The 34th Anniversary of Shimmy Disc 1987 - 2021

 

 

Short bio:
Shimmy Disc is a New York City-based independent record label founded in 1987 by Mark Kramer. Before it was sold to the Knitting Factory, artists like Bongwater, Daniel Johnston, Fly Ashtray, Galaxie 500, King Missile, Boredoms, Ruins, Ween, Gwar, The Semibeings, When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water and Uncle Wiggly recorded on the label. The label also released compilations albums such as "Rutles Highway Revisited (A Tribute To The Rutles)", 1990, which featured various artists from the label, and also introduced new artists like Paleface.

In 2020, Kramer revived the Shimmy Disc label in partnership with Joyful Noise Recordings with their first release Songs We Sang In Our Dreams, the debut album of Kramer's project with Xan Tyler, Let It Come Down.


Originally this was going to be a sequel to the Kramer solo anthology I posted here just over a year ago. The idea was to feature a compilation which featured the many bands he's been a member of, plus his many collaborations with the likes of Daevid Allen and Dogbowl. After compiling a few tracks I thought it would be even better if I made a Shimmy Disc compilation instead. This proved to be a much harder task, as there were many albums I had to find (a few still in storage), and some I only had on vinyl. So, I apologise in advance for the 3 tracks I ripped from vinyl, these being the ones by Jellyfish Kiss, Walkingseeds and When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water.

All told this took me over 3 weeks to compile/complete. Some of you may query the absence of some bands, so I will explain why they are missing. To qualify they had to be albums which were released on the label first, or simultaneously with another label in other parts of the world. So there's no Shockabilly or Velvet Monkeys here, as they were released on other labels long before Shimmy Disc existed. No track from Galaxie 500's debut album features either, as the album came out originally on the label Aurora, appearing on Shimmy Disc a year later. Disc 1 consists of releases from the "peak" years of the late 80s to early 90s. Disc 2 has a smattering of those tracks plus a few favourites from the mid to late 90s, concluding with half a dozen tracks released on the recently revived label.

Thanks to Manerg for his invaluable advice when I was constructing the compilation artwork, he came up with the idea of featuring the Shimmy logo in different colours. Part of the artwork (the border) was inspired by the very first compilation released on the label, "The 20th Anniversary of the Summer of Love 1987–1967". I also had the idea of having a "ghostly" image of Kramer in the background. As usual info containing the origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you all enjoy this compilation featuring so many weird and wonderful songs.

Disc 1:
  1. Dogbowl - Cyclops Nuclear Submarine Captain (3:44)
  2. John S. Hall & Kramer - My Life (1:29)
  3. Bongwater - The Power of Pussy (4:00)
  4. Egomaniacs - Mamma's Collection (2:58)
  5. Jellyfish Kiss - Sinbad (6:09)
  6. Rebby Sharp - Just in Time (3:09)
  7. Daevid Allen and Kramer - Shadow (4:16)
  8. GWAR - GWAR Theme (2:26)
  9. Daniel Johnston - A Ghostly Story (2:57)
10. The Tinklers - Library Song (3:11)
11. Lida Husik - Up (4:59)
12. King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) - Margaret's Eyes (2:42)
13. Boredoms - J.B. Dick + Tin Turner Pussy Badsmell (3:06)
14. Hugh Hopper & Kramer - All in My Head (2:36)
15. B.A.L.L. - If I Breakdown (2:51)
16. Walkingseeds - Skullfuck (4:18)
17. Fred Lane & His Hittite Hotshots - French Toast Man (2:51)
18. Brave Combo - Polka (2:29)
19. Naked City - N.Y. Flat Top Box (0:43)
20. Ruins - Misonta (3:15)
21. Carney • Hild • Kramer - Larry (2:56)
22. When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water - Girl Named Sandoz (3:31)
23. Uncle Wiggly - Trust (2:32)
24. Fish and Roses - The Letter (2:03)
25. Das Damen - Piggy in the Middle (4:29)

Disc 2:
  1. Tuli Kupferberg - Living in Hope (2:55)
  2. The Mabuses - Mad Went the Barber (3:07)
  3. Velvet Cactus Society - Every Time It Snows You Cut Your Hair (2:00)
  4. Jad Fair & Kramer - Better Safe Than Sorry (0:21)
  5. Bulkhead - Bayonne, New Jersey (5:06)
  6. Damon & Naomi - This Car Climbed Mt. Washington (4:51)
  7. Dogbowl & Kramer - When the Sun Goes Down (4:17)
  8. Ween - Sketches of Winkle (2:43)
  9. Krackhouse - Where You Gonna Go (1:07)
10. Mr. Elk & Mr. Seal - The Warm-Up Song (2:27)
11. Kramer - You Don't Know (3:07)
12. Fly Ashtray - The Girl From the Chinese Restaurant (2:15)
13. The Semibeings - Pulse (3:18)
14. Milksop Holly - Frying Pan Lane (3:29)
15. Kramer and Daved Hild - Photograph (4:06)
16. The Captain Howdy - I Just Wanna Get Laid (3:38)
17. Adult Rodeo - Empty Space (2:44)
18. The Blue Whale - Nothing Better Than Love (4:51)
19. Brainville - The Children's Crusade (3:13)
20. Anaximander Fragment - Lazybones (4:57)
21. Jad Fair & Kramer - Pickpockets of Love (2:41)
22. Gavin Preller - You Can Always Go (1:42)
23. Paul Leary - The Adventures of Pee Pee the Sailor (3:07)
24. Gates of Light - Mary and the Apocalyptic Woman (3:38)
25. Let It Come Down - Moonlight (4:04)

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