B-Side Of The Week: Veruca Salt

This week's b-side comes from the sessions for Veruca Salt's stellar 1997 record, Eight Arms To Hold You. "Sleeper Car" starts off quietly before kicking in and rocking out toward the end. It's clear that the song wouldn't have fit in with the tracks chosen for the album, but that doesn't detract from its quality.

Veruca Salt - "Sleeper Car"

Buy Veruca Salt's music here.

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Previous B-Sides Of the Week:

Centro-Matic - "Not Like Anyone Would Mind"
Nirvana - "Even In His Youth"
Radiohead - "Bishop's Robes"
Catherine Wheel - "Capacity To Change"
The Black Crowes - "Waitin' Guilty"
Jeff Buckley - "Thousand Fold"
Idlewild - "Good Times Wasted"
Foo Fighters - "Baker Street"
Muse - "Fury"
Screaming Trees - "Silver Tongue"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Loaded Gun"
Stereophonics - "Carrot Cake And Wine"
Oasis - "Let's All Make Believe"
Guns N' Roses - "Shadow Of Your Love"
Ryan Adams - "What Sin Replaces Love"
Chris Cornell - "Sunshower"
Feeder - "Bruised"
Snow Patrol - "Post Punk Progression"
Jeff Buckley - "Strawberry Street"
Rainer Maria - "Automatic"
Radiohead - "Coke Babies"
Gomez - "Shot Shot (Folk Shot)"
Foo Fighters - "A320"
Turin Brakes - "Balham To Brooklyn"
Pearl Jam - "Long Road"
The Black Crowes - "Darling Of The Underground Press"
Juliana Hatfield - "Girl In Old Blue Volvo Disowns Self"
Gemma Hayes - "Perfect Day"

Cover Of The Week: Veruca Salt does The Knack

Veruca Salt made one of my favorite pop rock records of all time in 1997's Eight Arms To Hold You. The full-on rock guitars and killer harmonies from guitarist/songwriters Louise Post and Nina Gordon were a combo made in heaven for me. Gordon left the band not long after the Eight Arms... tour ended, and though Post has continued making music under the Veruca Salt moniker, the band just isn't the same anymore.

This week's cover is Veruca Salt doing their sexy/sleazy version of The Knack's classic "My Sharona". Enjoy.

Veruca Salt - "My Sharona"

Buy Veruca Salt's music here.
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Previous Covers Of the Week:

M.A.C.C. - "Hey Baby (Land Of The New Rising Sun)"
Gov't Mule - "30 Days In The Hole"

Nina Gordon Resurfaces

Nina Gordon, former singer/guitarist/songwriter from the 90’s pop-rock band Veruca Salt, announced on her website that she will release a new solo album on July 18th. Bleeding Heart Graffiti is the follow up to 2000’s Tonight And The Rest Of My Life, and again will be produced by Bob Rock. Rock also produced Veruca Salt’s outstanding Eight Arms To Hold You, one of my favorite records of the 90’s. Though Gordon’s solo material is touch-and-go for me, I absolutely love her voice. Her work with Louise Post in Veruca Salt will probably end up being the strongest of her career, but I’ll still buy the new album on release day.

The blogs were a-buzz with Nina news last year when she recorded an acoustic version of the NWA song “Straight Outta Compton”. I missed it then but found it recently, along with acoustic renditions of Skid Row’s “18 And Life” and Cinderella’s “Nobody’s Fool”. Enjoy.

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Straight Outta Compton (mp3)
18 And Life (mp3)
Nobody’s Fool (mp3)

For a taste of her solo material, here’s “Tonight And The Rest Of My Life” from her appearance on The Tonight Show.

Tonight And The Rest Of My Life (Live on Leno) (mp3)

While I’m talking about Nina Gordon I can’t help but reminisce about Veruca Salt. Their songs were rocking and loaded with hooks, and the Gordon-Post harmonies really set them apart from bands writing music similar to theirs. I recorded this acoustic set off the now defunct Philly radio station Y-100 when they used to air live performances from Sonic Recording Studios downtown. It would’ve been so cool to be in the studio up close to the band during this performance. The place could only hold about 30 audience members.

Straight (acoustic) (mp3)
Forsythia (acoustic) (mp3)
Lonliness Is Worse (acoustic) (mp3)
Shimmer Like A Girl (acoustic) (mp3)
Shutterbug (acoustic) (mp3)
Seether (acoustic) (mp3)

Veruca Salt doing a slinky cover of The Knack's "My Sharona":

My Sharona (mp3)

If you don’t already have it you should run out (or surf out) and buy Eight Arms To Hold You. It’s a record any rock fan should have in their collection.