Boston college-radio favorites Scruffy the Cat — part of the late-’80s cowpunk scene that helped spawn the alt-country movement — get their due in the coming months with both the full digital release of the band’s catalog and, on CD, the arrival of a new collection of previously unreleased live and studio material recorded between 1984 and 1990.
First up is Time Never Forgets: The Anthology (’86-’88), a 38-track set that encompasses the band’s Relativity Records output — two albums and two EPs — that will be released digitally Aug. 19 by Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings. The band’s music is currently unavailable digitally.
Then, on Sept. 16, Omnivore Recordings will release The Good Goodbye: Unreleased Recordings 1984-1990, a 23-track collection that, aside from one song issued on a 1989 split single with Young Fresh Fellows, is entirely unreleased. The music spans “the band’s origin to their final, unissued sessions,” all of which was recorded at the famed Ardent Studios in Memphis.
In a statement released by Omnivore, longtime friend, producer and engineer Pete Weiss says:
“Aside from the clever songwriting and appealing rock energy, what I find most remarkable about this collection is that none of the recordings sound dated. These guys were writing their own musical story, on their own terms. And now it can be heard.”
Sadly, the releases come less than a year after the band’s frontman, Charlie Chesterman, lost his battle with cancer. Chesterman died last November, but not before the band had gotten back together.
Scruffy the Cat reunited in the summer of 2011 for the first time in two decades to play a benefit concert to raise money for the cancer-stricken Chesterman; those shows saw the singer/guitarist reunite with Scruffy bandmates Stephen Fredette (guitar), Burns Stanfield (piano) and Randall Lee Gibson (drums).
The band was set to play two more shows in October of that year, this time with banjo player Stona Fitch, but they were canceled.
Between 1987 and 1989, Scruffy the Cat released two albums and two EPs and received college-radio and even some MTV airplay with its single “My Baby, She’s Alright.”
Below, check out the tracklists for the new releases, and watch a video trailer for The Good Goodbye.
Tracklist: Scruffy the Cat, The Good Goodbye: Unreleased Recordings 1984-1990
1. “Big Fat Monkey’s Hat”
2. “The Burning Cross”
3. “Everything”
4. “The Ghost Song”
5. “Lover’s Day” (Live)
6. “Happiness To Go” (Live)
7. “Oldest Fire in the World” (Live)
8. “Tiger Tiger” (Live)
9. “Lost Highway” (Live)
10. “Tonight” (Live)
11. “Shadow Boy” (Live)
12. “Slow Down” (Live)
13. “Momma Killed Hate” (Live) 1
4. “Well Alright” (Live)
15. “Red Light” (Live)
16. “I Like the Way You Dance” (Live)
17. “The Doctor Song” (Live)
18. “Sweet News”
19. “I Knew That You Would”
20. “Love Song #9”
21. “Hope”
22. “Porch Flambe”
23. “The Good Goodbye”
* All previously unissued except track 20
Tracklist: Scruffy the Cat, Time Never Forgets: The Anthology (’86-’88)
High Octane Revival EP (1986)
1. 40 Days & 40 Nights
2. Land Of 1000 Girls
3. Life Is Fun
4. Tiger, Tiger
5. Buy A Car
6. Happiness To Go!
Tiny Days (1987)
7. Mybabyshe’sallright
8. Shadow Boy
9. Upside Down
10. Time Never Forgets
11. Thomas Doubter
12. Never, Never
13. Hello Angel
14. Momma Killed Hate
15. When Your Ship Comes In
16. My Fate Was Sealed With A Kiss
17. Tiny Days
Boom Boom Boom Bingo EP (1987)
18. You Dirty Rat
19. Blue Russian
20. Shadow Boy (Live)
21. Runaway (Live)
22. Happiness To Go! (Live)
Moons Of Jupiter (1988)
23. Capital Moonlight
24. Bus Named Desire
25. Betty Drops In
26. I Do
27. Beg, Borrow And Steal
28. Nova SS 1968
29. Kissing Galaxy
30. Bucknaked
31. Moons Of Jupiter
32. Love So Amazing
33. Places
34. One Bad Apple
35. Just Like Cathy’s Clown
36. Everything
37. 2Day 2Morrow 4Ever
38. Keith’s Lament
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Charlie Chesterman, frontman of Scruffy the Cat, loses battle with cancer
- Scruffy the Cat cancels reunion concerts
- Scruffy the Cat reunites after 20 years, will play two Boston concerts in October
Why thank you very much!