins, as well as selecting audience members to dance on stage. The Flemion brothers also appeared on The Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight" single, and sang backing vocals on 1998's Adore.

In 1995, Pearl Jam included The Frogs' cover of "Rearviewmirror" (credited to all members of Pearl Jam, but largely written by lead singer Eddie Vedder) as the b-side to their "Immortality" single. The following year, Pearl Jam released a song called "Smile" on their No Code album. According to a story that Vedder told while performing in Milwaukee in 2006, the lyrics of "Smile" were taken directly from a note that Dennis Flemion hid inside Vedder's notebook when Vedder was on stage performing. The words used in the note are taken from the Frogs songs "This Is How I Feel" and "Now I Wanna Be Dead."[7] Dennis also gave Vedder a small pair of bat wings from the Frogs' early days, and Vedder has proudly displayed them behind his guitar amplifier. The wings reportedly can be seen on the front cover of Pearl Jam's Touring Band 2000.[citation needed]

Eddie Vedder has sung "I Only Play For Money," "Starboy," and "The Longing Goes Away" with The Frogs on more than one occasion, and Pearl Jam played "I Only Play For Money" twice in 1995, although one of the performances was during the soundcheck.

In 1997, Jimmy Flemion joined Sebastian Bach's touring band. Rather than stripping Jimmy of his trademark bat wings, the whole band adopted costumes as well.[citation needed] Jimmy also recorded a side project called The Last Hard Men with Bach, Kelley Deal and Jimmy Chamberlin. Bach also performed "Lord Grunge" with The Frogs on an infamous MTV appearance on Oddville. The Frogs destroyed their set and broke several rules set forth by the show's producers, so the producers retaliated by only broadcasting the first verse of the song.

In 1994, The Frogs followed Gerard Cosloy to a new label, Matador Records, releasing two singles. They also recorded the EP Starjob, produced by Billy Corgan (who used the pseudonym Johnny Goat); however, the album was not released at that point.

In 1996, Matador released an album of old home-recorded and improvised Frogs material called My Daughter the Broad. It became another cult classic, with fans shouting out many of the song's titles and lyrics at every show.[citation needed]

In 1997, Starjob was finally released, by Scratchie Records (founded by James Iha, among others). But the EP almost immediately went out of print when it failed to sell enough units to satisfy the label.[citation needed] Starjob contains well-produced studio tracks, including "Lord Grunge" and one of the most well known Frogs songs, "I Only Play 4 Money."

In 1999, the Frogs covered "Vacation" by the Go-Go's for a tribute album.[8] In that same year, the Four Alarm label issued another LP of the Frogs' old home-recorded and improvised material, called Bananimals; the unreleased Racially Yours album followed in 2000. To support these two releases, the Frogs played in Canada for the first time. However, they were stopped at Canadian Customs as officials seized all of their merchandise, declaring it "pornographic."[citation needed] The Frogs had to play their Canadian shows without any merchandise to sell.[citation needed]

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Vinyl grading is usually based on the Goldmine standard and is as follows:

“SS” Still Sealed – For the collector that demands nothing but perfection.

“M” Mint - a near perfect, or unplayed record.

“NM” Near Mint - in factory fresh condition, like new.

EX+ - close to like new with only superficial signs of use that don't affect play. Will satisfy all but the most vain and demanding collector.

EX - a used, reasonable copy. Shows slight signs of wear.

VG+ - There will be obvious signs of wear and the possibility a few skuffs and/or light surface noise between tracks or during quiet passages, but still quite nice.

VG - significant wear and marks and usually quite noticeable surface noise,still plays great.

Good - In the record world, "Good" is not good! From here on down, we're talking about beat-up records!