Seaweed - S/T LP - Blue Vinyl

Seaweed - S/T LP - Blue Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Tupelo (1990)

Seaweed Friday is back, for our last week for a while I imagine. This record represents the very last Seaweed piece of vinyl that I needed. I only wish it had arrived in time for last week so there wouldn't have been a week gap between Seaweed posts. What started out by picking up a record on a lark to give the band another chance turned into rediscovering one of the great bands of the 90s that I had previously written off for reasons I sure don't understand at this point. I now have a copy of every one of the band's records. There's a couple of compilation 7"s I want to pick up and I'll probably grab a few variants here and there, but the basic core of the collection is complete, and that's a good feeling.

Musically, this is a 7" compilation, so I have the songs already. It's the early days of Seaweed when the band showed a lot of promise, but was not releasing anything close to as exciting as what they achieved on Weak and Four. Still, it is nice to listen to everything all at once on an LP. Thanks for following along while I amassed this collection. I wounder who the next band will be. Any suggestions?

Seaweed - Deertrap:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlmkZrFUYgE

Seaweed - Patchwork:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJr2A6IjBSs

Seaweed - Free Drug Zone 7" - Green Vinyl

Seaweed - Free Drug Zone 7" - Green Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Hollywood (1995)

This is really just a collection filler type of record. Neat artwork, colored vinyl and it was a promo only UK only release. So the collectability aspect is high. Music wise, it's nothing special. 1 song from Spanaway and a live version of Losing Skin. Again,, for completists only.

This may possibly be the last Seaweed Friday for a bit. I have managed to pick up most of their records at this point. There are a few things left, including a compilation 7" or 2 and some 12" versions of 7"s I already have, but I don't have any of these on order at the moment. I guess we'll see what happens between now and next Friday, but it's been a good ride so far.

Seaweed - Free Drug Zone:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQ0gcBrcxc

Seaweed - Despised 12"

Seaweed - Despised 12", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Sub Pop (1991)

It's Friday, so time for another Seaweed record. I am rapidly running out of these. I have 1 more on order, I hope it shows up before next Friday. Aside from Variants, the collection is almost complete. Despised, to me, is a bridge between the darker sound of Seaweed's first singles and the sound they would start perfecting on their album Weak.

While most of this EPs songs do still have moments where the band is reveling in a dark, sludgy vibe, the band is also starting to work in some more pop structures into their songs. To me, this band became incredible on their album Weak, and the songs they released prior to that are all just building to the moment where the band truly comes into their own.

Seaweed - Selfish:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuyW6ifpbFk

Seaweed - Sit In Glass:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tZUjvsPhGs&feature=relmfu

Seaweed - Just A Smirk 7" - Yellow Vinyl

Seaweed - Just A Smirk 7" - Yellow Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Leopard Gecko (1990)

This is the 2nd Seaweed 7" and I have a similar opinion of it as I do their 1st 7". It's good, but you can tell the band was still finding their way. The hooks are still developing and the overall sound is a bit darker than it would eventually become. Pretty pleased that I managed to score a copy of yellow vinyl for cheap, from what I've seen it appears to be the rarest version of this 7". Thanks for reading another Seaweed Friday post. I'm quickly running out of Seaweed records to buy, but should be able to keep it up for a few more weeks.

Seaweed - Just A Smirk:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=muVQMq1HpgM

Seaweed - Go Your Own Way 7" - Grey Vinyl

Seaweed - Go Your Own Way 7" - Grey Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Sub Pop (1993)

Welcome to another fun filled and information packed Seaweed Friday here at I Buy Way Too Many Records Dot Com. This time out, we've got a Sub Pop Single with 2 cover songs and a remixed version of the opening track from the Seaweed album four. We'll start with the remix, it's not a remix with dope beats thrown down over the song, but it's basically just a cleaned up version of the song Losing Skin. Great song, but I prefer the noisier album version. Then there's She Cracked a Jonathan Richman cover. It's OK actually, nothing bad to say about that.

But then we have Go Your Own Way. I hate this song so much. For a while at my job, I would have to call this one vendor over and over again all day long. Their hold music consisted of 3 songs. Truckin' by Grateful Dead, Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel and Go Your Own Way. I didn't like that song to begin with, but after having to listen to it over and over again everyday, I'm convinced that there's no greater torture in the world. Seaweed's version is what it is. I probably can't judge it fairly as I hate the original so much. It's another 7" to add to the collection, but probably not one I'll listen to very often.

Seaweed - Go Your Own Way:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lna5ZKbZUqU

Seaweed - Actions & Indications LP

Seaweed - Actions & Indications LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Merge (1999)

Seaweed Friday! The collection is filling out, but I only have 1 more 7" on order. I need to hunt down the other ones so I can keep this up. I don't know if anyone other than me is interested in a new Seaweed record every Friday. I guess they're old hat for a lot of folks, but for me it's an exciting new record every time out.

As I was digging up more information about Seaweed I came across a common opinion; Actions & Indications isn't a very good album. Well, I've now had the chance to listen myself and I can say I have no idea what these people are talking about. Is it as good as their record four? No, but how many records are? Actions & Indications is another great Seaweed album. I suppose it's a bit less aggressive than their earliest material, but it still manages to balance a nice amount of melody and intensity. In particular the first song, Antilyrical, is as strong as anything else they ever did.

I don't get the response to this record from the masses. I think it's a great album and it makes me want to complete my Seaweed collection even more.

Seaweed - Antilyrical (Live):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsYdu3GkX4c

Seaweed - Against The Sky:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IgA3-up-t4

Seaweed - Hard Times:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCp4O5-eJV4

Seaweed - Inside 7"

Seaweed - Inside 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Leopard Gecko (1989)

It's Seaweed Friday again, and this time I've got a really old 7" of theirs. Popular consensus on the internet is that this 7" came out in 1989. However, on the liner notes it says that the songs were recorded in November of '89, so I find it difficult to believe that a small indie in the late 80s would be able to get these records back from a pressing plant before Christmas. I would wager this actually came out in 1990.

Regardless, this 7" shows the band as true youngsters. You can see their style starting to take shape, but there's a really raw, kind of exciting vibe that runs throughout. It's certainly not as poppy as the band would later become, but there are some good songs here.

Seaweed - Stargirl:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml8NA8hgxhw

Seaweed - Measure 7" - Orange Vinyl

Seaweed - Measure 7" - Orange Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Sub Pop (1993)

Welcome back to Seaweed Friday here at ibuywaytoomanyrecords.com. Another great single from this band that I overlooked for way too long. The A-Side, Measure, is particularly great on this single. I'm always impressed how this band manages to wrangle the hooks into their songs, they always come out of nowhere, but always make perfect sense within the context of the song. I better get picking up some more of the band's singles, I may run out of new Seaweed records in a couple of Fridays.

Seaweed - Measure:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=haEnZBkykV4

Seaweed - Bill 7" - Green Vinyl

Seaweed - Bill 7" - Green Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Sub Pop (1992)

Maybe we'll have Seaweed Friday for the next couple of weeks to show off the Seaweed 7"s I'm hunting down. I'm still uncertain if I'm going to pick up all of the variants for all of the 7"s or if I will be satisfied with one of each. We'll cross that bridge once I have tracked down one of each I guess.

The A-Side on this 7", Bill, is also on the LP Weak and it's a hell of a song. On the B-Side we've got Pumpkin which is a Wwax cover (Wwax = pre-Superchunk). To me, that one seems to be poppier than most Seaweed originals, but the vocals do still lend a certain gravitas to the song.

Seaweed - Bill:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3NGPpii-BY

Seaweed - Deertrap 7"

Seaweed - Deertrap 7", a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

K (1990)

As threatened, I am starting to pick up Seaweed 7"s as I find them cheap. I am committed to getting a full collection of all of Seaweed's records since I recently discovered I was missing out on a really fantastic band. This was a purchase from Discogs, and I actually got a few other Seaweed 7"s from the same guy, so there will be more coming soon. Deertrap is a great song with a fast catchy verse and a really powerful, almost sinister, breakdown for the chorus. The flip side Carousel isn't quite as good, but Seaweed is a band that I'm quickly learning does not often disappoint.

Seaweed - Deertrap:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sw6gyKmyrI

Seaweed - Weak LP - Green Vinyl

Seaweed - Weak LP - Green Vinyl, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

Sub Pop (1992)

I managed to pick up another Seaweed album at a very good price on eBay ($15) so I'm slowly building up the collection. The only full length I need is Actions & Indications, though the consensus seems to be that that record is their weakest. I guess we'll see once I finally grab it. After that it's time to start tracking down 7"s.

Weak is another fantastic Seaweed record and another total slap in the face since I slept on this band for nearly 20 years. I still can't figure out how I missed them in my youth. While I don't think this record is quite as strong as their album four, don't take that as a slight to this record. Think of it as further validation to how amazing four is.

Seaweed - Squint:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2yqujzUJfQ

Seaweed - Taxing:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEM6UQa0niw

Seaweed - Four LP

Seaweed - Four LP, a photo by Tim PopKid on Flickr.

A couple of months ago I was talking about how I was revisiting a few bands from the 90s that didn't do it for me at the time. The thought was that as I have gotten older, my taste in music has matured a bit. Well, I picked up Spanaway by Seaweed (on kick ass green vinyl - www.ibuywaytoomanyrecords.com/2011/12/seaweed-spanaway-li...) and enjoyed it. I wasn't blown out of the water, but I thought it was a pretty good record and made a mental note to keep my eyes open for other Seaweed records. I happened across Four at a good price, so I grabbed it.

I can say without question, I dropped the ball on this band. Four is outstanding. Huge thick guitars. Impassioned vocals. Surprisingly big hooks. What a record. Maybe a bit heavier than I typically like my bands, but this record is still perfect in every sense of the word. My eyes are wide open now, and my quest to pick up more Seaweed records will be pursued with much more vigor going forward.

Seaweed - Losing Skin:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2DTvKGZXaM

Seaweed - Oversight:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgwz-AuCGr8

Seaweed - Service Deck 7" - Green Vinyl

Seaweed back together and putting our a new 7". As anyone who follows me knows, I'm really new to the Seaweed party. I recently picked up Spanaway and enjoy it quite a bit, but this 7" makes only the 2nd Seaweed record in my collection. Both songs are good, I think. I couldn't tell you how well it compares to their golden era recording, but to me it doesn't sound too dissimilar from the songs on Spanaway. The artwork is great too, it's diecut around the train on the cover, that folds down. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for more Seaweed records, so far I like what i hear.

Seaweed - Spanaway - Lime Green Vinyl

I didn't pay much attention to Seaweed when they were around. There was so
much great music back then and they just didn't grab me. Recently I decided
to give them another shot, and in my opinion, if you're going to buy a
record, you need to buy the most awesome version of it. Oh, and as it turns
out, Seaweed are way better than I remember. Might have to start looking for
more of their vinyl.