To celebrate American Music Club's leap to the majors, Reprise issued this promo-only collection, nominally titled for the Mercury LP's first single but far more noteworthy for its inclusion of nine pre-Reprise tracks as well as new interviews with the band. It's unclear just who put the package... [+] Expand

To celebrate American Music Club's leap to the majors, Reprise issued this promo-only collection, nominally titled for the Mercury LP's first single but far more noteworthy for its inclusion of nine pre-Reprise tracks as well as new interviews with the band. It's unclear just who put the package together, but some of the selections are dubious, to say the least -- did American Music Club ever record a more unlistenable song than "Bad Liquor"? The omission of classics like "Blue and Grey Shirt" and "Firefly" is equally curious, but the appearances of "Outside This Bar," "Why Won't You Stay?," and the B-side "Chanel #5" make up for all sins; equally noteworthy, the disc includes three exclusive Mercury demos: "The Hopes and Dreams of Heaven's 10,000 Whores," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Challenger." And the interviews are wry and illuminating, explaining the origins of many songs in addition to spotlighting Mark Eitzel's wonderfully mordant wit. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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