1989

1989    Freakwater release their eponymous debut LP (Amoeba, out of print)a full year in advance of Uncle Tupelo's No Depression, the LP cited as the cornerstone of the "alt-country" movement. 

 1. Miner Song (Irwin) 
2. Childish Love (Ira & Charlie Louvin) 
3. Lonesome Sound (M. O'Bannon) 
4. Family Tradition (Irwin/Bean) 
5. The Great Titanic (traditional) 
6. Blue Eyes (Irwin) 
7. Ballad Of Freakwater (Irwin/Bean) 
8. A Mile Away (Irwin) 
9. Albert C. Samson (Bean)
10. (forty seconds of country pickin')

One thousand copies of Freakwater were produced initially, five hundred more repressed later. Here are the liner notes from the back cover: "Photo by Marty Perez Painting by Catherine Irwin Freakwater is Catherine Ann Irwin (guitar and vocals) and Janet Beveridge Bean (guitar, vocals and bongos) Freakwater was helped most immeasurably by John Spiegal (dobro, lap steel and electric slide guitar) Dave Gay (upright bass) Dan Scanlon (violin) Peter Searcy (cello) Wink O'Bannon (slide acoustic guitar) and James Bond (backing vocals on The Great Titanic) This record was recorded, with the exception of Blue Eyes, at James Bond's studio in Chicago, Illinois, during June and July of 1988. It was engineered by James Bond and Robbie Drinkwater and mixed by Michael Freeman at Shortorder Studios in Zion, Illinois. Blue Eyes was recorded at the Artists Recording Service in Louisville Kentucky in March of 1989 and was engineered and mixed by Wink O'Bannon. I think maybe we have already thanked everyone until they're pretty much sick of it, but thanks again anyway. . ."

Atlantic issues Eleventh Dream Day's critically acclaimed Beet.