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Sordid Humor
US rock band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sordid Humor was an American rock music band, formed in 1987 [1] by singer and guitarist Tom Barnes and bassist Jim Gordon, who met while working at a pizzeria in Oakland.[2] The group featured a rotating lineup of drummers and became known for its dark yet melodic and layered sound, blending introspective lyrics with richly textured instrumentation that explored themes of human fragility and emotional complexity.
An EP entitled Tony Don't was released on vinyl in 1989 by Oedpius Records of San Francisco, CA. The album achieved modest college radio success, receiving airplay on more than 100 college and modern rock stations across the United States. [3] CMJ New Music Report praised the album, noting that "Sordid Humor has a well-developed, savvy knack for pulling just the right melodic strings, cutting pure, sprightly pop with enough grams of eccentricity to keep the brain moving right along with the toes." It also called the songs "Apollo XII" and "First Goodbye" "radio winners and fine indications of more aural splendor from Sordid Humor further down the line."[4]
Sordid Humor is notable for its close ties to members of Counting Crows.[5] Adam Duritz contributed backing vocals to several tracks on Light Music for Dying People—including "Barbarossa," which he also co-wrote—while David Immerglück played bass on several songs and David Bryson produced much of the material at his Dancing Dog Studios in Emeryville. The collaboration helped bring wider attention to Sordid Humor after their breakup, as Counting Crows frequently performed the Sordid Humor song "Jumping Jesus" in concert and later included a cover of it on their album Underwater Sunshine. Duritz also incorporated lyrics from the Sordid Humor songs "Private Archipelago," "Doris Day," and "Jumping Jesus" into Counting Crows performances.[6]The collaboration helped bring wider attention to Sordid Humor after their breakup, as Counting Crows frequently performed the Sordid Humor song "Jumping Jesus" in concert and later included a cover of it on their album Underwater Sunshine. Duritz also incorporated lyrics from the Sordid Humor songs "Private Archipelago," "Doris Day," and "Jumping Jesus" into Counting Crows performances.[7]
Sordid Humor's only full-length album, Light Music for Dying People, was released posthumously in 1994 by Capricorn Records, after the band had already split. The release was assembled from three years of demo recordings, largely due to the efforts of Harvey Schwartz of Steam Records, who arranged for its distribution through Capricorn.[8]
Following the breakup, Barnes went on to form the band Engine 88, while Gordon left the music industry. Barnes reflected that the band’s introspective songwriting and industry frustrations ultimately led to their dissolution, but their work endured thanks to their collaborations with future stars of the Bay Area scene.
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