(1) Jar of Sand :

Taken from 1990's 'Sewn To The Sky'. One fuck of a song from one fuck of an album. Many early Smog albums were recorded on four track, and this song makes full use of the dodgy limits of such recording equipment. I included this song first because I'd been listening to Neath The Puke Tree, which included a new version of it. At the time Neath The Puke Tree came out it seemed like Smog might be making a return to his earlier style of song writing. I'll go into that later.

(2) Evil Tyrant:

From 1992's epic "Forgotten Foundation" album, featuring the classic line "He knew that raping her was not the best way to impress her", which succeeds in being both wrong and funny at the same time. This song is, over all, pretty basic, with some tapping and a roughly sung narrative that sounds a little like a children's story book.

(3) The Weight Lifter, (4) Peach Pit and (5) I Want To Tell You About A Man

These songs seemed to be the best examples of 'Sewn To The Sky'. All of them being weird low fi. Although, looking back on it, I sort of wished I'd put "Puritan Work Ethic" on here as well. The "Weight Lifter" is one of my favourite Smog songs. It seems kind of thought provoking but in reality I don't think it is. Notable line: "His car is red, he's saving for a water bed, oh what a love nest that will be". Peach Pit is based around a blues riff and features an early example of weird sex metaphors, although they're focused around a peach rather than a horse. "I Want To Tell You About A Man" is a possibly satirical song for the bible belt.

As an album I think Sewn To The Sky is one of the best Smog releases, along side Dongs, Red Apple Falls, and maybe Wild Love and Doctor Came At Dawn. All the songs sort of go together and it feels like you're listening to an album, rather than a collection of songs. In comparison his next two efforts, although packing the hits, were far more disjointed.

(6) I Am Star Wars Today

From the hit parade of Julius Caesar. Infact this is probably the hit off of that album. I like the way that the clicking of the sampler looping actually plays a part in the beat of this song. It's impossible to listen to this song and not feel cheery. JC was the second Smog album I got, and after the melodrama of Red Apple Falls. Compared to minimilist guitar plucking of that album songs like this really helped put me in a good mood.

(7) Bad Ideas For Country Songs 2 and (8) Dead River

I'm not really sure why I put either of these songs on here, except that Bad Ideas For Country Songs is a good example of Smog being sexist and weird in what I'd be inclinded to think, given some of his other lyrics, is an ironic way ("I need a strong drink on a weeknight, I need a weak girl that won't put up a fight") and Dead River is all solo. These songs are a reasonable example of what Forgotten Foundation was about. They're short, pretty basic and low fi. They sound like Smog's got a better four track and figured out how to get the best out of it.

(9) Connections

From Julius Caesar. I included this song both cause I like it and because I was going through my "Fuckin' Indie Rock Scenesters" phase. I enjoy the "Awooo bop! Awooo bop!" bit the most.

(10) A Hit

Taken from the A Hit 7", one of a number of Smog rarities I got through Jon Dale. From memory I got it just before I was about to go away to Burra for a couple of days and didn't listen to it until I got back. When I went away I'd been under the impression that my Smog interest was waning, although I'd taped off Wild Love to listen to on the drive. Then when I got back I listened to this record and thought it ruled. Which made me realise I was just as much of a Smog nerd as ever.

(11) Guitar Innovator

From Forgotten Foundation. This song is pretty much just Bill screaming "I Am A Guitar Innovator!" for a minute and a half, and shit I love it. I first heard it after I'd been recording a whole bunch of similar stuff. This is, to date, the only Smog song I've ever covered, although I don't think either of my band mates were aware of it at the time. I haiku about the event is readable in my collection of haikus about Hardy Coxon shows.

(12) What Kind of Angel

The least cheerful song from Julius Caeser, and it's still pretty funny, in the same way it's funny listening to bitter old men blame all their problems on something. There seem to be a lot of bitter Smog songs, often about getting dumped by floozeys, and they all seem to rock. I like the mishapen solos that take place during this song.

(13)Stalled On The Tracks

Another Julius Caeser song. I probably should have put "When The Power Goes Out" on instead, but this is another fine example of a limited number of lines and a limited number of chords making up a pretty neat song.

(14) Not Lonely Anymore

From the Burning Kingdom EP. Initially I didn't take to this EP all that much, but on repeated listening it turned up some hidden gems. I like this song mostly for the line "I'm not lonely anymore, now that I've realised I've got two legs not four". This always reminds me of how when I was a little kid I'd always prefer to be playing with my dog than with other kids. I don't know how that's relevant, but I'm sure it is.

(15) Your Wedding

From Julius Caeser. Asides from it being another example of Bill being bitter, and a generally good song, I don't recall any particular reason why I included this song. I guess it kind of goes well with Not Lonely Anymore.

(16) Chosen One

Back when I was more lovelorn this was one of my favourite songs, although I must admit that I came to appreciate it through the more traditional country version on the single for Cold Blooded Old Times than from this version. Although I've probably listened to this version more times and it seems kind of more earnest and heartfelt than the later version.

The Flaming Lips did a cover of this song, which is on one of the EP's or singles or something and sounds pretty close to the original. They evidentally recorded it live, cause they talk about how they saw him play to about four people. Apparently he'd started touring with a band and by the end of the tour most of them had dropped out, but how he still ruled.

(17) Prince Alone In the Studio

The first of the Wild Love songs to go on this tape. Oh man. This song fuckin' rules. With it's long drawn out intro's and cellos playing the same chords in repetition, and those lengthy drum and cymbal goings on. Fuckin' sweet shit. I read in an interview that he wrote this during a moment of affinity with Prince, of whom I assume he's a big fan. It is a bit of an anthem for those of us that have spent many a long, lonely night at home with our instruments making up for our lacklustre social lives.

Side Two Tape One

(18) Bathysphere

This seems to be a long running Smog hit. He was playing it live when I saw him in late '99. And with good reason. This song fuckin' rules. Covered by Cat Power, but that version doesn't rock as much as the original. I think it's the drum beat that does it. And possibly the "Uh. Uh uh.Uh. Uh Uh" vocals. Wild Love was, as an album, the end of the Cindy Dall era of Smog and markes a decided change from his earlier, low fi years. There's an increase in more orchestral, complex arrangements, but behind it there's often the same fairly simple songs.

(19) Spanish Moss

From the Hausmusic 7" that came out in 95 or 96 or so? Engineered by Jim O'Rourke, and you can tell cause it sounds like something from Red Apple Falls almost. This seven inch is pretty damn good, even if it does only have two songs. Certainly a goodun' for both the fan of Smog's later, more Alt Country style songs as well as those who prefer the Cindy Dall and earlier era stuff. I picked this up in Big Star, which is kind of strange seeing it seems tobe fairly hard to obtain.

(19) My Shell

This is one of my all time favourite Smog songs. It's also a good example of a Cindy Dall era song. It's got the kind of long, drawn out intro you'd expect from a Wild Love song, and all the cellos and so forth, but it's still only got about three chords, and one of them only appears two or three times during the change to the bridge. Bitchin' drum part as well.

(20)Limited Capacity

From Wild Love, best beloved for featuring the line "I painted myself into a corner again, cause I didn't like the colour of my floors".

(21) Somewhere in the night

The first Doctor Comes At Dawn song on this tape. That's really a later period Smog album, but songs like this have a sort of earlier era feeling. Geeze, that was about the wankiest thing I've said all day. I like the line "While searching the asides and the b sides". Fuckin' classy shit.

(22) When You Walk

From Julius Caesar. Presumably linked to the albums inner cover art, which reads "When You Walked Out it was no parade, with bears drinking too much, fish calling suicide hotline and monkeys eating when they're not hungry. I think I remember reading that just before I purchased this album, and it being one of the deciding factors in my decision to purchase it over the other albums I could have got that day.

I think my initial reaction to Julius Caesar was somewhat reserved. It took me a few weeks to really start to enjoy it. But I do remember after the first listen thinking something about how I should buy more Smog albums cause I'd got the feeling that the more I listened to the more I liked. I think I got Doctor Came At Dawn next, which I purchased as soon as I had some spare dosh.

(23) Whistling Teapot (rag)

Another Doctor Came At Dawn song that sounds like something from an earlier era. I really like this song. Lord knows why. This album was an interesting progression after Wild Love. Instead of going more orchestral, or making a return to the low fi of earlier albums, he went all acoustic with not much else. This is probably the most basic Smog album, but it works pretty well. It does kind of sound like the sort of album you'd expect before Red Apple Falls. Cause Red Apple Falls is also pretty much just him and his guitar, but it's a lot more polished and electric guitar rather than so acoustic based. Hmm. I think there's something in that little observation for all of us.

(24) It's Rough

Another Smog classic, from Wild Love. This song could probably have gone on Doctor Comes At Dawn. Come to think of it, this probably could have gone on Dongs with a few minor changes. I've often wondered whether he really does have a friend with a glass eye. If I was making a tape of all the self absorbed, depressing Smog songs this would get a shoe in for sure.

(25) Everything You Touch Becomes A Crutch

From Doctor Came At Dawn. I like this song a lot, cause it's kind of lively and bitter. I especially like the line "She goes with other men, me I beat myself to sleep", which I used to listen to a while back when it described my love life to some fairly small degree.

(26) Came Blue

From the Hausmusic 7". Man what a corker this is. Organ driven and showing the typical Smog flair for making a lot with very little. This 7" is damn fine and I recommend it for especially those Smog fans who really liked Red Apple Falls.

(27) You Moved In

The opening track from Doctor Came At Dawn and a clear indication that the the Cindy Dall era is over. Just note that I am infact wanky to discuss this band using terms like "Pre Cindy Dall" and "Post Cindy Dall" which is pretty pathetic. I'd also like to draw attention to how the last three songs on this tape completed my progression from the pre Cindy to the Cindy era to the post Cindy era. Leaving the next tape clear to deal with the post Cindy and what I could, if I wanted to be more wanky and analytical (and I do), refer to as the New Smog. Ha.

(28) Spread Your Bloody Wings.

I like the last line of this song, "The most beautiful thing you've ever seen spits bile in your eye", and because it spends a lot of time talking about ship wrecks.

Tape 2 Side One

This tape is all the later era Smog stuff. Looking at it now I'm noting that there's a lot fewer songs, cause Smog seemed to start writing much longer songs, especially after Red Apple Falls. Anyhoo.

(29) Your New Friend

From the Kicking A Couple Around EP, one of three Smog records that I used to listen to on a borrowed stereo with a three CD changer thing. I'd put this, Doctor Came At Dawn and Red Apple Falls all in together and listen to them as I was falling asleep. I'd generally fall asleep during the first half hour, leaving me open to over an hour of subliminal Smog messaging. I started getting really, really miserable and physically ill and having these massive relapses. Then my best friend told me I should stop listening to so much fuckin' Smog, and I listened to other things when I was going to sleep and, oddly enough, started feeling much better.

This release was recorded during a live to air prior to Doctor Came At Dawn, but it sounds more like something recorded prior to Red Apple Falls, cause it's a lot less angry and a lot kind of cleaner and smoother. I think it also features the patented method of putting a tamborine on the ground and taping a foot next to it to make for added percussion, which I saw Bill employ when he played in Big Star basement back in, oh, 1998.

(30) Blood Red Bird

One of Red Apple Falls run away hits. It's only got three chords, but what a fuckin' humdinger of a tune.

(31) Chosen One

The version of one of my favourite Smog songs that made me actually notice it, cause I was going through a bit of a country phase back then. Piano and drums make it a laugh riot. This is taken from the Cold Blooded Old Times single, which includes a similar treatment of I Break Horses, as well as a live, more Doctor Comes At Dawn treatment of Cold Blooded Old Times.

(32) Red Apple Falls

The title song from the album of the same name. When I first listened to this album, after I'd broken up with my girlfriend and was coming out of therapy remember, this song was generally the point of the album where I'd start feeling really rotten. I remember once I was listening to it and had to stop cause I was getting violently physically ill. Geeze I was an idiot. I think after that I listened to Man or Astroman? and laughed at what an angsty little bundle of anxiety disorder I was.

(33) Let's Move To The Country

From Knock Knock. When I was making this tape I had some trouble making the transition from the depressing as all fuck Red Apple Falls and the much happer Knock Knock. This seemed like a good mix between the two. In general I'm not as big a fan of Knock Knock. It's got some of my favourite songs on it, and I recommend it for the first time Smog listener. But I don't think it has the same complete album feel to it as Red Apple Falls, Dongs or Sewn To The Sky.

(34) The Morning Paper

The opener from Red Apple Falls, and one of my favourite Smog songs. I remember seeing him do this live in 98 and doing the trumpet parts vocally. I think he did it in 2000 and changed it from "All bad news on every page" to "all good news on every page". Either way it rules. Tip top song, and it's one of the more upbeat songs from this album.

(35) Hit The Ground Running

One of the hits from Knock Knock. I think it even got air play on JJJ. One hell of a song, complete children's choir. One of the happiest Smog songs since Julius Caesar.

(36) I Was A Stranger

From Red Apple Falls. I think this song is one of the primary reasons why people think Smog is an alt country band. It's still a great song. When it was done live in the 2000 tour Charlie Ganza didn't use a slide, instead opting for some sort of weird pedal, which you can hear on the Neath The Puke tree version of this song.

(37) Finer Days

The closing track from Red Apple Falls, and another one of my favourites, from that album at least.

Tape Two: Side 2

(38) A Jar Of Sand

From the Neath The Puke Tree Australian tour release. I saw him on that tour. Like I said before, when I first listened to this EP it really reminded me of earlier Smog records, especially when I listened to The Manta Rays of Time. Listening to Coacheecayoo (which I saw him play live), it really sounds like a much older Smog, with a voice that's broken, doing something really similar in song writing style, if not in recording or arrangement style, to his earlier stuff.

Incidentally the front cover photo must have been taken as he trapsed around the country with Papa M. I saw another photo somewhere, probably the Spunk records website, where he was at the same location, wearing the same bitchin' hat, and next to Dave Pajo.

(39) Justice Aversion

Oh man, I freakin' love this song. The opening track to Dongs of Sevotion. Contrary to what I said before, if anything this sounds more like the Wild Love era smog. I guess this would be where I'd start my wanky New Smog era. I really like Dongs of Sevotion and I'd rank it as one of the better albums.

(40) Real Live Dress

From Manta Rays of Time. Another example of Smog making a return to his low fi roots after Knock Knock. It includes lyrics from what I'm told is a Sir Mixalot song, Baby Got Back.

(41)No Dancing

Child Choir and all. From Knock Knock. I remember this song getting a lot of JJJ air play, and someone was telling me a while ago that they're still playing. Apparently they're also still playing stuff from the first Weezer album. Weird.

(42) Coacheecayoo

From Neath The Puke Tree. I can't remember why I put this on. It sounds really quite folky really.

(43) Distance

From Dongs. One of my all time favourite Smog songs, as well as one of a number of much longer, more arranged and, hell, almost conventional songs from that album.

(44) Permanent Smile

The final song from Dongs, with a big echoey drum beat. Devoted entirely to being dead and having your skin eaten by bugs. Very cycle of life, which I remember reading was one of the themes of this album. I really didn't put enough Dongs songs on this tape. I guess eventually I'll get bored and make a follow up tape which will include more. Although I guess one Dongs song goes for as long as three songs from one of the other albums anyway.

(45) Orion Obscured By Stars and (46) Pure Sunshine

I don't really recall why I chose to end on these two songs. I think I thought the tape was about to run out. So I picked Orion cause it seemed like it went nicely after Permanent Smile or something, and then Pure Sunshine cause I figured there wasn't much tape left and that song is the same the whole way through so it wouldn't matter if it cut out. Which it did, after about ten seconds. Orion Obscured By Stars is from the Neath The Puke Tree EP, and Pure Sunshine is from Manta Rays Of Time.

And that's it. I can't believe I was not only nerdy enough to make a Smog retrospective, but that I was then nerdy enough to go on and write so much about it. What a fuckin' wussy boy. I guess I may as well go the whole hog and write about some of the notable ommissions.

Obviously there's nothing from Rain On Lens. I must admitt that I'm not the world's biggest fan of Rain On Lens. Musically Dongs kicks it's arse, and lyrically it's not his best effort. There's a lot less subtle, weird humour. But the songs I would probably have put on would have been:

Rain On Lens: Short and sweet, but I still really like it.

Recanchism: This song kind of reminds me of something from, I dunno, the Burning Kingdom EP.

Song or maybe Natural Decline: Cause they kind of remind me of Dongs.

Short Drive: The lyrics aren't all that hot at points, but it's kind of boppy and I get it stuck in my head.

Asides from that I wish I'd included Your Face, from the What's Up Drag City compilation. I forgot about this at the time, and immediately after finishing the tape remembered it and wished I'd included it. It sounds like something from Doctor Came At Dawn, with weird sexual lyrics to boot.

There's been a couple of releases I've obtained since that I wish I'd put on. Those are Summer Song from the Sundowner's 7" Smog did. This song has a big drum beat, not a lot of lyrics and is generally a bit of a dance hit.

I also would have put The Girl On The Billboard from the Dragcity Supersession, cause that rules. Thanks again to Jon Dale for burning me a copy of this release, as well as getting me a whole bunch of Smog 7"'s.