Elliott Smith's pre-fame rock band Heatmiser are being celebrated with a compilation of unreleased material from Jack White's label. The Music of Heatmiser arrives October 6 through Third Man Records.
The Music of Heatmiser gets its name from a six-song demo cassette the band released in 1992 — and that same tape has given us the single "Lowlife ('92 cassette)," which can be heard now. Third Man has also shared a live video of the song filmed at a 1993 show, the same year the final version of "Lowlife" appeared on Heatmiser's debut album Dead Air.
The six-song tape was previously sold at indie stores and at shows in the early '90s, and this marks its debut on vinyl and streaming services. It's now been fleshed out with 23 additional tracks, including demos, live recordings, rare versions and never-before-released songs. The new comp even preserves the cover artwork from the demo.
The band's Neil Gust, who was the co-singer/guitarist along with Smith, said in a statement, "[Drummer] Tony [Lash] found a bunch of forgotten recordings and started mixing them and sending them to me. We were struck by the freewheeling energy of the band; you could hear how much fun we were having. In 1992 we could barely afford the studio so it all had to be done really fast. When we put the cassette together, we wanted it to start like a punch in the face. That's 'Lowlife.'"
Below, check out the demo version of "Lowlife," plus the live video, and a trailer for The Music of Heatmiser. The compilation tracklist is below that. The album is available to pre-order here.
The Music of Heatmiser:
1. Lowlife ('92 Cassette)
2. Bottle Rocket ('92 Cassette)
3. Buick ('92 Cassette)
4. Just a Little Prick ('92 Cassette)
5. Dirt ('92 Cassette)
6. Mightier Than You ('92 Cassette)
7. Can't Be Touched (Cavity Search Single)
8. Wake (Cavity Search Single)
9. Stray (Cavity Search Single)
10. Dead Air (Demo)
11. Sands Hotel (Demo)
12. Mock Up (Demo)
13. Cannibal (Demo)
14. Candyland (Demo)
15. Still (Demo)
16. Man Camp
17. Laying Low
18. Bloody Knuckles
19. Father Song
20. Glamourine
21. Meatline
22. Revolution
23. Black Out (Live on KBOO)
24. Bottle Rocket (Live on KBOO)
25. Dirt (Live on KBOO)
26. Still (Live on KBOO)
27. Candyland (Live on KBOO)
28. Don't Look Down (Live on KBOO)
29. Lowlife (Live on KBOO)
The Music of Heatmiser gets its name from a six-song demo cassette the band released in 1992 — and that same tape has given us the single "Lowlife ('92 cassette)," which can be heard now. Third Man has also shared a live video of the song filmed at a 1993 show, the same year the final version of "Lowlife" appeared on Heatmiser's debut album Dead Air.
The six-song tape was previously sold at indie stores and at shows in the early '90s, and this marks its debut on vinyl and streaming services. It's now been fleshed out with 23 additional tracks, including demos, live recordings, rare versions and never-before-released songs. The new comp even preserves the cover artwork from the demo.
The band's Neil Gust, who was the co-singer/guitarist along with Smith, said in a statement, "[Drummer] Tony [Lash] found a bunch of forgotten recordings and started mixing them and sending them to me. We were struck by the freewheeling energy of the band; you could hear how much fun we were having. In 1992 we could barely afford the studio so it all had to be done really fast. When we put the cassette together, we wanted it to start like a punch in the face. That's 'Lowlife.'"
Below, check out the demo version of "Lowlife," plus the live video, and a trailer for The Music of Heatmiser. The compilation tracklist is below that. The album is available to pre-order here.
The Music of Heatmiser:
1. Lowlife ('92 Cassette)
2. Bottle Rocket ('92 Cassette)
3. Buick ('92 Cassette)
4. Just a Little Prick ('92 Cassette)
5. Dirt ('92 Cassette)
6. Mightier Than You ('92 Cassette)
7. Can't Be Touched (Cavity Search Single)
8. Wake (Cavity Search Single)
9. Stray (Cavity Search Single)
10. Dead Air (Demo)
11. Sands Hotel (Demo)
12. Mock Up (Demo)
13. Cannibal (Demo)
14. Candyland (Demo)
15. Still (Demo)
16. Man Camp
17. Laying Low
18. Bloody Knuckles
19. Father Song
20. Glamourine
21. Meatline
22. Revolution
23. Black Out (Live on KBOO)
24. Bottle Rocket (Live on KBOO)
25. Dirt (Live on KBOO)
26. Still (Live on KBOO)
27. Candyland (Live on KBOO)
28. Don't Look Down (Live on KBOO)
29. Lowlife (Live on KBOO)
