Titanic Love Affair - Ice Cream Funeral tape (1988)

Now this is something special (sound familiar)?  In all sincerity this seven song demo from one of my favorite Midwest aggregation, Titanic Love Affair was a very sweet find, considering it predates their first album by a good three years AND offers six songs that never appeared on official releases. We're talking half an albums worth of TLA goodness that few fans knew existed, let alone heard, yours truly included.   The obliquely titled tape, Ice Cream Funeral, offers but one preview of their 1991 debut, "Only in the Past," and while it would have been great to experience early incarnations of say, "Planet Strange" or "Happy," I'm hardly complaining - especially considering that every tune on here is a keeper. 
Exceptional audio quality for a nearly 25 year old artifact I might add.

For many people, TLA are recognized not so much for their records, but for the fact that their lineup included the late Jay Bennett, who would eventually be a driving force in Wilco.  At the time of this recording, TLA were merely a trio - Jay on guitar and vocals, Ken Hartz on bass and mic, and drummer Mike Hazelrigg, who parted ways by the time the group signed to Charisma Records.  As you might expect, the material on Ice Cream Funeral is of a rawer persuasion than what their proper records would offer, but not by much.  And of those "proper" records, I'm hosting two of them - the No Charisma ep that surfaced in 1992, and their 1996 parting shot Their Titanic Majesties Request.  In closing I should mention that shortly before Bennett's passing it was rumored that an archival compilation of unreleased Titanic Love Affair recordings was being assembled, but my understanding is that those plans were shelved. 

01. Feels Bad
02. Only in the Past
03. Somehow
04. Maybe
05. Everything
06. Nothing
07. With Your Memories

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