Throwing Muses - Anthology (4AD)

Forget about this being a “greatest hits” collection, because if you do, you will be sorely disappointed, as there are absolutely no “hits” to be found here—not that they had them anyway. There’s no “Dizzy”—a song utterly despised by Hersh, but was a minor radio hit, and a “go write a single” experiment requested by the label. There’s no “Counting Backwards,” another endearing number that also served as a single. The charming “Ruthie’s Knocking” is nowhere to be found.

Even more upsetting, though, is the realization that no Tanya Donelly songs appear here. None. No “Reel.” No “Green.” No “Angel.” No “Not Too Soon.” No “River.” No “Dragonhead.” No “Honeychain.”

And that’s a shame, because her numbers shined—especially her last song, “Not Too Soon,” which found her growing comfortably into her own style. So strong was her ability that she left the Muses to pursue in her band, Belly. Sure, she’s all over the early tracks, and the band really was more about Hersh, but still, Tanya’s role in the Muses deserves mention. (See what I did there?)

But that’s about the only quibble one can have with Anthology. Throwing Muses had a pretty good run over the past 25 years (Wait—two and a half decades? Sheesh!) and have released some great music. Their self-titled debut was a shock to my teenage years when first I heard them, as was follow-up House Tornado. Both records were scary, with off-kilter arrangements, utterly bizarre lyrics, and singing that was disturbingly charming. Songs like “Vicky’s Box,” “Hate My Way,” “Marriage Tree” and “Colder”—well, they’re scary! The next two albums, Hunkpapa and The Real Ramona, found the band polishing away the weirdness, for a cleaner, more “mainstream,” alternative-rock sound. The peak of the band’s powers was The Real Ramona, released in 1991, with the band’s performance and compositional skill at a mastery level. It was a minor hit, as was the catchy (and absent) “Not Too Soon,” which showed that li’l sister was a formidable songwriter of her own. This would soon manifest with her leaving the band, to form her own group, Belly, whose debut album, Star, was a George Harrison-like vault-clearing of songs written during the Muses’ era but not used. Also gone for the album was founding bassist Leslie Langston.

Personally, it felt like the band didn’t quite recover from the shake-up. Red Heaven was raw, more punk-rock in nature, and yet felt like it was—a band in transition. University found the band with a new bass player, Bernard Georges, and another minor hit, “Bright Yellow Gun.” Hersh had, by this time, started a second career as a solo artist, with 1994’s Hips and Makers, and when the Throwing Muses split after Limbo, it really wasn’t that surprising. It had been a great run, and Limbo was a great, upbeat record, with Hersh and company finding their bearing. Their 2003 return, Throwing Muses, was an out-of-nowhere return to form—just listen to the utterly scorching “Pretty or Not” to see why it was a worthwhile endeavor—with a rawness and an abrasiveness that was quite fitting of the debut album it shared its name with.

For the initiated, though, the first disc is a confirmation about why Hersh is amazing. Old fans and newbies alike will appreciate the second disc of Anthology—which, along with the gorgeous artwork of the book that comes with the set, makes this a worthwhile purchase. Though they were the children of the college-rock scene, they didn’t release that many singles, but when they did, for the flipsides they always had some great material, whether it be a cover, a remix, or a completely unreleased song. (Dig that cover of “Cry Baby Cry!” And “Same Sun” is a great dusty southwestern-style psych-rocker, a la Meat Puppets or Howe Gelb.

Interestingly, the majority of the second discs’ b-sides come from the albums least represented on the first disc, Red Heaven, University, and Limbo. Red Heaven‘s transitional nature is perhaps why most of said b-sides are covers, ranging from Jimi Hendrix and The Velvet Underground to The Volcano Suns, but the originals like “City of the Dead” and “Handsome Woman” aren’t toss-away numbers; they stand as some of her finest compositions. For the Limbo singles, the B-sides are reworks/works-in-progress of album tracks—B-sides at the time, but a common practice she now utilizes with her CASH music program, to the delight of her audience. It’s also nice to hear the song “A Matter of Degrees”—an early version of “Backroad,” that was the theme song to the movie of the same name. (That soundtrack has some great stuff on it, by the way—well worth seeking out!)

Okay, so there’s not much Tanya, other than the occasional backing vocal here or there. But that’s okay—after all, ten years ago, Tanya had her equally essential greatest hits record, and there was no Kristin on that one, so I guess it’s fair. And that little quibble aside, I can’t find any other fault with Anthology. You want to know the Throwing Muses? Get this record. Then go and download “Not Too Soon.” You won’t be disappointed.