Salem 66
Encyclopedia
Salem 66 was an indie
rock
group formed in 1982 by Judy Grunwald, Elisabeth Kaplan and Susan Merriam. At the time a serious all-female rock band was somewhat unusual. Through the eighties, the band added and subtracted members, including Robert Wilson Rodriguez, Stephen Smith, Tim Condon, and Jim Vincent. The band lasted until 1989 and was an important part of the Boston
alternative indie music scene during the 1980s. They recorded and released records on Homestead Records
, a label founded by Gerard Cosloy
. Their music was described as folk punk
, but they could be called jangle pop
and a loose association can be made with the Paisley Underground
and groups such as R.E.M..
In 1995, Homestead released an eighteen-song retrospective
CD, combining selections from all the vinyl-only releases, called Your Soul Is Mine, Fork It Over.
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group formed in 1982 by Judy Grunwald, Elisabeth Kaplan and Susan Merriam. At the time a serious all-female rock band was somewhat unusual. Through the eighties, the band added and subtracted members, including Robert Wilson Rodriguez, Stephen Smith, Tim Condon, and Jim Vincent. The band lasted until 1989 and was an important part of the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
alternative indie music scene during the 1980s. They recorded and released records on Homestead Records
Homestead Records
Homestead Records was a Long Island, NY based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading. It was founded in 1984 by Sam Berger, who was the American Independent buyer for Dutch East India Trading. Berger was finding that many bands who had perhaps released their own first 45 were...
, a label founded by Gerard Cosloy
Gerard Cosloy
Gerard Cosloy is an American music industry executive.-Biography:Cosloy was raised in Wayland, Massachusetts, a western suburb of Boston. While he was in high school, he became involved in the local hardcore punk scene, put together many punk shows, and started Conflict, a mimeographed fanzine of...
. Their music was described as folk punk
Folk punk
Folk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered in the late 1970s and early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain and Violent Femmes in America. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade...
, but they could be called jangle pop
Jangle pop
Jangle pop is a genre of alternative rock from the mid-1980s that "marked a return to the chiming or jangly guitars and pop melodies of the '60s" bands such as The Byrds, with their electric twelve-string guitars and power pop song structures. Mid-1980s jangle pop was a non-mainstream "pop-based...
and a loose association can be made with the Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is an early genre of alternative rock, based primarily in Los Angeles, California, which was at its most popular in the mid-1980s.- History :...
and groups such as R.E.M..
Discography
All recordings were made with Homestead Records:- 1984 - "Across The Sea" b/w "Pony Song" - vinyl 7" 45rpm single
- 1984 - Salem 66 - Six-song 12" EP
- 1985 - "Love & Truth" b/w "Primavera" - vinyl 7" 45rpm single
- 1985 - A Ripping Spin - vinyl LP
- 1987 - Frequency And Urgency - vinyl LP
- 1988 - Natural Disasters, National Treasures - vinyl LP, CD
- 1990 - Down The Primrose Path - vinyl LP, CD
In 1995, Homestead released an eighteen-song retrospective
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...
CD, combining selections from all the vinyl-only releases, called Your Soul Is Mine, Fork It Over.