You’re No Big Deal: Grunge, the U.S. Underground and Beyond, 1984-1994 (deluxe edition)

~ Release by Various Artists (see all versions of this release, 1 available)

Annotation

• 4CD SET EXPLORING GRUNGE AND THE AMERICAN ALTERNATIVE UNDERGROUND 1984-1994.

• COMPILED WITH MUDHONEY’S MARK ARM.

• FEATURES SOUNDGARDEN, MUDHONEY, DINOSAUR JR, HOLE, GREEN RIVER, MELVINS, SKIN YARD, SCREAM, TAD, SONIC YOUTH, HUSKER DU, PIXIES, MEAT PUPPETS, SCREAMING TREES, PAVEMENT, L7, FLAMING LIPS, VERUCA SALT, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, TEMPLE OF THE DOG, BABES IN TOYLAND AND MORE….

• ALSO FEATURES A HANDFUL OF ANTIPODEAN BANDS BELOVED OF THE SEATTLE SCENE.

• SLEEVENOTES BY MARK ARM.

During the late 1980s, whilst pop, rap and glam metal dominated the American airwaves, underground musicians sought an antidote. During the middle of the decade, from Seattle in the west to New York in the east, bands immersed in a less highly polished, raw and more powerful sound began to emerge, fusing punky garage band attitude with meaningful, often disenchanted lyrics and lashings of distortion to create something new. The “grunge” tag quickly took hold, absorbing bands from all over the States and becoming a social phenomenon, drawing countless other underground and college circuit bands into its orbit in the process. Overnight, macho rock was dead.

Featuring an embarrassment of key bands and classic tracks, alongside lesser-known nuggets and a hand-picked selection of Australasian artists who were inadvertently feeding into the scene, ‘You’re No Big Deal’ explores a vital period in post-punk American musical history, the rebirth of rock music and its new place among the underground elite. With sleevenotes from Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, whose previous band Green River were the first to be given the “grunge” tag, this is an on-the-ground, broad reaching dive into a time and place that saw the unlikeliest of anti-rock stars recalibrate what American guitar-based music could be, reconnecting it with ordinary suburban kids and reigniting punk rock’s spirit.

Packed with over 80 tracks spanning a decade, and presented in roughly chronological order, ‘You’re No Big Deal’ tells a story that spread far beyond the ambitions of its key players.

Made in the E.U.

Annotation last modified on 2025-12-19 21:38 UTC.

Tracklist

1CD
2CD
3CD
#TitleArtistRatingLength
1Kool Thing
Sonic Youth4:09
2Shove
L73:13
3I Hope You Die
Toadies5:21
4From Now On
Pavement2:04
5Stockboy, Superhero
The Thrown Ups0:53
6Feel the Darkness
engineer:
Tony Lash
producer:
Poison Idea and Thee Slayer Hippy (Steve Hanford)
drums (drum set):
Thee Slayer Hippy (Steve Hanford)
electric bass guitar [bass]:
Myrtle Tickner (Charles Nims)
electric guitar [guitar]:
Pig Champion (Thomas Roberts) and Aldine Strycnine (Aldine Grossi)
lead vocals [voice]:
Jerry A. (vocalist in Poison Idea)
recorded at:
Sound Impressions in Portland, Oregon, United States
recording of:
Feel the Darkness
lyricist and composer:
Jerry A. (vocalist in Poison Idea)
publisher:
Vinyl Schnozza Ltd.
Poison Idea6:03
7Glorious
engineer:
Steve Albini
recorded at:
Palladium in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
recording of:
Glorious
writer:
Kim Deal and Ray Halliday (bassist)
The Breeders4.53:26
8The Wagon
recorded at:
Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States (on 1991-06-14)
live recording of:
The Wagon (on 1991-06-14)
lyricist and composer:
J Mascis (US musician, member of Dinosaur Jr.)
Dinosaur Jr.4:55
9Teenage Whore
Hole2:59
10Body Bag
producer:
Greg Reely
lead vocals:
Somebody (in 1985-01)
recording of:
Body Bag (in 1985-01)
writer:
Andy Kerr, John Wright (co-founder of NoMeansNo) and Rob Wright (Canadian bassist/vocalist member of Nomeansno)
NoMeansNo4:39
11Lorna
7 Year Bitch1:57
12Uncle Anesthesia
Screaming Trees3:54
13Syringe Mouth
Mercury Rev4:02
14Say It
Calamity Jane3:15
15Lost
Eric's Trip3:27
16Bleed
Thrillhammer3:51
17Discount Rebellion
Cop Shoot Cop2:24
18Ballard Bitter
recording of:
Ballard Bitter
Treepeople3:18
19Macaroni
Nubbin3:16
4CD