I actually bought this CD the same day I picked up the previously-typed-about Desert Sessions Vol. I & II, but didn’t want to write about them in the same space since they were two such momentous purchases. Really. On a personal level. Momentous.

Sometimes my nerditude embarrasses even me.

But whatever. It’s the original Welcome to MeteorCity compilation on eBay for $15 — you’re god damn right I’m not letting it go. I grabbed it and waited for the mail like a kid about to take his X-ray specs to the girls’ locker room, throwing on its 17-track glory as soon as I could rip open the package it was shipped in. I was ecstatic to find the condition as advertised — “Like New” is open to interpretation sometimes — and though most of the lineup is well familiar to me with bands like Sixty Watt Shaman, Fatso Jetson, Goatsnake, The Atomic Bitchwax, Roadsaw, Dozer and Natas, it’s the first thing MeteorCity ever put out! MCY-001. Doesn’t get much cooler than that, as far as I’m concerned.

No doubt the highlight is the closer, an acoustic cut by John Garcia (and two guitarists) performing under the moniker J.M.J. called “To Believe,” but seriously, the only things Welcome to MeteorCity is missing are Wino and Orange Goblin and it would just about be a complete document of everything stoner rock should be. Rotors to Rust‘s “The Only One” proved to be much more stonerly than their All That’s Heavy album, which was a pleasant surprise, and Lowrider‘s awesome “Texas Parts 1 & 2” was a great reminder of how incredible that band was in their time. I don’t know much about User or Drag Pack, so I got a little homework out of it, and any day on which I hear “Supersoul” by Dozer I count as a good day, this one included.

Of course, MeteorCity has grown and changed hands since Welcome to MeteorCity was released — the label put out a follow-up this year called Welcome Back to MeteorCity featuring current artists — and stoner rock has expanded in almost every direction possible as a genre despite everyone’s denial that they play it, but like the best of compilations, this captures not only a great group of bands, but also a genuine moment in the timeline of the style. I was lucky to find it so cheap and it’s already right up there with Roadrunner‘s Burn One Up comp as the best of the “various artists” section on my shelf. This is one instance where fantasy met reality and came out of it no worse for the wear.

Tags: Lowrider, MeteorCity, Record Shopping

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 at 6:38 pm and is filed under Buried Treasure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.