THE MINUS FIVE (a brief compendium)

Scott McCaughey. Charioteer, optometrist, master brewer, or corpse? The blatherers rage on. What HAS been established is that “McCoy” is long addicted to rock’n’roll and its variable sidekicks, at great expense to family and friends. To wit:
Young Fresh Fellows (1983 - present) - songwriter, singer, instrumentalist
The Minus 5 (1993 - present) - songwriter, singer, instrumentalist
R.E.M. (1994 - present) - intrumentalist
Tuatara (1996 - present) - instrumentalist, songwriter.

With these groups Scott has made many records (best seller: 5 million; worst seller: 450) and played many shows (highest attendance: 125,000; lowest: 8). “McOi” is always available and enthusiastic when it comes to these activities. In fact, there have been many other bands that have “benefited” from Scott’s talents (first documented stage appearance: 1972, with Vannevar Bush & His Differential Analyzers). A complete discography may never exist.

Thee Minus 5 itself started when McCaughey realized he had a dumptruckload of songs that the Young Fresh Fellows would either never get around to, or wisely chose not to. His friends and fellow Seattleites Peter Buck, Ken Stringfellow, and Jon Auer were quick to volunteer to help Scott capture his “Let The Bad Times Roll” vision, and these early sessions produced The Hello EP and Old Liquidator. Many other luminants have since joined the ranks of the Minus 5. (See Down with Wilco, the recent pop masterpiece that’s a collaboration uniting the Minus 5 with Wilco.) It’s a bit like a cancer, really.

Great Moments in The Minus Five

Yes, there have been many but this hardly seems the time or the place to go into them.

Great Moments in Scott McCaughey (in order)

1. October 1994 finds SM performing with R.E.M. on Saturday Night Live and consorting with Bill Murray and Chevy Chase. In a fashion. Chase has a flask of whiskey in suit pocket; McOi makes note of this. Later gives Chase unsolicited, in depth, and quite favorable review of Cops And Robbersons.
3. T. Rex / Poco / Doobie Brothers bill at Winterland, 1972.
3. School lunch “sermon;” jail time.
1. SM plays the vibraphone, with R.E.M., backing Neil Young on “Ambulance Blues” two nights running at the Bridge Concerts, Oct. 1999.
1. Young Fresh Fellows first concert, opening for Sun Ra at the Rainbow Tavern in Seattle WA, Dec. 1983. SM buys mysterious vinyl album (which features Pharoah Sanders) from Mr. Ra himself in dressing room.
2. YFF in-store at Tower Records, Shibuya Tokyo Japan. Members of Japanese band the Circus Posters attend, perform private concert of YFF songs for SM.
2. 1998: SM writes magnum opus “There Is No Music,” records both YFF and M5 versions, shitcans them both.
2. Young Fresh Fellows conquer Spain, like Cortez. Spanish insist on yearly conquerings from 1992 to present. Occasional complying results. Callemacha = red wine + Coca Cola.
3. SM and Mike Mills play keyboards on “Mindtrain” with Yoko Ono at the Crocodile in Seattle, 1998. Yoko totally digs SM’s scene. And vice versa.
4. March 2001 - M5 performance of “You Don’t Mean It” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Minus 5 Discography

ALBUMS/EPS
At the Organ (Yep Roc Records 2004); In Rock (Yep Roc Records 2004); Down With Wilco (Yep Roc 2003); Let The War Against Music Begin Vol. 2 (unreleased); Let The War Against Music Begin (Mammoth/Malt 2001); My Chartreuse Opinion (re-issue of 1989 McCaughey LP, Malt/Hollywood 1997); The Lonesome Death Of Buck McCoy (Malt/Hollywood 1997); Emperor Of The Bathroom EP (East Side Digital 1995); Old Liquidator (Glitterhouse/East Side Digital 1995; Malt/Hollywood 1997); Hello EP (Hello Recording Club 1994)

SINGLES
“A Thousand Years Away” b/w “Echos Myron”/”Wicked Annabella” 45 (Houston Party, Spain 2000)

TRACKS ON COMPILATIONS
“I Still Miss Someone” (Love Is My Only Crime compilation, Veracity, Germany 1994)
“Power To The People” (Working Class Hero compilation, Hollywood 1995)
“Find A Finger” (Live At The Crocodile compilation, PopLlama 1996)
“The Vulture #4” (The Big Choice compilation, Bands We Like 1997)
“People Say” (Songs of Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry compilation, PolyGram 1997)
“Government Center” (An Evening In Edenbrook Forest compilation, Book 1997)
“Doodle” (More Oar: A Tribute To The Skip Spence Album, Birdman 1999)
“Find A Finger” (Houston Party Compilation Vol. 1, Houston Party, Spa in 1999)
“Ghost Tarts Of Stockholm” (Hit The Hay Vol. 3, Sound Asleep, Sweden 1999)
“The Great Divider” (Sir Jeffrey Pumpernickel compilation, Off 2001)
“Dear Friend” (Listen To What The Man Said - Paul McCartney Tribute compilation, Oglio 2001)
“Wicked Annabella” “Give The People What They Want”(Songs of the Kinks, Burn Burn Burn/SubPop 2001)
“High School” / “How Many Bones” (The World of Dr. Illteams compilation, Book 2001)
“Get Back In Line” “This Is Where I Belong” (Songs of Ray Davies & The Kinks, Praxis/Ryko 2002)

Future Scheduled Minus Five Releases on Yep Roc

Big City Dick - Original Soundtrack; Re: Percussions; Satan’s Sublet; Out Of The Plangedragon And Into The Vespagne (2-CD); Duets Featuring Leroy Jenkins, Joanne Castle, June Tabor, Robert Lloyd, Perry Robinson, Mark Eitzel, John Gilmore, Rose Maddox, Beaver & Krause, Ben Gibbard, David S. Ware, and Rusty Young; Orphan Of The Carnival - The Songs Of Jimmy Silva; The Minus 5 At The Autoharp; Welcome To The Dollhouse & Other Favorite Movie Themes; Snug Harbors; The Minus 5 & 96 Strings; Tiger Butter (Instrumentals For Listening); Buck McCoy And The Cauldron Of Pus; Dangerous Chords Ahead; The Minus 5 Live At The Bitter End (Live).