Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Singles Going Single # 73 - Fig Dish (1993, Happy Tails)

Scooped up during the post-Nirvana signing blitz, Chicago's Fig Dish dished out two excellent platters for Alias Records, That's What's Love Song's Often Do in 1995, and 1997's When Shove Goes Back to Push. With a roaring, riff-rawk assault a la Dramarama, The Buck Pets, and Soul Asylum, Fig Dish had the makings of a respectable success story. Though making some inroads at alt-rock radio circa Love Songs, Fig Dish didn't "phair" nearly as well as their gold and platinum hometown brethren Urge Overkill, Veruca Salt, and yes, Liz Phair.

The single concerning this post was a precursor to the aforementioned albums. Featuring an early incarnation of one of Love Song's most durable numbers, "Rollover, Please," and the otherwise unavailable "Miss California," this 7" makes a strong case for Fig Dish opting to go with a big indie like Sub Pop instead of selling their souls to the suits. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Anyway, I recently learned that in 1998 Fig Dish recorded an album's worth (and then some) of songs for a tentative third album that never was. You can try it on for size by clicking here. On the same blog, you can also partake in a download of a 2006 Fig Dish reunion gig. More Fig Dish songs are available on this here Myspace fan site.
After Fig Dish, mouthpiece/ax-slinger Blake Smith and fellow Dish alumni Mile Willison founded the slyly electonica-inflected Caviar to no significant commercial consequence.

A. Rollover, Please
B. Miss California

Hear

5 comments:

Brushback said...

I still have "That's What Love Songs Often Do", and while I despised it when it first came out for being too alterna-friendly, it's kinda grown on me after a while.

"Rollover, Please" is definitely a great song in any case-- very Replacements/Goo Goo Dollls-like.

Scott Wy said...

Hey i love Fig Dish. Thanks for posting digital versions of these songs. I have the same Rollover Please 7" single, and it's on the same pink swirl wax as your pic - that makes me think maybe the only color they pressed is this pink swirl. I also own another early Fig Dish release - it's a split 7" with Everready, and they the other early hit 'eyesore'. thanks again!

Glenn said...

Does anyone remember the album they disowned "Unleash the Cracken" ?

It was the first I heard of them and I never cared for their work after it. (Except for "Rollover Please".)

Ryan said...

can you re-up, please?

spavid said...

I just updated the link.