Think of the most iconic bands associated with the exploding U.S. indie-rock scene of the 1980s, and who comes to mind first? R.E.M., Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and the Pixies, perhaps? Salem 66 were peers to all four of those groups. They shared a label with Sonic Youth, a recording studio with the Pixies, a club stage with Dinosaur Jr., and frequent record-review comparisons with R.E.M. You might not have heard of them yet — but a new compilation and reissue series is set on changing that.
Don Giovanni Records, a key player in the indie-rock scene of a more recent era, announced today that they are releasing a new Salem 66 best-of set called Salt on June 6, drawn from the four albums and two EPs that the group released between 1984 and 1990. They’ve also put the band’s full catalog on streaming. Lead single “Lucky Penny,” released as a single today, is full of bubbly jangle-pop textures that contrast nicely with a darker post-punk strain in the vocals. Listen to it a couple of times, and you’ll swear it’s a lost gem from the Our Band Could Be Your Life era.
Founded in 1982 in Boston by musicians Judy Grunwald, Beth Kaplan, and Susan Merriam (later joined by a rotating group of other collaborators), Salem 66 quickly found a place in the underground rock scene of the day. They released all their albums through Homestead Records, the scrappy label that was also home to early releases by both Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth; when Dinosaur Jr. played their first New York show, it was an opening gig for Salem 66. They recorded their fourth album at Fort Apache Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie (soon to be famous for their work with Radiohead, Hole, and Uncle Tupelo).
Clearly, this band’s indie bona fides are second to none. So why have they remained under the radar compared to so many of their contemporaries? One factor is suggested by the line in today’s press release that notes diplomatically that Salem 66 were “one of the only women-led bands in their scene.”
A late-1980s press kit for the band includes clippings from The Village Voice, The Boston Globe, Washington City Paper, The Boston Phoenix, Rolling Stone, and many other outlets. While the clips are full of praise for Salem 66’s original sound, there’s also more than a whiff of dismissive sexist attitudes and backhanded compliments in some of them. (In an otherwise very positive review of 1987’s Frequency and Urgency, one writer observes: “Salem 66 has made at least one friend with this record, though you’d be crazy to want to go out with any of them. They might write a song about you.” Come on, dude.)
In a statement, Kaplan said that she and Grunwald chose “the songs that felt the most like us” for Salt, the new compilation spanning their entire career. “I hope you enjoy this record,” she added. “If you were there with us, on the scene, whether in Boston or another town, I hope this brings you back to those youthful, passionate, perfectly imperfect days. If the band or the songs are new to you, or if you were born a generation or two after the fact, I hope you enjoy a glimpse at this sliver of a sliver of history.”
