The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest (40th Anniversary Edition) (Remastered) Young Fresh Fellows

• 1Rock 'n' Roll Pest Control02:19
• 2All Messed Up02:17
• 3Think Better Of Me02:19
• 4Empty Set Takes A Vacation02:13
• 5Teenage Dogs In Trouble01:57
• 6You Call That Lonely?02:49
• 7View From Above03:09
• 8Big House02:14
• 9Power Mowers Theme01:52
• 10Gus Theme02:05
• 11This Little Mystery01:44
• 12A Humble Guy01:43
• 13Down By The Pharmacy02:11
• 14That Letter02:27
• 15Young Fresh Fellows Theme02:49
• 16Down By The Pharmacy (Xmas Version) [Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp]02:36
• 17I'm Not Trying To Hurt You (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)02:08
• 18Filet Of Soul (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)02:41
• 19Someone I Care About (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)03:43
• 20This Little Mystery (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)02:22
• 21The Sharing Patrol (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)03:19
• 22If I Had A Hammer (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)03:13
• 23Topsy Turvy Theme (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)03:18
• 24I Wish I Was Your Mother (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)03:31
• 25Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)02:36
• 26Young Fresh Fellows Theme (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)01:58
• 27You Call That Lonely? (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)02:19
• 28Teenage Dogs In Trouble (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)01:51
• 29Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp-Gulp (Merry Croutons Mr. Gulp Gulp)02:36
• Total Runtime01:12:19

Info for The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest (40th Anniversary Edition) (Remastered)

The 40th anniversary reissue of their classic debut, remixed from original 8-track tapes by Scott McCaughey.

Formed (conceptually) by Scott McCaughey and Chuck Carroll in Seattle in 1981, The Young Fresh Fellows, with the addition of Chuck’s mad-drumming cousin Tad Hutchison, began work on their debut effort in 1983. Friend Conrad Uno volunteered to produce and record the trio in his basement/garage Egg Studios (no money exchanged hands), and Uno’s fledgling label PopLlama Products insisted on pushing the record out into the world, beyond a small circle of friends. Starting with the magical success of this album, PopLlama would become a fixture in the still-floundering Seattle music scene and the home of bands including Fastbacks, The Posies, Dharma Bums, and The President Of The United States Of America (whose Uno-produced debut would go on to be certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA.)

Inspired by a 1960s single from Pacific Northwest Bell to promote tourism, the cover plays homage to that release, with sound bites as “narrator” from that original record (and now, either thankfully or regretfully, omitted from this cut-to-the-rock ’n’ roll-chase remix). The Fellows suddenly found themselves darlings of college radio, with an enthusiastic following, and admired by their peers. A bouncy, punky, jangly, and weirdly self-referential collection of songs, The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest became a favorite of anyone who came upon it, including early proponents like Paul Westerberg, Ira Robbins, NRBQ, Rolling Stone, and Peter Buck.

Now, for its 40th Anniversary, YFF co-founder and songwriter/vocalist Scott McCaughey (R.E.M., The Minus 5, The Baseball Project) has remixed the album to (re)introduce it to the world. The idea was to put 40 years of music-making experience into the mix (push up the bass fader), without losing the naiveté and wonder that fueled its initial reception.

Back on the road in 2024, The Young Fresh Fellows, with longtime line-up of Scott, Jim Sangster, Kurt Bloch, and newcomer John Perrin of NRBQ, will be crossing the country—from their hometown of Seattle through to Wilco’s Solid Sound festival in Massachusetts. The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest will be ringing out on the stages and turntables of America!

Young Fresh Fellows

Digitally remastered

Young Fresh Fellows
Unsung heroes of the Seattle rock community, the Young Fresh Fellows were one of the first independent bands from the rainy city to earn a nationwide reputation in the 1980s, gaining an enthusiastic cult following and the approval of critics. Few bands were more admired by their peers than the Fellows, and their skewed but tuneful mix of British Invasion-era pop, garage rock, offbeat humor, and pop culture obsessiveness had a long shelf life, with the band still making joyful noise four decades after they began.

Originally comprised of vocalist/bassist Scott McCaughey, guitarist Chuck Carroll, and drummer Tad Hutchison, the Young Fresh Fellows were formed in 1983 and debuted in 1984 with The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest, an understated pop nugget featuring whimsical numbers including “Teenage Dogs in Trouble,” “Power Mowers Theme,” and “Rock and Roll Pest Control,” produced by honorary Fellow Conrad Uno at his basement/garage Egg Studios.

After recruiting bassist Jim Sangster to allow frontman McCaughey to switch over to guitar, the Fellows followed with 1985’s Topsy Turvy (gathering a rave review from Rolling Stone) and their first national tour. 1987’s The Men Who Loved Music was their breakthrough release, with the absurd college radio hit “Amy Grant,” solidified the band’s cult following. The Replacements’ Paul Westerberg considered the Fellows kindred spirits, and the two groups often toured in tandem.

After 1988’s Totally Lost, Carroll left the group. In the wake of his departure, the remaining three Fellows issued an authorized bootleg arguably-titled Beans And Tolerance, before enlisting Fastbacks kingpin Kurt Bloch for 1989’s roaring This One’s For The Ladies (with fan faves “Taco Wagon,” Bloch’s “Lost Track Of Time” and Kinks cover “Picture Book”), followed by a slew of 45s on various U.S. and international labels.

In 1991, producer Butch Vig (during his two weeks “off” between helming Gish and Nevermind), captured the band in full fury on Electric Bird Digest, featuring the exuberant “Sittin’ On A Pitchfork” and the oft-covered “Hillbilly Drummer Girl.” A scattershot team was employed for 1993’s chaotic It’s Low Beat Time, with contributors Vig, Uno, Sonics/Wailers engineer Kearney Barton, and Memphis R&B legends Willie Mitchell, Lester Snell (Shaft), and Rufus Thomas.

In the wake of a Fellows’ hiatus, McCaughey simultaneously started an 18-year run as a sideman with R.E.M., and formed a new project with Peter Buck, The Minus 5, collecting an ever-changing aggregate of all-stars members. (2003’s Chicago showdown Down With Wilco, co-produced by Jeff Tweedy and featuring his band in Yankee Hotel Foxtrot realignment/rejuvenation, is a McCaughey career highpoint, and beginning a long and still-burgeoning relationship with Yep Roc Records.)

But the YFF still had plenty of life in them. Signing a new deal with Mammoth/Hollywood Records, the feisty Because We Hate You appeared (and disappeared!) in 2001, followed eight years later by the rather-essential Robyn Hitchcock-produced I Think This Is from Yep Roc. During the 2010s, the band continued to play a handful of shows most years (often in Spain), and also released their 13th long-player in 2012, Tiempo de Lujo, yet another rollicking return belying the group’s part-time status.

In August 2017, when the members of the Young Fresh Fellows learned that longtime pal and collaborator Conrad Uno was closing Egg Studios, they hastily booked time hoping to record three songs. A few days later, they walked out with 17 tracks, though completion was put on hold when Scott McCaughey suffered a stroke in November 2017. McCaughey had recovered enough to record and release a new Minus 5 album, Stroke Manor, in 2019, and Toxic Youth, drawn from the YFF final Egg sessions, saw its eventual unleashing in a Record Store Day edition in 2020.

In October 2021, the group’s ten-day tour with Wilco ended with two sold-out shows in Seattle — the last song being “Helter Skelter” with both bands wreaking havoc on stage. It would prove to be the last live show with the YFF’s 33-year Scott/Tad/Jim/Kurt line-up, as Tad chose to “retire” from performance thereafter.

Now it’s 2024, the 40th anniversary of that groundbreaking first LP. In celebration, the band will release a remixed Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest 1984 (Omnivore Records), and with fan-since-birth drummer John Perrin (of NRBQ!) will play a handful of shows culminating at Wilco’s fabled Solid Sound Fest. LLYFF!!! (from Jason Ankeny’s excellent bio on allmusic.com, mangled and refurbished by Robert Stove, Jan. 2024)

Booklet for The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest (40th Anniversary Edition) (Remastered)