“Nearly Lost You: Hard-To-Find ’90s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’90s in its entirety. “But Mr. Analog Kid,” you ask, “Are there really that many CDs from the ’90s that you can’t buy anymore? It doesn’t seem too long ago that I was rocking out to Hootie and sucking down some Zima!”
I hate to tell you this, but Zima debuted as a local promotional item in late 1992. That was 22 YEARS ago. You can’t even buy Zima any longer, as it was discontinued in 2008. Getting old sucks, doesn’t it?
If you need a reminder of exactly how big R.E.M. was in the late ’80s and early ’90s, look no further than the Hindu Love Gods album. The record features a batch of covers recorded by R.E.M. (sans Michael Stipe) and Warren Zevon during a recording session for Zevon’s 1987 comeback album Sentimental Hygiene. Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry were apparently not very happy about the release of Hindu Love Gods, and one listen will tell you why: it’s really not very good. But if you take it for what it is– a “let’s-get-drunk-and-roll-tape” party session– Hindu Love Gods is actually a lot of fun. After all, where else are you going to find a record with cover versions of songs from both Prince and the Georgia Satellites?
In the end, I think R.E.M. could have quashed the release of Hindu Love Gods if they had really wanted to. The band had first used the “Hindu Love Gods” moniker on a one-off 1986 7″ single, so they must have given Zevon the OK to use the name. They also likely realized that their friend could use the publicity (and the cash) that came with the album’s release, as Sentimental Hygiene didn’t exactly set the world on fire. (Note: Sentimental Hygiene is an excellent album, and I highly recommend it– especially if you are a fan of Zevon and/or the big R.E.M. guitar sound of the Document era. Buck, Mills, and Berry really shine on the album.)
Hindu Love Gods has been out of print for years and years now, so you’ll have to find it in a second-hand store if you want a physical copy. Until then, enjoy the music here on the Analog Kid blog!
Hindu Love Gods: Hindu Love Gods
Giant/Reprise Records, 1990
1. “Walkin’ Blues” (Robert Johnson)
2. “Travelin’ Riverside Blues” (Robert Johnson)
3. “Raspberry Beret” (Prince)
4. “Crosscut Saw” (Fred Ingrahm/Bill Sanders)
5. “Junko Pardner” (Bob Shad)
6. “Mannish Boy” (Bo Diddley/Muddy Waters/Melvin London)
7. “Wang Dang Doodle” (Willie Dixon)
8. “Battleship Chains” (Terry Anderson)
9. “I’m A One Woman Man” (Tillman Franks/Johnny Horton)
10. “Vigilante Man” (Woody Guthrie)
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Warren Zevon: “Even A Dog Can Shake Hands” (Zevon/Berry/Buck/Mills)
From the album Sentimental Hygiene
Virgin Records, 1987
R.E.M.: “Fireplace” (Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe)
From the album Document
IRS Records, 1987
Prince: “Raspberry Beret” [12″ Version] (Prince)
From the 12″ single Raspberry Beret
Warner Brothers Records, 1985
Georgia Satellites: “Battleship Chains” (Terry Anderson)
From the album Georgia Satellites
Elektra Records, 1986
The Analog Kid 