Twenty-five years after its relative heyday, people are still trying to come up with a definitive definition for the term “shoegaze.” This winter, Cherry Red Records gives it a shot with a massive, 87-track, five disc compilation titled Still In A Dream: A Story of Shoegaze 1988 to 1995.
The comp features many of the most-known shoegaze acts to come out of the United Kingdom in the late-’80s and early-’90s, including the recently reformed lot of Slowdive (pictured above), Ride, Lush, and Chapterhouse. And it touches down in New England as well, featuring contributions from Boston’s Galaxie 500, the Swirlies, and Drop Nineteens, as well as Southbridge’s the Curtain Society.
The collection takes its name from a My Bloody Valentine song, the shoegaze pioneers, oddly, are not featured on the comp. But most everyone else appears to be, and Creation Records has led the charge in its promotion.
“The shoegaze sound may have returned underground in 1992 to make way for grunge and Britpop,” writes Creation Records in a press release, “but it’s influence and sound was copied and polished up for many of the stadium acts of the ’90s to fill the airwaves with anthemic, more accessible versions of the genre. With the arrival of the internet, the shoegaze genre was once again resurrected with many bands and record labels no longer reliant on the corporate friendly music press and radio. Alongside labels such as Sonic Cathedral, artists like Ulrich Schnauss, The Radio Dept, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Sigur Ros, Maps, Deerhunter, School of Seven Bells and M83 were all emerging and citing the original shoegaze records as influences and so the scene grew again.”
Creation goes on to write that recent reunion tours have not only sparked interest in the genre, allowing for a closer re-examination of the deeper records of the time and the ones it inspired over the next decade. “After last year’s Beautiful Noise film, now for the first time a box set is to be released that captures most of those bands together with many rarities you may never have heard before, including Creation bands like Medicine, Moonshake and a pre-Creation The Boo Radleys,” Creation writes.
Still In A Dream is officially out on January 29, 2016. Scan the full tracklisting below…
Disc 1
1. The Jesus & Mary Chain – Rollercoaster
2. The Cocteau Twins – Cherry-Coloured Funk
3. The House Of Love – Christine
4. A.R. Kane – Baby Milk Snatcher (12” Version)
5. Ultra Vivid Scene – Mercy Seat (12” Version)
6. Spacemen 3 – Hypnotized
7. Loop – Arc-lite (sonar)
8. 14 Iced Bears – Surfacer
9. Galaxie 500 – Tugboat
10. The Prayers – Puppet Clouds
11. Kitchens Of Distinction – The 3rd Time We Opened The Capsule
12. A.C. Marias – One Of Our Girls Has Gone Missing
13. The Telescopes – Precious Little
14. Pale Saints – Sight Of You
15. Jane From Occupied Europe – Ocean Run Dry
16. Sonic Boom – Angel
Disc 2
1. Ride – Drive Blind
2. Lush – De-luxe
3. See See Rider – Slip So Slow
4. Nightblooms – Crystal Eyes
5. The Darkside – Waiting For The Angels
6. Velocity Girl – I Don’t Care If You Go
7. Cranes – Inescapable
8. Chapterhouse – Falling Down
9. Whipping Boy – Switchblade Smile
10. The Boo Radleys – Kaleidoscope
11. Swervedriver – Rave Down
12. Slowdive – Slowdive
13. The Charlottes – Liar
14. Dr. Phibes & The House Of Wax Equations – Sugarblast
15. Bleach – Decadence
16. Catherine Wheel – She’s My Friend (wilde Club Version)
17. Blow-up – Somersault Sunrise
18. Bark Psychosis – All Different Things
Disc 3
1. Curve – Ten Little Girls
2. The Dylans – Godlike
3. Th’ Faith Healers – Gorgeous Blue Flower In My Garden
4. The Lilys – February Fourteenth
5. The Honey Smugglers – Good Afternoon
6. Spirea X – Chlorine Dream
7. Moonshake – Gravity
8. Spitfire – Translucent
9. Moose – Suzanne
10. Spiritualized – Run
11. Revolver – Heaven Sent An Angel
12. Lowlife – June Wilson
13. The Ecstasy Of Saint Theresa – Square Wave
14. Black Tambourine – By Tomorrow
15. Whipped Cream – Explosion
16. Smashing Orange – My Deranged Heart
17. The Hinnies – Gong
18. Bang Bang Machine – Geek Love (original 12” Version)
Disc 4
1. The Sunflowers – Closer
2. Drop – Mirrored
3. The Belltower – In Hollow
4. Sweet Jesus – Phonefreak Honey
5. Adorable – Sunshine Smile
6. Sun Dial – I Don’t Mind
7. Swallow – Sugar Your Mind
8. Drop Nineteens – Winona
9. Flaming Lips – Talkin’ ’bout The Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (everyone Wants To Live Forever)
10. Medicine – Aruca
11. Coaltar Of The Deepers – Charming Sister Kiss Me Dead!!
12. The Honey Buzzards – Starhappy
13. Loveliescrushing – Babysbreath
14. Majesty Crush – No. 1 Fan
15. The Swirlies – Park The Car By The Side Of The Road
16. Submarine – Chemical Tester
17. Bailter – Space Shine
18. Spectrum – True Love Will Find You In The End
19. Blind Mr. Jones – Spooky Vibes
Disc 5
1. An April March – Memory
2. Flying Saucer Attack – Soaring High
3. Drugstore – Alive
4. Secret Shine – Loveblind
5. Mercury Rev – Bronx Cheer
6. The Curtain Society – Chelsea
7. Seefeel – Plainsong
8. Spindrift – Surround Sound
9. Rollerskate Skinny – Miss Leader
10. Bardo Pond – Die Easy
11. Alison’s Halo – Dozen
12. Swirl – The Last Unicorn
13. Bowery Electric – Next To Nothing
14. Bethany Curve – Me Voy
15. Astrobrite – Orange Creamsickle
16. Luna – 23 Minutes In Brussels