The Refreshments- APC Studios, Atlanta 1996

Since the last post was in Atlanta, let's stay there. I have another show also at APC Studios in Atlanta recorded roughly a month after the Westerberg show. Similarly to the Westerberg show, this concert was an in-studio live broadcast with a studio audience. The sound quality is excellent and the band performs a short, but powerful set of songs from their major label debut album, Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy. As far as debut albums go, Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy is as good as any debut record from the 90's. This album had a lot of airplay at home as I made sure my kids grew up with good music and this one was a popular choice. It was infectious, funny and there wasn't a bad song on the record, a very important album (in my opinion) from 1996. Their follow-up album, The Bottle & Fresh Horse was released in the fall of 1997 and it suffered from a lack of promotion (the band parted with Mercury Records a couple months after the album was released) and a lack of great material. The band broke up shortly after which is too bad because the record still had some really good songs on it and if they had the label support they could taken it so much further. Fortunately, for Refreshment fans, the songs have lived on with Roger Clyne's band he formed after the Refreshments, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers who are continuing on and have released 8 studio albums and 2 live records. They perform many of the Refreshments song live and there have been a few Refreshments reunion shows since.

A good place to start if you're interested in the Refreshments is a documentary released in 2017, Here's To Life!- The Story of the Refreshments which documents the rise of the band, the issues within the band and the crush of the music industry (boo major labels!!). Sounds very interesting and I will get around to watching this soon.

Note: The band actually self-released a CD in 1994 called Wheelie with most of the songs that would later appear on Fizzy Fuzzy. The songs were re-worked and re-recorded probably with higher production values and released on a major label. I still have the mp3 version posted from 2009 available for download so you want to hear the "original" versions.
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
Please share!


THE REFRESHMENTS
APC Studios
99X Live X
Atlanta, GA
July 23, 1996

FM> ANA> Tascam 424 mkII> Echo Gina> CEP 2.0> FLAC> rar

01. Intro
02. Blue Collar Suicide
03. Mexico
04. Down Together
05. Mekong
06. Roger tuning up
07. Story: If You Ain't A Cowboy
08. Interstate
09. Yahoos & Triangles (Just Like A Rodeo Only Different)
10. Banditos

THE REFRESHMENTS- 1996-07-23 APC Studios, Atlanta, GA FLAC. rar

Before We Was Famous: THE REFRESHMENTS- Wheelie

The other day I was thinking about starting another music blog where I would upload and share CD's/tapes/albums from artists that have gone on to successful careers. This blog would include demos, independent and hard to find releases (I've found on the world wide web or from my own collection) that might not be their most cohesive or flattering moments, but nevertheless interesting and a foreshadowing of what was to come. I've already done this with past postings from the Dead Milkmen, Young Fresh Fellows, Plumtree, Ben Kweller and the Electrocutes. I thought another blog would keep that theme separate and a nice complement to this site. Then it struck me, who was I kidding... I can hardly keep this blog updated and then I would have 3 (counting my other blog, Sick Puppy) stagnant properties taking up space on the WWW. So bare with me as I present yet another regular feature on TADIT, "Before We Was Famous".

Just the other day I was looking through a pile of CD's (in my son's room that he "borrowed") and came upon a much loved and much played disc I had almost lost track of, the Refreshments, Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy. This CD along with their other official release, The Bottle & Fresh Horses, are underrated classics that have all the hallmarks of great albums; catchy melodies, humour and memorable songs. Years ago I heard there was a pre-Fuzzy disc called, Wheelie which was their true debut and was sold at shows. Reports of it's rarity are varied depending on who you talk to. I've heard there was 500-2000 copies floating around, but according to Refreshment's bassist Art Edwards he believes there are no more than 5500 copies in existence. Supposeably it's fetching big bucks on eBay, but thanks to the web I found a mp3 version of the CD and it is well worth the download. The songs on Wheelie were later reworked for Fizzy and sound slightly different, with the exception of the track, Psychosis which is exclusive to this release. The song B.O.B.A is an acronym for, "Buffett on bad acid" and was re-named Mexico when it re-recorded for Fizzy... If you miss the Refreshments as much as I do, check out Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers!

REFRESHMENTS
Wheelie (1994)
1. Banditos
2. European Swallow
3. Suckerpunch
4. Don't Wanna Know
5. Mekong
6. Girly
7. B.O.B.A.
8. Down Together
9. Psychosis
10. Carefree
11. Nada