Belly takes us to when different was appreciated

There is no particular (commercial) reason for releasing this now but it is extra welcome as the times go by… blander. Not long ago Tanya Donelly’s comeback album ‘Beautysleep’ surfaced and this is from her past, just before embarking upon the solo journey. ‘Sweet Ride’ comes from the very brief, four-plus, years she fronted Belly that produced two albums – ‘Star’ (1993) and ‘King’ (1995).

Donnelly, former Throwing Muses and Breeders co-leader, recruited brothers Thomas and Chris Gorman as guitarist and drummer, respectively, late in 1991 and by June 1992 they had issued ‘Slowdust’ EP. (Original bassist Fred Abong was quickly replaced by Gail Greenwood for the remainder of the band’s four-string duty.) It took two further second singles to bring them to the attention of mass public: ‘Feed The Tree’ peaked at 32, the debut album ‘Star’ landed at a runner-up chart place.

After taking a different direction on ‘King’, the band split… These 18 songs certainly give an excellent representation of the band’s seductive, poetical, adventurous side but also its rocking spirit. And, the thing is that not only the obvious tracks are here but plenty of B-sides to give a rounder perspective of the combo rather than pleasing whatever demands there might be to please.

Thus, the selection starts with a b-side to the CD-version of their last single ‘Seal My Fate’, ‘Spacemen’: “I think this is a good one to start with. I always felt if we’d continued as a band, we’d have gone further in this direction,” Donnelly writes in the notes that accompany each song. The great one is for ‘Hot Burrito #1’, one of the handful of covers present here: “Gram (Parsons) wrote this about his estranged wife and legend has it that they got back together after she heard it.” How many albums actually remind/teach you facts?

If proof were needed how alt-rockingly unorthodox band they were, Belly covered ‘Trust In Me’, from Disney’s ‘Jungle Book’, the song the snake sings in the animated flick. And there is that completely different take on Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Are You Experienced?’; not only ‘Gepeto’, ‘Judas Mon Coeur’ and ‘Super-connected’ are included but also ‘Lilith’, previously unreleased song from the second album sessions. It all ends with the title-cut but history has spoken its piece already.

We’re still blessed with Mrs Tanya Donnelly’s infrequent presence and creativity but she’s become Mrs Dean (married Fisher, ex-bassist for Juliana Hetfield who sang backing vocals on ‘Hot Burrito’) and a mother.

This is a fitting reminder of an eventful youth of the “nicest, smartest and least pretentious rock star I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet,” writes a colleague in the sleeve-notes. Utterly charming and tranquilly sexy. And then, there were the songs.

8.8/10