Wild Gift: Music by Robert Christie and Friends, 1984-1996, by Various Artists

Wild Gift: Music by Robert Christie and Friends, 1984-1996

by Various Artists

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timdarnold Robert and I were two of a rather small handfull of drummers in '80s Eugene who seemed to play in all the bands. There was never any doubt that his enthusiasm for every single other band in that scene was a large part of what kept us going. Hearing his "YAY!" come from the back of the room at the end of nearly every song never failed to make me smile. And his ferociously wreckless approach to the drums was a joy to behold.

"Reality should be what you feel!" Favorite track: Apathetic Media Slave.

Steve Bouton =This new archival tribute release is a great look back at a real talent as well as the whole Eugene scene of the late 80s and early 90s. Recommended.

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
32-song CD with 8-page booklet including liner notes and band photos.

Includes unlimited streaming of Wild Gift: Music by Robert Christie and Friends, 1984-1996 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Oswald Five-O - My Way 03:49	info	buy track
2.	Robert Christie - The Wind 03:50	info	buy track
3.	The Merchants Of The New Bizarre - Nemesis 02:22	info	buy track
4.	Johnson Unit - What Makes 01:25	info	buy track
5.	Young Death - No Energy 01:01	info	buy track
6.	Snakepit - Waiting For You 02:13	info	buy track
7.	Some Velvet Sidewalk - Moment 02:30	info	buy track
8.	Oswald Five-O - Heavy Shoes 02:43	info	buy track
9.	Johnson Unit - Can't Afford It 04:46	info	buy track
10.	Young Death - Walking Narcissism 01:37	info	buy track
11.	The Merchants Of The New Bizarre - I'm The Alien 00:27	info	buy track
12.	Snakepit - Me And Mine 02:12	info	buy track
13.	Some Velvet Sidewalk - Jean Waits 00:46	info	buy track
14.	Oswald Five-O - Lost And Found 02:27	info	buy track
15.	Young Death - Apathetic Media Slave 01:27	info	buy track
16.	Robert Christie - Good Night, Sweet Prince 03:09	info	buy track
17.	Johnson Unit - Before 02:27	info	buy track
18.	Snakepit - Party 02:26	info	buy track
19.	Oswald Five-O - No Name 01:48	info	buy track
20.	Young Death - Workers Unite 00:56	info	buy track
21.	Johnson Unit - Rally 01:37	info	buy track
22.	Some Velvet Sidewalk - 20,000 Leagues 03:15	info	buy track
23.	Robert Christie - Flowers Of Denang 02:59	info	buy track
24.	Snakepit - Sunrise 02:47	info	buy track
25.	Oswald Five-O - All Night Takeout 02:29	info	buy track
26.	Johnson Unit - Shop For Style 01:55	info	buy track
27.	The Merchants Of The New Bizarre - The Ballad Of Denny McLain 03:32	info	buy track
28.	Some Velvet Sidewalk - Seasons 02:26	info	buy track
29.	Young Death - Nothing To Me 01:19	info	buy track
30.	Johnson Unit - Sonic Reducer 02:49	info	buy track
31.	Oswald Five-O - Small Town 02:55	info	buy track
32.	Robert Christie - Animal Box 01:18	info	buy track

about

Between 1980, when I first met him, and 1996, when his last band called it quits, Robert Christie played drums (and occasionally played guitar, and occasionally sang) for close to a dozen different bands, the first in Astoria, Oregon, the second two bouncing between Eugene, Oregon and San Francisco, and the rest in Eugene. He was the uncommon denominator in all these bands, including those featured on this CD. Robert’s first band was MIP, fellow students at Astoria High School. When he decamped to Eugene in 1983, his first band, with bass player Matt Colgan and guitarist Dan McClure, was Young Death, which he once summed up in an interview: “it would be hard for us to slow down.” They went through two singers before summering in San Francisco, where a local named Kara picked up the mic and recorded a cassette tape’s worth of songs with them. Down the street, musical genius Tom Doskow gathered Robert and Matt together for a project he started (and hasn’t yet finished) called Merchants of the New Bizarre. They reunited in Eugene that fall to record some more songs. After getting back from SF, Robert supplemented his sophomore year at the University of Oregon with five different bands. The first, and the one closest to his heart, was Snakepit, what he called “a country and western car wreck band,” which he formed with Al Larsen, Dan Schmid and Steve Perry. Mike Johnson (later in Dinosaur Jr) soon joined, followed by Joe Argast and Laura MacDougal on bass and Billy Karren (later in Bikini Kill) on guitar. Johnson Unit came next, with Robert drumming (and sometimes singing) with Steve Nordby and John O’Neil. Like all drummers, Robert was in great demand, and during 1984-5 he also performed with The Evil Shape, Mind Garage, and The Four Horsemen of Rock (Snakepit with Dan McClure filling in for Al in summer ’85). In 1987, Al and Robert created Some Velvet Sidewalk, which released several cassettes, a single and an LP in its first incarnation as a duo. Robert left Johnson Unit in 1986 and Snakepit broke up in 1990.

In 1989, Robert invited Diane Beck, Gary Schartz and Joe Brooks to form Oswald Five-O. In this early incarnation, Robert played guitar, sang, and wrote all the songs, with Joe on drums and Diane on bass. O5O soon settled into a trio, with Nick Tucker on guitar and singing harmonies with Diane, while Robert moved back to drums. They recorded two CDs on Eugene’s Grinning Idiot label along with several singles. They lasted until 1996, managing one US tour with Some Velvet Sidewalk (Al had relocated to Olympia, with a new supporting cast). Decades later, Diane and Nick collaborated on a song she wrote, “Small Town,” which remembers the difference Robert made in her life. Last November they joined Don Blair (ex-SVS) to record it in a Portland studio. Over the years, Robert started writing songs, the first few for Snakepit and several more for O5O. Three of Robert’s previously-unreleased solo recordings are included here; also “Animal Box” (an amazing Rich Jensen cover), which appeared on “The Way of Things”—a cassette that documented a show in Eugene on a cold night in November 1987, made warm by the amazing grace of music and friends. Its liner notes describe Robert as I will always remember him: “He practices Christ-like innocence when he’s not busy playing or studying.” He once compared my fanzine to a church bulletin, and I’d like to think we shared an evangelical zeal when it came to preaching about the music we loved. Although he had a hand in a few fanzines of his own, he practiced as well as preached. He set an example. He set the beat.

credits

released March 3, 2023

Compiled by Tim Alborn
Mastered by Michael Train
Design assistance: Shawn Wolfe

Special thanks to Jeff Cellers, Retta Christie, Tom Doskow, Rich Jensen, Calvin Johnson, Mike Johnson, Al Larsen, Dan McClure, Steve Nordby, John O’Neil, Diane Rios, Greg Rios, Nick Tucker, Michael Train, Shawn Wolfe, and the Long Live Lenny’s Nosh Bar! FB Group.

For way more information on the Eugene music scene see Jeff Cellers's website, Panic on 13th: panicon13th.blogspot.com or on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063038600416

Rare audio from Robert's high school band, MIP, can be found here (thanks Mick Alderman!): www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe_9tVlKH0s

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about

Harriet Records Port Jefferson, New York

I ran Harriet Records between 1989 and 1998 out of Cambridge, MA. I released 10 CDs (most of which are available here) and 45 singles. There are 11 "new" releases so far, most recently the Coronets (London, ca 2000) and Kisswhistle (Pittsburgh). New releases next year by Chris Barickman, the Lookout Honeys, and a follow-up Ekphrastics CD!
-- Tim Alborn ... more

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