Various - Why Do You Think They Call it Pop? (1994)

With it's lovingly whacked out cover art, this Pop Narcotic double 10" comp hit turntables in 1994. The Boston based Pop Narcotic label went as quickly as it came, but not before dispensing records from Versus, The Dambuilders, Small Factory, and most notably the Why Do You Think They Call it Pop? compilation that this post concerns. It's my assumption that the record's title is a play on the once ubiquitous catch-phrase "why do you think they call it dope?" but I digress. All of the aforementioned, and ten more lucky hopefuls, are immortalized on yummy strawberry and banana 10"s of wax, which strangely turned out to be a very representative snapshot of indie music at the time.
The results are about as mixed as they come but the creme de la creme disproportionately populate the first slab, filled with ringing roughewn pop gems from Small Factory, Sleepyhead, and the sensory-overloading guitar sprawl of Monsterland, whom I will dedicate to future posts. The Dambuilders do their best Polvo imitation on "Pennsylvania," apparently oblivious to the fact that Polvo themselves are on the flipside of the disk!

Side three offers a female-fronted trifecta: Helium, Ruby Falls, and Twig. The last side rounds things out with some lesser knowns, and an early Grifters song. Many selections here would crop up on original albums or retrospective singles & rarities compilations specific to each band, but this is a wonderful and unique souvenir of the era. If anyone wants future postings for any of these bands, just say the word and I'll see what I can do.

01. Sleepyhead - Hot Stuff
02. Dambuilders, The - Pennsylvania
03. Small Factory - Yeah!
04. Versus - Sunburned (Life's a Beach)
05. Polvo - Colonial Arms
06. Monsterland - Sunburn
07. Wingtip Sloat - Leap Into My Velvet Arms
08. Helium - In a Little Box
09. Ruby Falls - Let Me Go
10. Twig - Airplane
11. Greenhorn - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
12. Kudgel - Friction~Ali Baba
13. Grifters - Black Fuel Incinerator
 
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