(Rhino) Singer Mark Sandman coined the phrase "low rock" to describe the sonorous, languid groove he created with the acclaimed Boston band Morphine. Sadly, the band's time together was cut short in 1999 when Sandman suffered a heart attack in Italy while onstage with Morphine and died on the way to the hospital. A decade later, Rhino pays tribute to Sandman's ferocious creativity and Morphine's instantly recognizable sound with a two-disc collection of unreleased studio tracks, alternate takes, and live performances. AT YOUR SERVICE is out now from Rhino/Ryko at all retail outlets, including rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $24.98 (CD) and $16.99 (digital).
The 35-song compilation takes its name from the line Sandman used to kick off most shows, "We are Morphine at your service." The music spans the group's entire career and features founding member Dana Colley (saxophone), original drummer Jerome Deupree and his successor, Billy Conway.
AT YOUR SERVICE is the result of the group's habit of recording everything. In fact, Conway estimates there are at least 60 unreleased Morphine songs, including those featured in this set. The first disc (subtitled "Shadows") contains unreleased diamonds such as "It's Not Like That Anymore," "Women R Dogs," "Bye Bye Johnny," and "Come Along," which mixes hard-swinging jazz with a New Orleans second-line beat. Both discs include parts four and five of "I Know You," a song that began on the group's 1992 debut, Good, and continued on 1997's Like Swimming.
The final disc (subtitled "Shade") opens with a performance recorded during the tour for Good at WMBR-FM in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the band performed five songs, including "Claire," "Shoot 'Em Down," and "Saddest Song." Morphine returned to the radio station a year later during their tour for the album Yes, performing five more songs, including "Super Sex" and "Radar." Among the alternate versions of album tracks on the second disc are such standouts as "Buena," "Empty Box," and "The Night," the title track from their final studio album.
AT YOUR SERVICE
Track Listing
All songs previously unreleased
Disc 1 - Shadows
1. "At Your Service"
2. "Come Over"
3. "Come Along"
4. "It's Not Like That Anymore"
5. "Patience" (Alternate Version)
6. "Call Back"
7. "Bye Bye Johnny"
8. "Hello Baby"
9. "Women R Dogs"
10. "You're An Artist" (Alternate Version)
11. "5:09"
12. "Lilah II"
13. "Moons Of Jupiter"
14. "Lunch In Hell"
15. "Imaginary Song" (Alternate Version)
16. "Shadow (I Know You Part V)"
Disc 2 - Shade
1. "Good" (Live – WMBR '92)
2. "Only One" (Live – WMBR '92)
3. "Shoot 'Em Down" (Live – WMBR '92)
4. "Saddest Song" (Live – WMBR '92)
5. "Claire" (Live – WMBR '92)
6. "I Had My Chance" (Alternate Version)
7. "Buena" (Alternate Version)
8. "Empty Box" (Alternate Version)
9. "All Wrong" (Alternate Version)
10. "Put It Down (Wo-Oh)" (Live – WMBR '93)
11. "Free Love" (Live – WMBR '93)
12. "Sexy Christmas Baby Mine" (Live – WMBR '93)
13. "Scratch" (Live – WMBR '93)
14. "Super Sex" (Live – WMBR '93)
15. "Radar" (Live – WMBR '93)
16. "I'd Catch You"
17. "The Night" (Alternate Version)
18. "Take Me With You" (Alternate Version)
19. "Shade (I Know You Part IV)"
