| Come | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Boston, USA |
| Genres | Alternative rock, blues |
| Years active | 1990–2001 |
| Labels | Matador, Sub Pop, Beggars Banquet, Domino, Placebo |
| Associated acts | Live Skull, Codeine, Dangerous Birds, Uzi, The New Year, Evan Dando, Thurston Moore, dirtmusic, Empty House Cooperative, Karate, Steve Wynn, The Jesus Lizard, Tortoise, Thalia Zedek Band, Rodan |
| Past members | |
| Thalia Zedek Chris Brokaw Arthur Johnson Sean O'Brien |
|
Come was an American alternative rock band from 1990-2001. Come was formed in Boston by Thalia Zedek (vocals, guitar), Chris Brokaw (guitar, vocals), Arthur Johnson (drums), and Sean O'Brien (bass).
Contents |
Come came into being after a mutual acquaintance invited Brokaw, O'Brien, and Johnson to play with him. Brokaw was playing drums with Codeine, Johnson had previously drummed for Athens, Georgia band Bar-B-Q Killers, and O'Brien had played with two other 1980s Athens bands, Kilkenny Cats and Fashion Battery. After playing one show together, Brokaw, O'Brien, and Johnson decided to split off into their own project and invited Thalia Zedek to join them. Zedek had played in the bands Uzi and Dangerous Birds. Her most recent band at the time, the post-no wave New York band Live Skull, had disbanded in 1990 and Brokaw and Zedek had been talking about playing together.
After a year of jamming together, Come released the 12-inch single "Car" on Sub Pop in 1991. The song, a seven-minute epic in the blues-noir style of The Birthday Party and These Immortal Souls, encapsulated what was to become Come's trademark style: dark, intense and lengthy songs marked by Zedek's emotional and distressed vocals, abrupt rhythms, and the tension-filled guitar interplay between Zedek and Brokaw, both extraordinarily accomplished guitarists.
In 1992, Come released their debut album, 11:11, on Matador Records. 11:11 received acclaim from both the independent and established media. After the release of 11:11, Brokaw left Codeine, devoting himself full-time to Come. Already after the release of the debut album, Come received praise from all Dinosaur Jr.'s lead singer J. Mascis, Hüsker Dü's Bob Mould, and Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain.[1][2]
Come's second album, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, was released in 1994. Though somewhat calmer than its predecessor, it was equally as grave. Among the highlights of the album, and of the whole of the band's impressive song catalogue, are the two dark ballads, "Let's Get Lost" and "Arrive," each closing a side of the vinyl edition.
Johnson and O'Brien left the band after Don't Ask Don't Tell to pursue other careers. The following album, the short Near-Life Experience, was recorded with a number of different musicians, including drummer Mac McNeilly of the Jesus Lizard and Bundy K. Brown of Tortoise.
In 1998, Come released the 66-minute tour de force Gently, Down The Stream, which took its cue from Near Life Experience, but featured a more fluent integrated soundscape.
Zedek and Brokaw took a break after Gently, Down the Stream, and the band has regrouped only once since. Its founders have since each released multiple solo albums, and have performed together on many occasions. On November 11, 2007, Brokaw and Zedek reformed Come for a brief, two-song set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Middle East Club in Cambridge, which had been the site of Come's final performance.[3] In November 2008, Come reformed for a one-off performance in Castellón, Spain, as part of the 2008 Tanned Tin Festival.
Come's original line-up formed the backing band on Steve Wynn's 1995 album Melting in the Dark [Brake Out/Zero Hour, 1995].[4]
11:11 [ Matador Records/Placebo, 1992 ]
Don't Ask, Don't Tell [ Matador Records/Beggars Banquet Records, 1994 ]
Near-Life Experience [ Matador Records/Domino Records, 1996 ]
Gently, Down The Stream [ Matador Records/Domino Records, 1998 ]
Car 7" [ Sub Pop, 1991 ] (August instalment of Sub Pop's Singles Club) featuring "Car"* and "Last Mistake"*
Car 12"/CD [ Sub Pop, 1991 ] featuring "Car"* "Last Mistake"* and "Submerge"''* (original pre-album version)
Fast Piss Blues 7" [ Matador Records/Placebo, 1992 ] featuring "Fast Piss Blues" and "I Got The Blues"
Fast Piss Blues 10"/CD [ Matador Records/Placebo, 1992 ] featuring "Fast Piss Blues", "I Got The Blues" and "Brand New Vein"
Wrong Side CD [ Matador Records/Beggars Banquet Records, 1994 ] featuring "Wrong Side", "Loin of the Surf"* (cover of Swell Maps) and "SVK"* (note: SVK is short for Sharon Vs Karen [5])
String 10" [ Matador Records/Beggars Banquet Records, 1995 ] featuring "String", "Who Jumped In My Grave"*, "German Song", "Angelhead"*
String CD [ Matador Records/Beggars Banquet Records, 1995 ] featuring "String", "German Song", "Fast Piss Blues" and "City Of Fun [Peel Session]"* (BBC radio session cover of The Only Ones [6])
Secret Number 10"/CD [ Matador Records/Domino Records, 1996 ] featuring "Secret Number", "Prize"* and "Hurricane II"* (piano version of Near-Life Experience's opening track)
(* indicates track unavailable on any Come album)
"Car" on Afternoon Delight: Love Songs From Sub Pop [ Sub Pop, 1992 ]
"Orbit" on Altered States Of America [ Lime Lizard, 1993 ]
"Fast Piss Blues" on Independent 20 Volume 16 [ Beechwood Music, 1993]
"Fast Piss Blues" on The Beggars Banquet Collection [ Beggars Banquet Records, 1993 ]
"City of Fun" (BBC radio Peel session cover of The Only Ones) on Volume Eight Compilation [ Volume, England, 1993 ]
"Submerge" on The Day We Killed Grunge [ Caroline Records, 1994 ]
"In/Out" on Cortex Sampler [ Cortext, 1994 ]
"Wrong Side" on Play It! Vol. 3 [ PIAS Benelux, 1994 ]
"Wrong Side" on Rough Trade - Music For The 90's - Vol. 6 [ Rough Trade, 1994 ]
"String" on The Day We Exhumed Disco [ Caroline Records, 1994 ]
"String" on Menú [ Everlasting Records, 1995 ]
"Off to One Side" on This Is Fort Apache [ MCA, 1995 ]
"Cimarron"* (recorded Jul-1995) on Ain't Nuthin' But a She Thing [ London Records, 1995 ]
"Weak as the Moon" on Audio Compilation [ Audio Magazine (Greece), 1996 ]
"Brand New Vein"* (radio session version, recorded 17-Sept-1991) on Pipeline! Live Boston Rock on WMBR [ Kimchee, 1996 ]
"In/Out" and "Strike"* (recorded Nov-1995) on What's Up Matador [ Matador Records, 1997 ]
"Madroad Driving..."* (with Johnny Depp) on Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness [ Rykodisc, 1997 ]
"Hurricane II" on Hits Hurt [ Domino, 1997 ]
"Hurricane"* (radio session version, recorded Mar-1998) on Drinking From Puddles: A Radio History Compilation [ Kill Rock Stars, 1999 ]
"Do You Love Me?"* (recorded Oct-1999) on Knitting On The Roof - Songs from 'Fiddler On The Roof [ Knitting Factory, 1999 ]
"I Got The Blues" on Gimme Shelter Vol. 1 [ Uncut Magazine, 2002 ]
(* indicates track unavailable on any Come album or single)