Building
a music library? These lists will make a handy reference!
Click on the links below to find which items from Parasol
Mail Order made the grade:
College Rock:
It certainly seems like a bit of a misnomer
to me. I arrived in Champaign-Urbana to attend the University
Of Illinois in 1985 expecting to find a slew of likeminded
free-thinkers swimming in rivers of R.E.M.'s "Reckoning" and
The Smiths' "Meat Is Murder." What I was actually
greeted by were the sounds of The Hooters and Phil Collins
blaring out of most dorm room windows. Nonetheless, my college
days witnessed a pretty cool era of Post-Punk sounds and
pre-Alternative/Modern Rock heterogeneity, where regional,
independent labels ruled the roost by releasing varied musical
styles that truly walked the cutting edge. While many of
the releases from this era are now out of print, here is
a sampling of albums that are available for purchase from
Parasol.
CU-ties
(Bands with ties to Champaign-Urbana)
Champaign-Urbana's status in the entertainment industry has
long been cemented as the former home to luminaries and moguls
Hugh Hefner, Ang Lee, Robert (BET) Johnson , Roger Ebert, Gene
Shalit, William Wegman, and of course Arte Johnson. But even
more defined are our community ties to making music and nurturing
musicians since the mid-1970s/early-1980s.
At that time, diverse groups of artists like REO Speedwagon,
Dan Fogelberg, Head East, Starcastle, Champaign, and Dee Dee
Bridgewater started making waves on the national scene. In
the mid-80s, The Vertebrats and The Outnumbered gave rise to
an independent rock scene that birthed major label deals for
the likes of Adam Schmitt, the Last Gentlemen (Brian Leach's
old band), Allison Krauss, and Titanic Love Affair. The next
wave of Champaign bands to make a splash nationally included
the bands Hum, Menthol (aka Mother), and Hardvark. Sarge and
Braid ushered in a new wave of C-U rockers in the mid-90s.
That tradition continues today with a slew of bands from Champaign-Urbana
kicking up some dust from within the Central Illinois prairie.
Bands with ties to Champaign-Urbana past and present can be
found in this listing, we're hometown proud and hope that you'll
take some time to investigate some of these acts further. For
it's longevity and amount of output, we believe Champaign-Urbana
stands among the most heralded college scenes in the country
along with stalwarts Chapel Hill, Athens, Austin, Lincoln,
Berkeley, Oberlin, Minneapolis, and Boston.
Swede
stuff (Swedish bands)
In 1997, we released our first album by a Swedish band Starlet's "From
The One You Left Behind" and began importing many copies
of a Swedish CD, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives' "Welcome
To The Infant Freebase." Things have snowballed since
that time and now Parasol has become a portal for many different
Swedish bands that are all listed in this link. We now have
over 25 individual releases featuring 13 Swedish acts and carry
many more outside titles for sale. Few people realize that
Sweden ranks third in worldwide record sales behind the US
and UK, but the quality of bands from this country is of a
very high caliber. If you're looking for anything from garage-rock
to indie-pop you'll find that there much more to the Swedish
music scene than ABBA, Roxette, and Ace Of Base.
Hanna Calner from the band Punky's Dilemma, relocated to Champaign-Urbana
briefly a few years ago and helped us greatly by interning
at Parasol. In addition to stuffing a million envelopes, Hanna
took the time to write a bit more about the Swedish scene that
we Parasolarians only know about through music. To read what
she shared with us, click here!
Alternative
Press’ “90 Greatest Albums Of The 90’s
Kid stuff: As
a new dad, I have a new found appreciation for top quality
tunes for kids. It’s reassuring to find that
there are many great kids records available – that won’t
make moms and dads miserable. These are few I’ve chosen
for my family! Although “Hatful Of Hollow” and “The
Unforgettable Fire” always do the trick as well.
Top lists of 2003:
Mojo's best of 2003
Pitchfork's best of 2003
Uncut's best of 2003
Harp's best of 2003
Q's best of 2003
Magnet
Magazine’s “Top 60 Albums, 1993-2003”
Mojo Magazine’s “Best Albums of 2002”
Mojo Magazine’s “The
100 Greatest Guitar Albums”
Parasol's top sellers of 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
Pitchfork
Media’s “Top 50 Albums of 2002”
Pitchfork
Media’s “Top 90 Albums of the 90’s”
Spin Magazine’s “Top 90 Albums Of The 90’s”
Spin Magazine’s “Best
Albums of 2002”
Uncut Magazine’s “Best
Albums of 2002”
Uncut Magazine’s “Best
Albums of 2001”
Under The Radar: A
listing of favorite records from within the Parasol offices
that might not have made a huge splash
on the national scene, but that come highly recommended from
our ears!
Under The Radar (Expanded): For
those looking for even more UTR gems!
Village Voice
2002 Pazz & Jop List: these titles
are among the Top 50 of the list of 400 |
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| THIS
WEEK'S TOP TEN |
01 Green Pajamas, The -- Box of Secrets: Northern Gothic 2(more)
02 Sun Kill Moon -- April(more)
03 Tallest Man On Earth, The -- S-T(more)
04 Replacements, The -- Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash [remaster, expanded re-issue](more)
05 Stringfellow, Ken -- The Sellout Cover Sessions Vol. 1 EP(more)
06 Replacements, The -- Stink [remaster, expanded re-issue](more)
07 Various -- Soul Messages From Dimona(more)
08 Birthmark -- The Layer(more)
09 Walker Brothers -- Take It Easy With(more)
10 Clint -- Los Tipos Duros Tambien Bailan(more)
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