Biography
Alongside Screaming Trees, Love Battery occupied the psychedelic side of Seattle grunge, folding in generous portions of Beatlesque pop amid the required slabs of disorienting guitar distortion. The group formed in 1989, taking its name from a Buzzcocks track, and began with singer Ron Nine (born Ron Rudzitis, formerly of Room Nine), guitarist Kevin Whitworth (ex-Crisis Party), bassist Jim Tillman (previously with the U-Men), and Mudhoney drummer Dan Peters. Peters departed quickly and was succeeded by Jason Finn, who had once played in Skin Yard.
In 1990 the quartet issued its six-song debut EP, Between the Eyes, via Sub Pop. The musicians refined their direction and cohesion on the first full-length album, Dayglo, which appeared in 1992 and earned strong critical praise. Tillman then exited; Tommy Simpson filled the bass slot briefly before joining Alcohol Funnycar, after which Bruce Fairweather—earlier a guitarist in Green River and Mother Love Bone—took over.
Fairweather’s first recording with the band was 1993’s Far Gone, an album whose release faced repeated legal delays and ultimately met with lukewarm response. Around the same period Finn started splitting duties as drummer for the Presidents of the United States of America. Despite Far Gone’s modest impact, Love Battery secured a contract in 1994 with Atlas Records, a Polygram subsidiary, and previewed their major-label debut with the Nehru Jacket EP. The full album, Straight Freak Ticket, surfaced in 1995; shortly afterward Finn left to devote himself entirely to the Presidents, who had recently signed with Columbia and stood on the verge of widespread success.
Straight Freak Ticket did not expand the band’s reach, prompting their departure from Atlas. Drummer Mike Musburger, previously known for his work with the Posies, joined and soon departed, after which original member Dan Peters returned and reenergized the lineup. After a lengthy assembly process, Confusion Au Go Go finally emerged in 1999 on the Seattle independent label C/Z and was widely welcomed by the group’s smaller yet loyal audience as a powerful, if delayed, return to form.
In 1990 the quartet issued its six-song debut EP, Between the Eyes, via Sub Pop. The musicians refined their direction and cohesion on the first full-length album, Dayglo, which appeared in 1992 and earned strong critical praise. Tillman then exited; Tommy Simpson filled the bass slot briefly before joining Alcohol Funnycar, after which Bruce Fairweather—earlier a guitarist in Green River and Mother Love Bone—took over.
Fairweather’s first recording with the band was 1993’s Far Gone, an album whose release faced repeated legal delays and ultimately met with lukewarm response. Around the same period Finn started splitting duties as drummer for the Presidents of the United States of America. Despite Far Gone’s modest impact, Love Battery secured a contract in 1994 with Atlas Records, a Polygram subsidiary, and previewed their major-label debut with the Nehru Jacket EP. The full album, Straight Freak Ticket, surfaced in 1995; shortly afterward Finn left to devote himself entirely to the Presidents, who had recently signed with Columbia and stood on the verge of widespread success.
Straight Freak Ticket did not expand the band’s reach, prompting their departure from Atlas. Drummer Mike Musburger, previously known for his work with the Posies, joined and soon departed, after which original member Dan Peters returned and reenergized the lineup. After a lengthy assembly process, Confusion Au Go Go finally emerged in 1999 on the Seattle independent label C/Z and was widely welcomed by the group’s smaller yet loyal audience as a powerful, if delayed, return to form.
Albums
Singles
