Pocketwatch (album)
Encyclopedia
Pocketwatch is a cassette
album by Dave Grohl
, under the pseudonym Late!, released in 1992 on the now defunct indie label, Simple Machines
, as part of their Tool Cassette Series.
and recorded four songs, playing all the instruments himself. The recording was combined with six songs from a previous Upland Studios session recorded in late 1990. Although both sessions occurred after joining Nirvana
, Grohl unobtrusively acknowledged their existence. A tape of the songs, given to Simple Machines co-founder Jenny Toomey
by Grohl, immediately became a candidate for the labels Tool Cassette Series.
The Tool Cassette Series started around 1991 as an experiment, and as a way of keeping music "in print" on an as-needed basis without having to finance vinyl or CD
pressings, since Simple Machines dubbed
the cassettes
as the orders came in. With multiple cassette deck
s and a lot of volunteer help, this was a manageable project for the label. Shortly after Nirvana released Nevermind
in the fall of 1991, its unexpected success was large enough that Pocketwatch eventually became noticed. It gained more attention when the Foo Fighters
' early material was released in 1995. Some of the songs appeared on subsequent releases, creating even higher demand for the cassette. Suddenly, Pocketwatch was being mentioned frequently in interviews, and the label became flooded with orders.
With minimal help and deteriorating master cassettes
, Simple Machines got in touch with Grohl about releasing the Late! album as a CD, to keep up with demand. However, Grohl preferred to keep it as a cassette only release, which the label honored. When the two master cassettes for Pocketwatch came to the end of their useful lives, and with some of the other artists masters in the same condition, Simple Machines decided to discontinue the Tool Cassette Series from their mailorder, putting the over half-decade experiment to an end.
, and with no official CD release in sight, Pocketwatch fell victim to countless bootleg CD
releases, ranging from a single song to the entire album. "Color Pictures of a Marigold
" appeared on the rarities collection Outcesticide III: The Final Solution, part of a popular Nirvana bootleg series on Blue Moon Records. The song also appeared on Fighting the "N" Factor, an unauthorized Foo Fighters release that included the track as a bonus, with Nirvana's Saturday Night Live
rehearsals and Tunnel TV Show performance. The Late! album appeared in its entirety on the Foo Fighters' bootleg album Pocketwatch Demos on Primadonna, a bootleg label active throughout the 1990s, based in Milano, Italy
.
Songs from the Late! album made appearances on official releases as well. Prior to the Pocketwatch offering, "Petrol CB" was included on the Neapolitan Metropolitan 7" vinyl box set compilation
released by Simple Machines in 1992, under the title "There's That Song" and also featured tracks from Breadwinner
, Burma Jam
, Bratmobile
, and Lilys
, among others. The only song officially released on CD was a remixed version of "Just Another Story About Skeeter Thompson
", included on Buzz Osborne
's 1992 solo EP
King Buzzo
, retitled "Skeeter".
Although constantly coupled with Nirvana and Foo Fighters collections, Late! should be considered its own separate project. This would become complicated, taking into account that both bands would go on to release new versions of songs from the Pocketwatch album. "Color Pictures of a Marigold" was re-recorded with Krist Novoselic
on bass in 1993 and released as a b-side of Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box
" single, simply titled "Marigold". This version would also appear on the 2004 With the Lights Out
box set. Another version of the song appeared on the Foo Fighters live album, Skin and Bones
. "Winnebago" was re-recorded during the sessions for the first Foo Fighters album in 1994. Despite not making the album, it appeared on the Foo Fighters first release, Exhausted
, and as a b-side to the "This Is a Call
" single. A new version of "Friend of a Friend
" was first released on a free NME covermount cassette, then the acoustic side of the Foo Fighters' 2005 double album
In Your Honor
and later the following year on Skin and Bones.
except where noted.
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
album by Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, under the pseudonym Late!, released in 1992 on the now defunct indie label, Simple Machines
Simple Machines
Simple Machines was a record label that operated out of Arlington, Virginia. The label was masterminded by Jenny Toomey and Kristin Thomson and, at its peak, had four paid workers- Toomey, Thomson, Pat Graham and Mickey Menard...
, as part of their Tool Cassette Series.
Background
In the summer of 1991, Dave Grohl went into WGNS StudiosWGNS Recordings
-History:WGNS was initially started in the early 1980s as a cassette label. Initial recordings were mastered to a cassette and then dubbed from the master to cassettes which were numbered and sold...
and recorded four songs, playing all the instruments himself. The recording was combined with six songs from a previous Upland Studios session recorded in late 1990. Although both sessions occurred after joining Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Grohl unobtrusively acknowledged their existence. A tape of the songs, given to Simple Machines co-founder Jenny Toomey
Jenny Toomey
Jenny Toomey is an American indie rock musician and arts activist from Chevy Chase, Maryland, and later, Washington, D.C. She was a member of the bands Geek, Tsunami, Liquorice, Grenadine, So Low and Choke, among others, and has also recorded under her own name...
by Grohl, immediately became a candidate for the labels Tool Cassette Series.
The Tool Cassette Series started around 1991 as an experiment, and as a way of keeping music "in print" on an as-needed basis without having to finance vinyl or CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
pressings, since Simple Machines dubbed
Dubbing (music)
In sound recording, dubbing is the transfer or copying of previously recorded audio material from one medium to another of the same or a different type. It may be done with a machine designed for this purpose, or by connecting two different machines: one to play back and one to record the signal...
the cassettes
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
as the orders came in. With multiple cassette deck
Cassette deck
A cassette deck is a type of tape recorder for playing or recording audio compact cassettes. A deck was formerly distinguished from a recorder as being part of a stereo component system, while a recorder had a self-contained power amplifier...
s and a lot of volunteer help, this was a manageable project for the label. Shortly after Nirvana released Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
in the fall of 1991, its unexpected success was large enough that Pocketwatch eventually became noticed. It gained more attention when the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
' early material was released in 1995. Some of the songs appeared on subsequent releases, creating even higher demand for the cassette. Suddenly, Pocketwatch was being mentioned frequently in interviews, and the label became flooded with orders.
With minimal help and deteriorating master cassettes
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
, Simple Machines got in touch with Grohl about releasing the Late! album as a CD, to keep up with demand. However, Grohl preferred to keep it as a cassette only release, which the label honored. When the two master cassettes for Pocketwatch came to the end of their useful lives, and with some of the other artists masters in the same condition, Simple Machines decided to discontinue the Tool Cassette Series from their mailorder, putting the over half-decade experiment to an end.
Other releases
As cassettes became a less popular formatAudio format
An audio format is a medium for storing sound and music. The term is applied to both the physical recording media and the recording formats of the audio content – in computer science it is often limited to the audio file format, but its wider use usually refers to the physical method used to...
, and with no official CD release in sight, Pocketwatch fell victim to countless bootleg CD
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
releases, ranging from a single song to the entire album. "Color Pictures of a Marigold
Marigold (song)
"Marigold" is a song written and composed by American rock musician Dave Grohl, that was first released on Pocketwatch, an album Grohl issued under the pseudonym Late! in 1992....
" appeared on the rarities collection Outcesticide III: The Final Solution, part of a popular Nirvana bootleg series on Blue Moon Records. The song also appeared on Fighting the "N" Factor, an unauthorized Foo Fighters release that included the track as a bonus, with Nirvana's Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
rehearsals and Tunnel TV Show performance. The Late! album appeared in its entirety on the Foo Fighters' bootleg album Pocketwatch Demos on Primadonna, a bootleg label active throughout the 1990s, based in Milano, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Songs from the Late! album made appearances on official releases as well. Prior to the Pocketwatch offering, "Petrol CB" was included on the Neapolitan Metropolitan 7" vinyl box set compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
released by Simple Machines in 1992, under the title "There's That Song" and also featured tracks from Breadwinner
Breadwinner (band)
Breadwinner was a math rock-band based in Richmond, Virginia composed of: Pen Rollings , Robert Donne , and Chris Farmer . Rollings had previously been a member of hardcore punk outfit Honor Role...
, Burma Jam
Kepone (band)
Kepone was an American indie rock band based out of Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1991, the band's name was derived from the Kepone crisis that occurred in the Richmond area in the 1970s. Originally formed as a sideproject of Michael Bishop of GWAR, the original lineup of the band also included...
, Bratmobile
Bratmobile
Bratmobile was an American punk band. Bratmobile was a first-generation "riot grrrl" band, which grew from the Pacific Northwest and Washington, DC underground...
, and Lilys
Lilys
Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly...
, among others. The only song officially released on CD was a remixed version of "Just Another Story About Skeeter Thompson
Skeeter Thompson
Skeeter Thompson is best known for being the bassist of the DC hardcore band Scream.After their break up, Thompson ended up in Little Rock, Arkansas and played in several of the local bands there including local old school punk band Springgun....
", included on Buzz Osborne
Buzz Osborne
Roger "Buzz" Osborne , also known as King Buzzo, is the guitarist/vocalist/songwriter and technically the only remaining founding member of the Melvins...
's 1992 solo EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
King Buzzo
King Buzzo (album)
-Personnel:*King Buzzo - lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar, producer*Dave Grohl - lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, producer*Barrett Jones - producer, engineer*Harvey Bennett Stafford - cover and insert painting...
, retitled "Skeeter".
Although constantly coupled with Nirvana and Foo Fighters collections, Late! should be considered its own separate project. This would become complicated, taking into account that both bands would go on to release new versions of songs from the Pocketwatch album. "Color Pictures of a Marigold" was re-recorded with Krist Novoselic
Krist Novoselic
Krist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band...
on bass in 1993 and released as a b-side of Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box
Heart-Shaped Box
"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. The song was released as the first single from the group's third and final studio album, In Utero, in 1993. It was one of two songs from the album mixed by Scott Litt in order to augment...
" single, simply titled "Marigold". This version would also appear on the 2004 With the Lights Out
With the Lights Out
With the Lights Out is a box set, containing three CDs and one DVD, of previously rare or unreleased material, including b-sides, demos, rough rehearsal recordings and live recordings, from the American rock band Nirvana. It was released in November 2004...
box set. Another version of the song appeared on the Foo Fighters live album, Skin and Bones
Skin and Bones
-Live in Los Angeles :-Live in Hyde Park :Note: The whole setlist is not included on the DVD. The song "The One" is excluded, as Taylor Hawkins made a mistake on the drums...
. "Winnebago" was re-recorded during the sessions for the first Foo Fighters album in 1994. Despite not making the album, it appeared on the Foo Fighters first release, Exhausted
Exhausted (song)
"Exhausted" is the first Foo Fighters release and the first single from the debut album. It was only issued as a promotional single, pressed on black 12" vinyl...
, and as a b-side to the "This Is a Call
This Is a Call
"This Is a Call" is the first major single released by the Foo Fighters from their self-titled debut album. It was released in 1995. No video was made for the song.Dave Grohl said about the song: "The chorus says 'This is a call to all my past resignation'...
" single. A new version of "Friend of a Friend
Friend of a Friend (song)
"Friend of a Friend" is an acoustic song by Foo Fighters, featured on their 2005 album In Your Honor. The song is performed solely by Foo Fighters' guitarist/lead vocalist Dave Grohl....
" was first released on a free NME covermount cassette, then the acoustic side of the Foo Fighters' 2005 double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
In Your Honor
In Your Honor
In Your Honor is the fifth studio album by Foo Fighters, released on June 14, 2005 on BMG. It consists of two discs. The first contains up beat rock songs and the second disc contains mellower acoustic songs.-Development:...
and later the following year on Skin and Bones.
Track listing
All songs written by Dave GrohlDave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
except where noted.
- "Pokey the Little Puppy" – 4:21
- "Petrol CB" – 4:44
- "Friend of a FriendFriend of a Friend (song)"Friend of a Friend" is an acoustic song by Foo Fighters, featured on their 2005 album In Your Honor. The song is performed solely by Foo Fighters' guitarist/lead vocalist Dave Grohl....
" – 3:06 - "Throwing Needles" – 3:20
- "Just Another Story About Skeeter ThompsonSkeeter ThompsonSkeeter Thompson is best known for being the bassist of the DC hardcore band Scream.After their break up, Thompson ended up in Little Rock, Arkansas and played in several of the local bands there including local old school punk band Springgun....
" – 2:05 - "Color Pictures of a MarigoldMarigold (song)"Marigold" is a song written and composed by American rock musician Dave Grohl, that was first released on Pocketwatch, an album Grohl issued under the pseudonym Late! in 1992....
" – 3:13 - "Hell's Garden" – 3:18
- "Winnebago" (Grohl, Geoff Turner) – 4:11
- "Bruce" – 3:52
- "Milk" – 2:35
Personnel
- Dave GrohlDave GrohlDavid Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Barrett Jones – backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on "Petrol CB", productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Geoff Turner – audio engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, producer