The Minus 5
Encyclopedia
The Minus 5 is an American
rock
band, headed by musician Scott McCaughey
and featuring R.E.M.
guitarist Peter Buck
.
's Peter Buck
, who was featured on the group's eponymous debut EP, which was only released through They Might Be Giants
' mail-order record club, Hello CD of the Month Club
in 1994.
Their full-length debut album Old Liquidator was released in 1995, and the Minus 5's lineup consisted of McCaughey, Buck, and Jon Auer
and Ken Stringfellow
of The Posies
. After releasing Old Liquidator on East Side Digital, the group reconvened in late 1996 to record their Hollywood Records
debut, The Lonesome Death of Buck McCoy, released the following spring. Also in 1996, McCaughey's 1989 solo album My Chartreuse Opinion was reissued by Hollywood as a Minus 5 album.
In 1999, the group accepted an invitation to participate in a tribute album
to Moby Grape
co-founder Skip Spence
, who was terminally ill with cancer, for the purpose of raising funds to assist with medical expenses.
In 2001, the Minus Five and the Young Fresh Fellows
, another McCaughey project, released a split double album, Let the War Against Music Begin/Because We Hate You; the "Let the War Against Music Begin" half was the Minus 5 submission.
After a change of guard at Hollywood Records
, the Minus 5 found themselves releasing music via independent channels, with the Return to Sender
label releasing a collection of outtakes from Let the War Against Music Begin called I Don't Know Who I Am before McCaughey signed the band to the Yep Roc label for his collaboration with Wilco
, Down With Wilco. Yep Roc later issued an EP dominated by Down With Wilco outtakes, At the Organ, and reissued In Rock, a collection of tunes McCaughey recorded in a single day in 2000.
In 2002, the band contributed a track, "Girl I Never Met" to Rami Jaffee, Pete Yorn, and Marc Dauer's Trampoline Records release: Trampoline Records Volume I.
The band's seventh album, self-titled (but known as The Gun Album), was released early 2006, and features, along the regular line-up, guest appearances by Wilco
, Kelly Hogan
and The Decemberists
' singer/songwriter Colin Meloy
, among others.
Buck and McCaughey went on to play in The Baseball Project
together in 2008.
The Minus 5 appeared on John Wesley Harding
's 2009 release, Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead and released Killingsworth
later that year.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
band, headed by musician Scott McCaughey
Scott McCaughey
As a singer and songwriter, Scott McCaughey is the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5.He is also bassist for Robyn Hitchcock's most recent touring band, The Venus 3, along with Bill Rieflin and Peter Buck....
and featuring R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
guitarist Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
.
Band history
Formed in 1993, McCaughey designed the Minus 5 as a pop collective, with each record the group put out featuring a new lineup. Throughout these releases, he worked the most frequently with R.E.M.R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
, who was featured on the group's eponymous debut EP, which was only released through They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
' mail-order record club, Hello CD of the Month Club
Hello CD of the Month Club
The Hello CD of the Month Club was a subscription-only record company that operated from 1993-1996 by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants and Marjorie Galen...
in 1994.
Their full-length debut album Old Liquidator was released in 1995, and the Minus 5's lineup consisted of McCaughey, Buck, and Jon Auer
Jon Auer
Jonathan P. "Jon" Auer is an American musician who co-founded the power pop band The Posies, along with Ken Stringfellow. Auer and Stringfellow have also been a part of the rejuvenated Big Star....
and Ken Stringfellow
Ken Stringfellow
Kenneth Stuart Stringfellow is an American musician, best known for his work with The Posies, R.E.M., and the re-formed Big Star.-Musical career:...
of The Posies
The Posies
The Posies are an alternative rock/power pop group. The band was formed in 1987 in Bellingham, Washington by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. They are best known for their radio hits "Golden Blunders" , as well as "Dream All Day", "Solar Sister" and "Flavor of the Month"...
. After releasing Old Liquidator on East Side Digital, the group reconvened in late 1996 to record their Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
debut, The Lonesome Death of Buck McCoy, released the following spring. Also in 1996, McCaughey's 1989 solo album My Chartreuse Opinion was reissued by Hollywood as a Minus 5 album.
In 1999, the group accepted an invitation to participate in a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
to Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...
co-founder Skip Spence
Skip Spence
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence was a Canadian-born musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. He released one solo album, 1969's Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry...
, who was terminally ill with cancer, for the purpose of raising funds to assist with medical expenses.
In 2001, the Minus Five and the Young Fresh Fellows
Young Fresh Fellows
The Young Fresh Fellows are an American alternative rock group that was formed in 1981 in Seattle, Washington, by Scott McCaughey and Chuck Carroll; Tad Hutchison, Chuck Carroll's first cousin, joined for the recording of the group's debut album in 1983....
, another McCaughey project, released a split double album, Let the War Against Music Begin/Because We Hate You; the "Let the War Against Music Begin" half was the Minus 5 submission.
After a change of guard at Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
, the Minus 5 found themselves releasing music via independent channels, with the Return to Sender
Return to Sender
"Return to sender" is a common phrasing used when undeliverable mail is processed to be sent back to the indicated return address. It may also refer to:* "Return to Sender" , a 1962 Elvis Presley song...
label releasing a collection of outtakes from Let the War Against Music Begin called I Don't Know Who I Am before McCaughey signed the band to the Yep Roc label for his collaboration with Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, Down With Wilco. Yep Roc later issued an EP dominated by Down With Wilco outtakes, At the Organ, and reissued In Rock, a collection of tunes McCaughey recorded in a single day in 2000.
In 2002, the band contributed a track, "Girl I Never Met" to Rami Jaffee, Pete Yorn, and Marc Dauer's Trampoline Records release: Trampoline Records Volume I.
The band's seventh album, self-titled (but known as The Gun Album), was released early 2006, and features, along the regular line-up, guest appearances by Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, Kelly Hogan
Kelly Hogan
Kelly Hogan is an American singer-songwriter born in Atlanta, Georgia.In the 1990s, Hogan sang with The Jody Grind , singing on their full-lengths One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure and Lefty's Deceiver . The group disbanded after two of its members were killed in a car crash...
and The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
' singer/songwriter Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy
Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, percussion and interpretive hand gestures.-Early life...
, among others.
Buck and McCaughey went on to play in The Baseball Project
The Baseball Project
The Baseball Project is a supergroup composed of Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon formed in 2007. The performers came together from discussions between McCaughey and Wynn at R.E.M.'s March 21, 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in...
together in 2008.
The Minus 5 appeared on John Wesley Harding
John Wesley Harding (singer)
Wesley Stace is a folk/pop singer-songwriter and author who goes by the stage name John Wesley Harding. He has called his style of music folk noir and gangsta folk...
's 2009 release, Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead and released Killingsworth
Killingsworth
Killingsworth is the eighth studio album by The Minus 5, released on Yep Roc Records in 2009.-Track listing:#"Dark Hand of Contagion"#"The Long Hall"#"The Disembowlers"#"The Lurking Barrister"#"It Won't Do You Any Good"#"Vintage Violet"...
later that year.
Discography
- Hello EPHello EPHello EP is the first release by The Minus 5, released on the Hello CD of the Month Club in 1993.-Track listing:#"Loser So Supreme"#"Only One Thing"#"Brotherhood of Pain"#"Drunkard's Lullabye"...
(CD) - Hello CD of the Month ClubHello CD of the Month ClubThe Hello CD of the Month Club was a subscription-only record company that operated from 1993-1996 by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants and Marjorie Galen...
- 1994 - Old LiquidatorOld LiquidatorOld Liquidator is the debut full-length album by American rock band The Minus 5. It was released in 1995 by East Side Digital.-Track listing:# "Winter Goes Away" – 4:06# "Worse" – 2:46# "All the Time" – 3:49...
(CD) - East Side Digital - 1995 - The Emperor of the BathroomThe Emperor of the BathroomThe Emperor of the Bathroom is an EP by American rock band the Minus 5. It was released in 1995 on East Side Digital.Presented by Rick Buckler, former drummer of the British mod rock band,The Jam.-Track listing:#"Emperor of the Bathroom"...
(CD) - East Side Digital - 1995 - The Lonesome Death of Buck McCoyThe Lonesome Death of Buck McCoyThe Lonesome Death of Buck McCoy is an album by American rock band The Minus 5. Their final release of new material for Hollywood Records, it was released in 1997...
- Hollywood RecordsHollywood RecordsHollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
- 1997 - My Chartreuse OpinionMy Chartreuse OpinionMy Chartreuse Opinion is a 1989 solo album by Scott McCaughey, later reissued as an album by The Minus 5 on Hollywood Records on August 26, 1997.-Track listing:All songs written by McCaughey, unless otherwise noted:#"Losing Battle" – 3:04...
(CD) - Hollywood Records - 1989/1997 - More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence AlbumMore Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence AlbumMore Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album is a 1999 tribute album completed shortly before and released shortly after the death of Moby Grape founding member Skip Spence. The album contains cover versions by various artists of Spence's music from his Oar album, released in 1969, presented in...
-Birdman RecordsBirdman RecordsBirdman Records is an independent record label based in South San Francisco, founded by former Warner Bros. Records A&R vice-president David Katznelson.-History:...
- 1999 - Let the War Against Music BeginLet the War Against Music BeginLet the War Against Music Begin is an album by American rock group The Minus 5. It was released on Mammoth Records in 2001 as part of a split album with Because We Hate You by the Young Fresh Fellows.-Track listing:#"Great News Around You"#"Got You"...
(CD) - Mammoth RecordsMammoth RecordsFounded by Jay Faires in 1989 in Carrboro, North Carolina, Mammoth Records was one of the premiere independent record labels of the 1990s. Its roster featured such diverse talent as Antenna, Blake Babies, Chainsaw Kittens, Dash Rip Rock, Dillon Fence, Far Too Jones, Frente!, Fun-Da-Mental, Fu...
- 2001 - I Don't Know Who I Am (Let the War Against Music Begin, Vol. 2) (CD) - Return to SenderReturn to Sender"Return to sender" is a common phrasing used when undeliverable mail is processed to be sent back to the indicated return address. It may also refer to:* "Return to Sender" , a 1962 Elvis Presley song...
- 2003 - Down with WilcoDown With WilcoDown with Wilco is the fifth album by American rock band The Minus 5. Released on Yep Roc in 2003, it features Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies as well as contributions from Wilco, where the album derives its name.-Track listing:...
(CD) - Yep RocYep Roc RecordsYep Roc Records is an independent International record label based in Haw River, North Carolina and owned by Redeye Distribution . The label has put out albums by artists like The Go-Betweens, The Fleshtones, Gang of Four, The Reverend Horton Heat, and The Minus 5, as well as the work of important...
- 2003 - In Rock (CD) - Yep Roc - 2004
- At the OrganAt the OrganAt the Organ is an EP by American rock band The Minus 5. Released on Yep Roc in 2004, the album features a lineup of Peter Buck from R.E.M., Ken Stringfellow from the Posies, Rebecca Gates from the Spinanes, and Wilco.-Track listing:...
(CD) - Yep Roc - 2004 - The Minus 5The Minus 5 (album)The Minus 5 is the self-titled seventh full-length album by American rock band The Minus 5. Featuring a lineup of Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck , Bill Rieflin, and John Ramberg, it was released in 2006 on Yep Roc records and features contributions from Kelly Hogan, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists,...
(CD) - Yep Roc - 2006 - Sad Hasselhoff [EP] (Vinyl limited 1000 copies) - Yep Roc - 2008
- KillingsworthKillingsworthKillingsworth is the eighth studio album by The Minus 5, released on Yep Roc Records in 2009.-Track listing:#"Dark Hand of Contagion"#"The Long Hall"#"The Disembowlers"#"The Lurking Barrister"#"It Won't Do You Any Good"#"Vintage Violet"...
(CD) - Yep Roc - 2009 - Butcher Covered (CD) (Limited Edition covers compilation - only available at shows) - Book Records - 2009