Disco Inferno - The Past Looks Dead

 

 

Bio:
Disco Inferno formed in Essex, UK in 1989 by Ian Crause (guitar & vocals), Paul Wilmott (bass), Rob Whatley (drums) and Daniel Gish (keyboards).

After the departure of Gish (who would later join Bark Psychosis) the now three-piece Disco Inferno recorded the single "Entertainment", closely followed by their first album, "Open Doors, Closed Windows", in 1991 on the Che label. The album received positive reviews, although most mentioned the heavy influence of late 1970s post punk bands, particularly Joy Division and Wire (In fact Disco Inferno's manager, Michael Collins, had previously managed Wire during their 70's incarnation). "Entertainment", "Open Doors, Closed Windows" and the following EP "Science" would later be collected on the album "In Debt".

In 1992 the band released "Summer's Last Sound", widely regarded as the first in a run of classic Disco Inferno EPs which saw the band's increasing use of samples. The band's use of sampling combined with traditional instruments - particularly Wilmott's bass - continued on the EPs "A Rock to Cling To" and "The Last Dance" and reached its peak on their second album, "D.I. Go Pop". After the full-on assault of "D.I. Go Pop" the band opted for restraint on the beautiful "Second Language" EP which also had a new-found optimism in Crause's lyrics.

Their final EP, "It's a Kid's World'", sampled the distinctive drumbeat from Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" and added in a series of old children's TV themes to good effect, but despite critical acclaim the band attracted little commercial success and split before their final album "Technicolour" was released in 1996.


This is a band which took me several years to finally get into. I'd heard the odd song by them but never felt the urge to pursue their releases any further. About 15 years ago, I listened for the first time their acclaimed 2nd album "D.I. Go Pop" but found it rather difficult to enjoy, but I kept coming back to it over the years until finally realising what a masterpiece it was. After that realisation I gave their whole back catalogue a proper listen, kicking myself for missing out on one of the most inventive bands of the 1990s. "D.I. Go Pop" for me is by far their best album, but several of their EPs are equally rewarding. You can find most of their EP recordings on the 2011 collection "The 5 EPs", released by One Little Indian. Well worth purchasing. I guess you could say their first and third albums are more or less what you could call "normal", compared to "D.I. Go Pop".

They did actually record a song called "D.I. Go Pop", which wasn't on the aforementioned album, but appeared on their 1993 EP "The Last Dance". I think you'll find this the most insane track on this collection, but a bit like with Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica", after several plays you begin to make some kind of sense of what the hell is going on...! I posted the mix of this on hearthis the other day and it's already received over 140 listens, which I find somewhat amazing! So, no more yapping from me, I hope you enjoy this latest collection. Cheers!

  

  1. Summer's Last Sound (5:37)
  2. Fallen Down the Wire (4:37)
  3. The Atheist's Burden (3:55)
  4. A Whole Wide World Ahead (4:37)
  5. When the Story Breaks (3:08)
  6. Arc in Round (3:57)
  7. Incentives (3:27)
  8. D.I. Go Pop (5:06)
  9. Tortoise (2:19)
10. Waking Up (5:56)
11. In Sharky Water (4:39)
12. Love Stepping Out (6:17)
13. Hope to God (1:39)
14. It's a Kid's World (4:29)
15. Entertainment (4:45)
16. New Clothes for the New World (1:57)
17. A Little Something (2:55)
18. A Rock to Cling To (3:49)
19. Even the Sea Sides Against Us (3:43)
20. Things Move Fast (2:59)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 81

 

 

 

  1. Electric Orange - Einwahn (7:51)
  2. Gatien - Ce Que les Français Veulent (2:49)
  3. The Whitefield Brothers - Pamukkale (3:55)
  4. Think Dog - Sunday Brings Another Day (2:05)
  5. Moose - I Wanted to See You to See if I Wanted You (3:20)
  6. Pan & Regaliz - I Can Fly (3:34)
  7. Cornelius - Point of View Point (3:53)
  8. Ojibo Afrobeat - Heatwave (5:20)
  9. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Solved (4:08)
10. Amp - Sunflower (acoustic version) (3:09)
11. The Flaming Lips - Shaved Gorilla (2:56)
12. Dungen - Sol Och Regn (4:18)
13. Magic Cobra - Golden Child (3:31)
14. Hervé Roy - Triple Clavinet (2:25)
15. Promised Land Sound - Push and Pull (All the Time) (5:09)
16. Savath & Savalas feat. José González - Estrella de Dos Caras (4:28)
17. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Don't Let Me Get in Your Way (2:43)
18. Art Zoyd - Sangria (2:28)
19. Uilab - St. Elmo's Fire (radio) (4:07)
20. Woods - Weekend Wind (7:10)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 80

 

  

  1. The Blue Angel Lounge - Secure Existence (3:08)
  2. Mark & The Clouds - The Same Old Dream (4:14)
  3. João Donato - Lunar Tune (4:52)
  4. Dana Gillespie - Dead (3:08)
  5. The Minders - Comfortably Tucked Up Inside (2:25)
  6. Egg Hunt - Me and You (3:44)
  7. Gwenno - An Stevel Nowydh (4:47)
  8. Electrick Sages - In My Little Sahara (3:14)
  9. Rotary Connection - I Took a Ride (Caravan) (6:01)
10. Dead Sea Apes, Adam Stone, Black Tempest - Shop Soiled (7:20)
11. The Telephones - Call It If It Is (3:19)
12. Fugu - F15 (Alactaga Sauteur) (2:17)
13. Piere Cavalli - Un Soir Chez Norris (2:27)
14. Jeff Simmons - Wonderful Wino (2:57)
15. The Spectre Collective - Thermal Underground (6:40)
16. Ghost Power - Panic in the Isles of Splendor (3:39)
17. Lalalar - Abla Deme Lazim Olur (3:09)
18. Barbara & Ernie - For You (3:34)
19. Sherpa the Tiger - Stolen Numbers (4:52)
20. Silver Sunshine - Way Up in the Big Sky (3:37)

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Swell - All That You Got (1990-2008)

 

Bio:
Swell formed in San Francisco in 1989 when David Freel (vocals/guitar) and Sean Kirkpatrick (drums) decided to record a self-titled album, released on Freel's own pSychosPecificMusic label in 1990. Swell's influences range from 80's post-punk bands, Pink Floyd to folk, noise pop and Ennio Morricone film scores.
In 1991, now with Monte Vallier on bass and John Dettman on guitar, they recorded a second album, "...Well?", which was released in February 1992, also on pSychoSpecificMusic. Though Dettman left the band soon after, Freel, Kirkpatrick, and Vallier carried on, receiving an offer from Def American to give "...Well?" a wider release one year after its first release.

Adding guitarist Tom Hays, they began recording their third album, "41", in 1992. It was released by American in late 1993. In 1993 Niko Wenner (Oxbow, Jellyfish) replaced Hays, and toured with the band on guitar, backing vocals, and keyboards. Subsequent albums include 1997's "Too Many Days Without Thinking" and 1998's "For All the Beautiful People". The latter album included Wenner on guitar and backing vocals, and Rob Ellis on drums.

"Everybody Wants to Know", more a Freel solo album than anything else, appeared in spring 2001. "Whenever You're Ready" - recorded with Sean Kirkpatrick - and the compilation "Bastards and Rarities" both appeared in 2003. Early 2004 Swell toured the States for the first time in six years. They also toured Europe again in 2004, the band consisting of Mat Mathews on drums, Greg Baldzikowski (keyboards and guitars), Doran Bastin (bass) and David Freel (vox, acoustic guitar).

After three years of silence Freel started recording new songs in spring 2007, assisted by Nick Lucero (ex-Qotsa) on drums. The final Swell album, "South of the Rain and the Snow", was released late 2007 on pSychosPecificMusic, together with "The Lost Album", a 9-track compilation of rarities from the 1995–1997 era. Swell toured Europe in October/November 2008, Freel's sidekicks on this tour were Ron Burns (drums) and Brian Mumford (guitar & fx).

Freel died in Oregon City on April 12, 2022, aged 64. The news of his death was shared on Facebook, however, the actual cause of death was not made public.


On hearing about David Freel's untimely death last month, which deeply saddened me (too many musicians I've liked/loved have died quite recently), I dug out my favourite Swell album, "...Well?", which I hadn't listened to for several years. I'd almost forgotten what a fine band Swell were all those years ago. After deciding to make the opening track on my next Spaghetti Tree compilation one of my favourite Swell songs, "At Long Last", I felt Freel deserved a more substantial tribute. Compiling this collection of some of my favourite Swell songs, featuring at least 1 track from all their studio releases, plus the odd EP/single track, proved to be a very tough task indeed. I could have easily made this collection double CD in length, even then there'd be several tracks deserving of a place. Tracks from "...Well?" feature the most heavily, 3 in total.

As per usual, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection!

  1. In the Door, Up the Stairs / Is That Important? (5:04)
  2. It's Okay (3:52)
  3. Bongstarr (3:56)
  4. 20,000 Years (3:28)
  5. Bridgette, You Love Me (3:12)
  6. ...A Velvet Sun (5:27)
  7. Say Goodbye (3:40)
  8. Sick Half of a Church (3:35)
  9. Today (3:31)
10. Golden Years (3:42)
11. Wash Your Brain (4:06)
12. Good Good Good (2:41)
13. O My C (4:05)
14. I've Got the World on a String (2:47)
15. Here It Is (4:02)
16. (I Know) The Trip (4:31)
17. At Long Last (3:39)
18. Someday Always Comes (4:14)
19. Next to Nothing (4:56)
20. Trouble Loves You (5:22)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 79

 

 

  1. Swell - At Long Last (3:43)
  2. Josef K - Applebush (2:20)
  3. Rockfour - Me, Myself and What Tears Us Apart (4:16)
  4. Seine - Peripetija (4:35)
  5. Wet Tuna - Sweet Chump Change (5:37)
  6. Witch - Mashed Potato (4:03)
  7. Honeybus - Black Mourning Band (3:12)
  8. Night Palace - Fig Dream (2:58)
  9. big big bite - Screeching Halt (4:18)
10. The Saints - The Prisoner (4:54)
11. Party Dozen - Dog Plan (2:20)
12. Dion - Purple Haze (2:32)
13. The Mystic Moods Orchestra - Ride the Sky (2:47)
14. Moveknowledgement - My Left Foot (5:39)
15. Sanguine Hum - Unstable Ground (4:10)
16. Birigwa - Lule Lule (4:04)
17. Scorpions - I'm Going Mad (4:51)
18. To Rococo Rot feat. Arto Lindsay - Classify (3:03)
19. Ashinoa - Disguised in Orbit (4:30)
20. Circulatory System - Round Again (5:31)

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Gravenhurst - Rusted Masks

 

Bio by Heather Phares:
Making music equally inspired by the British folk of Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch and the volatile, textural rock of My Bloody Valentine, Gravenhurst was the brainchild of singer/multi-instrumentalist Nick Talbot (14 May 1977 – 2 December 2014).  Gravenhurst's first album, 2002's "Internal Travels", concentrated on simple but meticulous acoustic guitar work coupled with lyrics inspired by murder ballads. The following year, Talbot released the more elaborate, fuller-sounding "Flashlight Seasons", which attracted the attention of Warp Records, who signed Gravenhurst and re-released the album early in 2004. Later that year, the mini-album "Black Holes in the Sand" became Gravenhurst's first original release for the label.

Released in 2005, the single "The Velvet Cell" and full-length "Fires in Distant Buildings" were Talbot's most fully fleshed-out works yet, incorporating not only folk and electronica but heavy fuzzed-out electric guitars and chugging Krautrock-influenced rhythms as well. The band's excellent 2007 album, "The Western Lands", leaned more toward space rock and shoegaze. With the departure of most of Talbot's touring band for other countries and projects, he returned to a one-man version of Gravenhurst for tours and performances at festivals in the late 2000s and early 2010s. This approach rubbed off on his fourth album, "The Ghost in Daylight", which featured some of his most intimate songwriting and seamless blends of folk, shoegaze, and electronics. Late in 2014, Warp released "Offerings: Lost Songs 2000-2004", a collection of previously unreleased early recordings. That December, Warp announced that Talbot had died at the age of 37.


There isn't really much more I can add to the above excellent bio by Heather Phares. This collection features tracks from all the albums mentioned above, plus the odd compilation track and a few b-sides/EP tracks. Again this is another artist I didn't think of doing a compilation of, until I dug out my copy of "Fires in Distant Buildings" a couple of weeks back, prompting me to revisit his whole back catalogue. A sad loss to music, to this day the cause of his untimely death has never been disclosed. As usual origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy, cheers!

  1. Black Holes in the Sand (7:22)
  2. Entertainment (3:43)
  3. In Your Room (3:38)
  4. East of the City (2:33)
  5. Hollow Men (3:55)
  6. Song From Under the Arches (10:21)
  7. Longest River (2:57)
  8. Circadian (4:07)
  9. I Found the F (3:25)
10. For Erin (2:32)
11. Nightwatchman's Blues (4:02)
12. A Call to Arms (3:15)
13. The Velvet Cell (4:59)
14. Tunnels (4:42)
15. Islands (8:03)
16. The Western Lands (4:11)
17. Winter Moon (4:29)
18. Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? (3:27)
19. Underfoot (4:19)
20. See My Friends (9:04)

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Smog - Crawl Into My Shell (1993-2006)

 

Short bio:
Bill Callahan (born June 3, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who for several years recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan started out as a highly experimental artist, using substandard instruments and recording equipment. His early songs lacked melodic structure and were clumsily played on poorly tuned guitars, resulting in the dissonant sounds on his self-released cassettes. Once he signed a contract with Drag City, he started to use recording studios and a greater variety of instruments for his records.

From 1993 to 2000, Callahan's recordings grew more and more "professional" sounding, with more instruments, and a higher sound quality. He recorded two albums with the influential producer Jim O'Rourke and Tortoise's John McEntire, and collaborated with Neil Hagerty. After 2000's "Dongs of Sevotion", Callahan began moving back to a slightly simpler instrumentation and recording style, while retaining the more consistent songwriting style he had developed over the years. This shift is apparent in albums such as "Rain on Lens", "Supper", and "A River Ain't Too Much to Love".

Smog's songs are often based on simple, repetitive structures, consisting of a simple chord progression repeated for the duration of the entire song. His singing is characterized by his baritone voice. Melodically and lyrically he tends to eschew the verse-chorus approach favoured by many contemporary songwriters, preferring instead a more free-form approach relying less on melodic and lyrical repetition. Themes in Callahan's lyrics include relationships, animals, relocation, nature, and more recently, politics.

In 2007, Callahan stopped using the name Smog, going under his real name for future releases.


This anthology focuses on Bill Callahan's work released under the name of Smog. I've avoided his earliest recordings, some of which are almost impossible to find, instead concentrating on his releases from 1993's "Julius Caesar" up until his final release using the name Smog, the 2006 EP "Rock Bottom Riser". This collection features at least 1 track from these albums, plus the odd single/EP track. My introduction to Smog was the album he released in 1995, "Wild Love", following his career closely ever since. Perhaps in the future I'll compile some of my favourite tracks released under his own name. My favourite Smog albums? I'd say "Knock Knock" from 1999 and "Rain on Lens" released in 2001. This collection features 2 tracks from both of those albums. As usual origin of each track & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection. Cheers!

  1. Chosen One (3:10)
  2. Look Now (3:17)
  3. Not Lonely Anymore (1:59)
  4. Ambition (4:23)
  5. Cold Discovery (5:51)
  6. Spread Your Bloody Wings (3:21)
  7. Dirty Pants (4:30)
  8. Bathysphere (4:46)
  9. Bowery (3:19)
10. I Break Horses (6:05)
11. Just Like Napoleon (2:54)
12. The Well (6:55)
13. Let's Move to the Country (2:56)
14. Real Live Dress (5:20)
15. My Shell (Electric Version) (5:43)
16. Inspirational (6:20)
17. Keep Some Steady Friends Around (4:26)
18. Held (3:59)

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Songs from Beneath the Spaghetti Tree Vol. 78

 

  1. Tangle Edge - Yatantah (Part I) (3:37)
  2. The Invisible Hands - My Skull (3:04)
  3. Гипер-Змей по имени Хлыст - Скарабей (4:28)
  4. Daniele Patucchi - Motivi Psichedelici (4:41)
  5. The Virgineers - Plasticman (4:28)
  6. James Clarke - Pop Girl (1:42)
  7. The Red Krayola - Stil de Grain Brun (2:07)
  8. Hawkwind - Opa-Loka (5:03)
  9. Wire - Marooned (2:19)
10. Psychic TV - Being Lost (3:48)
11. Kourosh Yaghmaei - Dar Enteha (4:08)
12. Van der Graaf - Cat's Eye / Yellow Fever (Running) (4:45)
13. Dina Ögon - Nirvana (4:28)
14. Bombay Groovy - Chakal (3:52)
15. Stephen Bailey - Sub Zero (3:38)
16. Perplexa - Hunt (3:31)
17. Broadcast - Forget Every Time (4:07)
18. Allah-Las - Blackberry Jam (3:01)
19. Midlake - The End (3:20)
20. Starry Eyed and Laughing - Lady Came From the South (3:41)
21. The Greg Foat Group - Time Piece 1 (Harpsichord Bugalu) (5:22)

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Aquaserge - Musique Polymorphe

 

Short bio:
Aquaserge’s resolutely polymorphous music draws from sources as diverse as original psych pop, free jazz, noise, vintage French film music, pataphysics, and the most adventurous side of ’60s/’70s rock (say, from kraut to Canterbury to cult Gallic bands such as ZNR). All absorbed and playfully transmuted to create their own unique, cinematic sound. Their tracks include instrumental excursions, intriguing harmonies, and pristine pop songs, always ready to joyfully burst at the seams.

Aquaserge formed in Toulouse in early 2005 and recorded their debut release, "Un". The "Tahiti Coco" EP was recorded later in the year, and released in 2008. Un & Deux, the band's first CD, was released in 2009. Aquaserge's next album was "Ce Très Cher Serge", released in 2010. Aquaserge then collaborated with American indie pop star/Francophile April March for a self-titled album, released in early 2013. The following year, saw the release of the abum "A l'Amitié" and 12" EP "Tout Arrive".

In 2016, Aquaserge signed to long-running Belgian experimental label Crammed Discs, releasing the "Guerre" EP and appearing on "16 Visions of Ex-Futur", an album of reworked versions of songs from Véronique Vincent and Aksak Maboul's "Ex-Futur Album". Aquaserge's first full-length on Crammed Discs was "Laisse Ça Être", released in 2017. The group's first live album, "Déjà-Vous?", followed in 2018. In 2021, the band released "The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge", which included interpretations of compositions by Edgard Varèse and Morton Feldman, as well as homages to Györgi Ligeti and Giacinto Scelsi.


Not much I can really add to the above opening paragraph about this rather special group, having only got into them around 5 years ago, after hearing their 2017 album "Laisse Ça Être". That's probably my favourite album by them, but as ever they're all worth getting, though maybe their latest is a bit more challenging..! This collection takes tracks from all their studio albums, apart from their debut, plus a couple of EPs and a couple of tracks taken from compilation albums. As ever, info containing track origin & year of release is tagged in the music files and in the download file. I hope you enjoy this latest collection.


1. La Femme de Tahiti (8:31)
2. TVCQJVD (3:49)
3. L'Ire Est au Rendez-Vous (5:38)
4. Sybarite [with April March] (3:19)
5. Les Vacances (3:39)
6. Vers le Néant (3:22)
7. Un Grand Sommeil Noir (4:23)
8. Je Viens (4:28)
9. Endormons-Nous (2:47)
10. C'est Pas Tout Mais (5:33)
11. Retrouvailles (3:03)
12. Sparklers [with April March] (2:33)
13. 1768°c (À Edgar Varèse) (6:59)
14. Les Oiseaux (2:49)
15. Si Tu T’en Vas (4:03)
16. Tout Arrive (3:10)
17. Tintin On Est Bien Mon Loulou (6:00)
18. Sillage 3 (3:49)

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My Dad Is Dead - No Turning Back (1985-1991)

 

Short bio:
Formed by drummer Mark Edwards in August 1984 after the breakup of the Cleveland band Riot Architecture, My Dad Is Dead  has remained his solo project, with occasional help from a revolving-door cast. His name for this project was a nod to both of his parents having died by the time he was 21 years old. Edwards learned to play guitar during late 1984, and played his first show the following year with a backing band consisting of a drum machine. He recorded his first LP, "...and He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore", at a friend's home studio, and released it in May 1986 on St. Valentine Records.

After a lengthy tour supporting Modern English and then the Butthole Surfers, he released "Peace, Love and Murder" in May 1987. Edwards signed a contract with Homestead Records early the following year, and released "Let's Skip the Details" in May 1988. Soon after, he added the first bandmembers to My Dad Is Dead: bassist Jeff Curtis and drummer John McEntire (later to gain fame in Tortoise). "The Best Defense", an album of material from the previous album's sessions, was released on Homestead in December 1988.

With McEntire gone on to Bastro and Curtis unwilling to tour, Edwards recruited the Prisonshake rhythm section -- Chris Burgess on bass and Scott Pickering on drums -- for a 1989 tour of Europe. The group's fifth album, a 1989 double LP titled "The Taller You Are, the Shorter You Get", was its last for Homestead. With yet another lineup (this time guitarists Tim Gilbride and Doug Gillard plus Burgess on bass), My Dad Is Dead moved to Scat Records in April 1990 for the "Shine" EP. The band's first album for Scat, "Chopping Down the Family Tree", was released in October 1991...

Click here for full bio/discography.

With almost every anthology I've compiled I can remember when/how I first heard the artist featured. With My Dad Is Dead I really have no recollection, which is peculiar. Did Manerg recommend them to me? We used to make many compilation tapes for each other in the mid/late 80s so maybe from one of those... Or did I first hear them on the excellent "Human Music" compilation released by Homestead Records in 1988? Maybe it was an impulse buy, as I believe my first purchase was 1988's "Let's Skip the Details" which was released by Homestead, one of my favourite record labels at the time..

Anyway, they were one of my most listened to bands of the late 80s, despite the rather lo-fi quality of those early releases. This collection starts with my 2nd favourite MDID song, "Baby's Got a Problem", which comes from what I consider their finest album, the aforementioned "Let's Skip the Details". My favourite song though, is "Nothing Special", which originally came out on the double album "The Taller You Are, the Shorter You Get". This song has been recorded a few times, for me the best version is the re-recording which came out on the double 7" "Shine" EP in 1990. That version is featured here. There's also an excellent version by Bastro which came out on a split 7" with MDID, in return MDID did a cover of Bastro's "Flesh-Colored House".

I kind of lost track of future MDID releases after the 1991 release "Chopping Down the Family Tree", which is why this collection only goes up to that year. I have recently managed to track down all releases by the band since then, and plan on doing a future anthology of the later years. I hope those unfamiliar with the band enjoy this collection, enough to check out their bandcamp page where you can buy most of their releases.

  1. Baby's Got a Problem (5:30)
  2. Planes Crashing (4:26)
  3. Open Wide (3:44)
  4. The Quiet Man (2:41)
  5. Gone Gonna Rise (2:45)
  6. The Last Time (2:47)
  7. Lay Down the Law (4:20)
  8. 20 Yards Deep (5:49)
  9. Hill o' Beans (4:25)
10. The Only One (4:52)
11. Time Has Come Today (7:29)
12. Waste (2:09)
13. Nothing Special (4:46)
14. Cool Rain (6:49)
15. On Holy Ground (3:12)
16. Whirlpool (4:25)
17. Babe in the Woods (3:00)
18. All My Strength (2:40)
19. Say Goodbye (3:36)

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