Grant Lee Buffalo

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Grant Lee Buffalo
Grant Lee Buffalo.jpg
Grant Lee Buffalo, 1996
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Alternative rock, Americana
Years active1991–1999, 2010–2014
Labels Slash, Chrysalis
Past members Grant-Lee Phillips
Paul Kimble
Joey Peters
Website grantleebuffalo.com
Shiva Burlesque
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Rock
Years active1987–1990
Labels Fundamental Records
Ripple Effect
Past members Grant-Lee Phillips
Paul Kimble
Joey Peters

Grant Lee Buffalo was an American rock band based in Los Angeles, California, United States, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips (vocals and guitar), Paul Kimble (bass) and Joey Peters (drums). All three were previously members of another Los Angeles band, Shiva Burlesque. [1]

Contents

Shiva Burlesque

In the late 1980s, Jeffrey Clark, Grant-Lee Phillips, James Brenner and Joey Peters started as a rock music formation called Shiva Burlesque. [2] They released two studio albums, the self-titled Shiva Burlesque in 1987 on Nate Starkman & Son Records, and a follow-up (and final) album, Mercury Blues, which was released in 1990 on Fundamental Records. Matt Snow in Q Magazine highlighted the Doors and Echo and the Bunnymen as references and described the last album as "great late-night un-easy listening". [3] Paul Kimble replaced Brenner on bass and the band renamed as Grant Lee Buffalo in 1991. [2]

Career

Grant Lee Buffalo released four albums: Fuzzy (1993), Mighty Joe Moon (1994), Copperopolis (1996) and Jubilee (1998). [1] They toured with major bands including R.E.M., Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins, and The Cranberries. In the United States, the band's 1998 single, "Truly, Truly", received extensive airplay. [1]

Paul Kimble departed the band in 1997, [4] but Grant Lee Buffalo's next album Jubilee met with more success than the prior releases thanks to "Truly, Truly." But, as Phillips describes, a number of changes led to the dissolution of the band's time at their label and their time together.

"The celebrational spirit of Jubilee actually brought a renewed optimism to me personally. The album was well received and understandably the expectations at the label were high, probably too high. Although the highly refined Jubilee had brought the band considerable success at radio with "Truly, Truly," a shift within the industry was well underway. The label's constant nagging about "Call-out Response" was both a new term and a bewildering concept to our ears. The basic strategy: a radio station arranges to call up a listener who is asked to consume about 30 songs over the phone, perhaps 20 seconds of each. From this remote encounter, the listener will then proceed to judge the material. Insufficient call-out response was a big reason that Jubilee hardly got a shot at Warners. Grant Lee Buffalo tunes are often like an old car or an old amp that needs a few seconds to get warmed up, but when it does... look out! Meanwhile, a new crop of young record buyers, the largest since the Baby Boomer era, were now being targeted to the exclusion of Gen-Xers, like myself, still waiting for the Pixies to reform. [5]

In 2001, a compilation of singles, album tracks and rarities called Storm Hymnal was released.

Grant Lee Buffalo's sound is comparable to Neil Young and an electrified version of Americana songwriter John Stewart. [1] Phillips writes that their first album "would galvanize the sound of Grant Lee Buffalo, i.e., the acoustic feedback howl of overdriven 12-string guitars, melodic distorto-bass, tribal drum bombast, the old world churn of pump organs and parlor pianos." [6]

Lyrically, they reference American history as well as contemporary events. [2] For instance, “Lone Star Song” from Mighty Joe Moon references the Waco siege and “Crackdown” from Copperopolis references the murder of Yoshihiro Hattori as well as the Oklahoma City bombing. In May 2011 the band returned on a limited tour, making stops in Los Angeles, Dublin, London, Brussels, Copenhagen and Oslo. [7] On August 8, 2011, the band performed at Dranouter festival in Belgium, and on August 9 in Copenhagen. The band also played at the German Haldern Pop Festival in August 2012.

In October 2017, Chrysalis Records acquired Grant Lee Buffalo's back catalog from Slash Records. Chrysalis/Blue Raincoat CEO Jeremy Lascelles had previously signed the band to the label's publisher in the 1990s. [8]

Solo careers

Lead singer Phillips has had his own solo career as well. He explains:

As for Grant Lee Buffalo, I sensed they were beginning to wonder if we'd ever get through finishing school. Before that could happen, band and label parted as did Peters and myself. The scenery was changing and I was looking for new explorations. I'm sure we all were. Perhaps we always will be." [5]

He was signed to the Boston-based indie label Rounder Records and launched a solo career, issuing Ladies' Love Oracle online in 2000. The recording was later more widely released. His first full-length album, Mobilize , was released in 2001. Phillips has released ten albums between 2000 and 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
UK
[9]
AUS
[10] [11]
BEL
[12]
NOR
[13]
NZ
[14]
SWE
[15]
US
Heat.

[16]
Fuzzy 74157
Mighty Joe Moon
  • Released: 20 September 1994
  • Label: Slash / London / Reprise / Liberation
  • Format: CD, LP, cassette, digital download
24488233816 [17]
Copperopolis
  • Released: 4 June 1996
  • Label: Slash / London / Reprise
  • Format: CD, cassette, digital download
3459439282716
Jubilee
  • Released: 9 June 1998
  • Label: Slash / London / Polydor
  • Format: CD, cassette, digital download
18

Compilations and live albums

TitleDetailsNotes
Storm Hymnal: Gems from the Vault of Grant Lee Buffalo
  • Released: 23 October 2001
  • Label: Slash / London
  • Format: CD, digital download
The best of and B-sides/rarities
Live at the Royal Festival Hall
  • Released: 9 April 2013
  • Magnetic Field Recordings
  • Format: Digital download
Live at the Royal Festival Hall in London on May 18, 2011

EPs

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
UK
[9]
NLD
[18]
US
Mod.

[19]
"Fuzzy"199342Fuzzy
"America Snoring"
"Jupiter and Teardrop"
"Lone Star Song"1994Mighty Joe Moon
"Mockingbirds"8614
"Honey Don't Think"1995
"Homespun"199694Copperopolis
"Truly, Truly"199811Jubilee

Music videos

YearSong / VideoAlbumDirector
1993Fuzzy Fuzzy Carlos Grasso [20]
1993America Snoring Fuzzy Angus Cameron
1994Lone Star Song Mighty Joe Moon Carlos Grasso [20]
1994Mockingbirds Mighty Joe Moon Anton Corbijn [20]
1994Honey Don't Think Mighty Joe Moon Carlos Grasso [21]
1994El Dorado Motorhome (Mighty Joe Moon Promo) Mighty Joe Moon Carlos Grasso [20]
1996Homespun Copperopolis Carlos Grasso [20]
1998Testimony Jubilee Jason Smith [22]
1999Circuit DVD Music Magazine #1 (Jubilee Promo) Jubilee Jodi Wille [23]

Soundtracks

OST release date /

Episode air date

SongComposerFilm / TV series
22 March 1994Fuzzy Grant-Lee Phillips With Honors (OST)
13 June 1995MockingbirdsGrant-Lee Phillips Mad Love (OST)
26 September 1995 In My Room Brian Wilson, Gary Usher (The Beach Boys) Friends (OST)
3 November 1998The Whole Shebang

Bitter's End (performed by Paul Kimble and Andy Mackay)

Living Proof*

Lo' and Behold*

Make Your Own Little Heaven*

Grant-Lee Phillips

Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music)

Grant-Lee Phillips

Grant-Lee Phillips

Grant-Lee Phillips

Velvet Goldmine (OST)
2 February 1999TestimonyGrant-Lee Phillips I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (OST)
9 April 2001Jupiter and TeardropGrant-Lee Phillips Trigger Happy TV (OST to Series 2)
19 April 2005HappinessGrant-Lee Phillips House TV Series (Babies & Bathwater episode)

(*) - Soundtrack demos only, not on the OST.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 396. ISBN   1-84195-017-3.
  2. 1 2 3 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 540–1. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  3. Snow, Matt (5 March 1991). "Mercury Blues review". Q Magazine. 55: 76–7.
  4. "History | Part 4: The Search for Copperopolis". Grant Lee Buffalo. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  5. 1 2 "History | Part 5: The Midnight Jubilee". Grant Lee Buffalo. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  6. "History | Part 2: The Fuzzy Era". Grant Lee Buffalo. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  7. "Grant Lee Buffalo Special Reunion Tour and Limited Dates". Josef Peters. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  8. "Chrysalis acquires Parlophone catalogues under divestment deal" . Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  9. 1 2 "Grant Lee Buffalo | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  10. "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  11. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 118.
  12. "ultratop.be - Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  13. "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  14. "charts.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  15. "swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  16. "Grant Lee Buffalo Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  17. "Copperopolis is where the Grant Lee Buffalo roam". AXS. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  18. "Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  19. "Grant Lee Buffalo Chart History: Alternative Airplay". Billboard . Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Grant Lee Buffalo | History | Part 3: The Ballad of Mighty Joe Moon". Grantleebuffalo.com. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  21. "Grant Lee Buffalo "Honey Don't Think" Music Video ► Music Video Database". Clipland.com. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  22. "Testimony (1998) by Grant Lee Buffalo". imvdb.com. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  23. "Grant Lee Buffalo - CIRCUIT music magazine". Youtube.com. 2013-06-16. Retrieved 2017-02-13.