Galaxie 500 - Uncollected (Rykodisc, 2004)

Galaxie 500
Uncollected
Rykodisc
2004

Rating: 8 classic cars out of 10

Galaxie 500 is the name of one of my favorite cars of all time, and I will own one someday even if my old lady won’t let me fly out to Montana to purchase one off of the internet and then drive it back here to SF…but that is neither here nor there. Like the car, though, the band called Galaxie 500 are one of the most under-appreciated bands of the late eighties, and one of the best bands to come out of Boston outside of the Pixies. Their mellow, minimalist, wistful-pop sound proved to be a great influence on any number of bands, from Codeine to Low to Yo La Tengo and beyond.

This release, Uncollected, is a group of random b-sides, covers and rarities otherwise only available if you bought the box set the band released a while back; apparently demand was so great that the label saw fit to just release this portion for those folks who already had all of their other material and only needed these songs to round out their collection. Although lacking in the continuity you get from a proper album, the material here is just as strong as anything else they have put out; particularly good is their cover of the Young Marble Giant’s “Final Day” (yet another group that has never received their due). There are also Beatles and Jonathan Richman tracks on there to go with many great songs that most bands would be happy to have as their A-sides. This disc is obviously a welcome addition for fans who haven’t already bought the box set, but it also works as a great starting point for this wonderful band, who finally seem to be getting at least a little of the respect they deserve.