SOLOMON GRUNDY: Spirit of Radio 7″ (Rare RUSH cover version) + I am not the freak. Rare hard rock US single. Great RUSH cover. Merch sheet + CLEAR VINYL. Check video of the actual single for sale

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Audio (side A):


Solomon Grundy – Spirit Of Radio
Label: New Alliance Records
Catalog#: NAR 803
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Prog Rock,  Alternative Rock, Punk
Tracklist:
A Spirit Of Radio (Rush cover) 4:25
B I’m Not The Freak (Non LP song)   3:35

Bass – Jim King
Drums – Sean Hollister
Guitar – Lee McCullough
Guitar, Vocals – Van Conner

The Screaming Trees will always be defined not only by Mark Lanegan’s husky bellow, but its colossal backbone, namely brothers Gary Lee Conner and Van Conner, rounding things out on guitar and bass respectively. Circa the Trees Uncle Anesthesia album in 1990, the Conner’s produced two worthy spin off outfits.

Van Connerss baby was dubbed Solomon Grundy, ostensibly named after the brute force villain in the Legion of Doom. Vans axe-squalling, pysch-freakouts that colored many a Screaming Trees tune were also adorned on Grundy’s one and only album, unofficially known as Stone Soup and Other Stories. More hard rock than grunge, the band surged forth with sturdy, mid-tempo finesse, but as a whole, far from a classic. Alongside Stone Soup, Solomon Grundy also released a companion single, both releases coming courtesy of the SST Records offshoot label, New Alliance. Their lone single featured a rather faithful rendition of Rush’s signature hit, “Spirit of Radio,” and the non-lp, “I’m Not the Freak.” Although a Rush cover seemed ironic at best, at the time anyway, its arguably more entertaining then Van Conners original compositions. In fact, if you listen closely as the song trails off, they segue into Rushs “Limelight.” Neat. Really neat actually.

Solomon Grundy was a short-lived Seattle group featuring Van Conner on vocals and guitar that put out some pretty cool psychedelic rock in their short lifespan as a group. (Actually, the entirety of what Solomon Grundy released is this single and one full length album.) I’m not going to say that this single will kick your ass or change your life or anything, but Van Conner has mastered psychedelic music quite nicely and this single is all around pretty fun and worth a listen. This even includes a Rush cover and its cool to hear the first inklings of what VALIS will be in these songs, back when VALIS was just a twinkle in Van Conners eye. (Or, you know, something less creepy sounding.)


The original “Spirit Of Radio” by Rush:

1980’s Permanent Waves might have been the album that signalled a shift to [some] shorter based material for the band, but in album opener The Spirit Of Radio they had a bona fide gem to kick things off.  Fired on by Alex Lifeson’s crystal clear riff, the song, inspired by hometown radio station Toronto CFNY, proved a hit on radio stations around the world, introducing the band to a whole new audience unaware of their 70s predilection for sword, sorcery and sci-fi epics. It remains the band’s most successful UK single, reaching No.13 in March 1980.

Additional information

Weight 0.09 kg

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