Some of the greatest Minneapolis musicians of the late 1980s would pass through the band Golden Smog, though you might not know it by reading the credits; for contractual reasons, Soul Asylum vocalist Dave Pirner, Jayhawks guitarist Gary Louris, Replacements drummer Chris Mars and others all appear under pseudonyms on the band’s 1992 debut EP.
The group took their name from a nickname given to Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones episode “Hot Lips Hannigan”, which, in turn, was a parody of singer Mel Tormé’s nickname (The Velvet Fog).
With a name drawn from a Flintstones episode and a penchant for all-covers set-lists, the loose-knit group began as talented friends just having a good time, and that spirit pervades “On Golden Smog“, whose five songs include alt-rock and alt-country takes on Bad Company (“Shooting Star”), The Rolling Stones (“Back Street Girl”), Thin Lizzy (“Cowboy Song”) and more. For Record Store Day 2022, this rousing collection will be available on vinyl as a limited edition 12” with an etching on the B-side.
Albums:
- Down by the Old Mainstream (1995)
- Weird Tales (1998)
- Another Fine Day (2006)
- Blood on the Slacks (2007)
The Fat Angel Sings 