Still In A Dream: A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-95 / 5CD box set

Eyes down for a new five-CD ‘various artists’ box set from Cherry Red Records – Still In A Dream: A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995…

Hot on the heels of shoegazers-turned-Britpoppers’ Lush releasing their Chorus box set comes this 87-song collection with classics, cult favourites, rare tracks (some on CD for the first time) charting the evolution of the so-called shoegaze sound. Still In A Dream: A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-95 features Ride, Pale Saints, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Chapterhouse, Cocteau Twins, Spiritualized, Swervedriver, Spaceman 3, Slowdive, Galaxie 500, Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips and many more (including Lush, naturally).

‘Shoegaze’ was once a term used by music journalists to denigrate lank-haired British indie guitar bands who examined their laces while playing dreamy, slightly psychedelic tunes. There was a short honeymoon period – circa 1991 – when these hacks actually adored them, only for the emergence of Grunge and Britpop to drive the curtain-haired ones underground, with heads remaining bowed in the face of unfair media ridicule.

It is only recently that the quality of the songs and their effect on successive generations of bands, in Britain and around the world, has started to be fully appreciated. Newer artists name-checked shoegaze originators as influential on their own music; a 2014 film Beautiful Noise (tag line: ‘They didn’t sell a lot of records, but everyone that heard them started a band’) highlighted some of the pioneering acts; and reunion tours by the likes of Slowdive and Ride have been well received, bringing the music to a new audience.

The five CDs are packaged in a book set, with 12,000 words of sleeve-notes by journalist Neil Taylor, band biographies and images of rare memorabilia.

Still In A Dream: A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995 is released on 29 January 2016.

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CD1

1. The Jesus & Mary Chain – Rollercoaster
2. The Cocteau Twins – Cherry-Coloured Funk
3. The House Of Love – Christine
4. A.R. Kane – Baby Milk Snatcher (12” Version)
5. Ultra Vivid Scene – Mercy Seat (12” Version)
6. Spacemen 3 – Hypnotized
7. Loop – Arc-lite (sonar)
8. 14 Iced Bears – Surfacer
9. Galaxie 500 – Tugboat
10. The Prayers – Puppet Clouds
11. Kitchens Of Distinction – The 3rd Time We Opened The Capsule
12. A.C. Marias – One Of Our Girls Has Gone Missing
13. The Telescopes – Precious Little
14. Pale Saints – Sight Of You
15. Jane From Occupied Europe – Ocean Run Dry
16. Sonic Boom – Angel

CD2

1. Ride – Drive Blind
2. Lush – De-luxe
3. See See Rider – Slip So Slow
4. Nightblooms – Crystal Eyes
5. The Darkside – Waiting For The Angels
6. Velocity Girl – I Don’t Care If You Go
7. Cranes – Inescapable
8. Chapterhouse – Falling Down
9. Whipping Boy – Switchblade Smile
10. The Boo Radleys – Kaleidoscope
11. Swervedriver – Rave Down
12. Slowdive – Slowdive
13. The Charlottes – Liar
14. Dr. Phibes & The House Of Wax Equations – Sugarblast
15. Bleach – Decadence
16. Catherine Wheel – She’s My Friend (wilde Club Version)
17. Blow-up – Somersault Sunrise
18. Bark Psychosis – All Different Things

CD3

1. Curve – Ten Little Girls
2. The Dylans – Godlike
3. Th’ Faith Healers – Gorgeous Blue Flower In My Garden
4. The Lilys – February Fourteenth
5. The Honey Smugglers – Good Afternoon
6. Spirea X – Chlorine Dream
7. Moonshake – Gravity
8. Spitfire – Translucent
9. Moose – Suzanne
10. Spiritualized – Run
11. Revolver – Heaven Sent An Angel
12. Lowlife – June Wilson
13. The Ecstasy Of Saint Theresa – Square Wave
14. Black Tambourine – By Tomorrow
15. Whipped Cream – Explosion
16. Smashing Orange – My Deranged Heart
17. The Hinnies – Gong
18. Bang Bang Machine – Geek Love (original 12” Version)

CD4

1. The Sunflowers – Closer
2. Drop – Mirrored
3. The Belltower – In Hollow
4. Sweet Jesus – Phonefreak Honey
5. Adorable – Sunshine Smile
6. Sun Dial – I Don’t Mind
7. Swallow – Sugar Your Mind
8. Drop Nineteens – Winona
9. Flaming Lips – Talkin’ ’bout The Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants To Live Forever)
10. Medicine – Aruca
11. Coaltar Of The Deepers – Charming Sister Kiss Me Dead!!
12. The Honey Buzzards – Starhappy
13. Loveliescrushing – Babysbreath
14. Majesty Crush – No. 1 Fan
15. The Swirlies – Park The Car By The Side Of The Road
16. Submarine – Chemical Tester
17. Bailter – Space Shine
18. Spectrum – True Love Will Find You In The End
19. Blind Mr. Jones – Spooky Vibes

CD5

1. An April March – Memory
2. Flying Saucer Attack – Soaring High
3. Drugstore – Alive
4. Secret Shine – Loveblind
5. Mercury Rev – Bronx Cheer
6. The Curtain Society – Chelsea
7. Seefeel – Plainsong
8. Spindrift – Surround Sound
9. Rollerskate Skinny – Miss Leader
10. Bardo Pond – Die Easy
11. Alison’s Halo – Dozen
12. Swirl – The Last Unicorn
13. Bowery Electric – Next To Nothing
14. Bethany Curve – Me Voy
15. Astrobrite – Orange Creamsickle
16. Luna – 23 Minutes In Brussels