As Motown Records was to Detroit so was / is Sub Pop Records to Seattle. From it’s humble beginnings in 1979 as the fanzine “Subterranean Pop” by the late 1980s, early 1990s, Sub Pop Records helped to launch a new musical genre… grunge; made the city of Seattle the musical center of the rock world, and in the process managed to kill the careers of many of the hair-metal bands that up until then had dominated the air waves.

Originally started in 1979 by Bruce Pavitt as the fanzine “Subterranean Pop” by 1986 he was releasing the first Sub Pop LP, the compilation “Sub Pop 100″ ; while 1987 saw the release of the “Dry as a Bone” EP by Green River.

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden introduced Pavitt to Jonathan Poneman and the two decided to form a record label. With several local bands signed to the label “Pavitt and Poneman worked to popularize the music to popularize their label.”

Their first step was the creation of the Sub Pop Singles Club a subscription service that allowed subscribers to receive monthly singles by local bands. The first release of the Singles Club was Nirvana’s “Love Buzz/Big Cheese”, in November 1988.

While they achieved fame in the 1990’s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and other local Seattle bands; and for taking the first steps in popularizing grunge music; they’ve also found success in the 2000’s with indie pop bands The Postal Service and The Shins.

A partial roster of artists who were / are signed to Sub Pop or released an album on Sub Pop over the years includes:

5ive Style	godheadSilo	Screaming Trees
A Frames	Green Magnet School	Scud Mountain Boys
Afghan Whigs	Green River	Seaweed
All night radio	Hazel	Sebadoh
Arlo	Heather Duby	Shiner
Babes in Toyland	Hellacopters	Six Finger Satellite
Band of Horses	Heroic Doses	Sleater-Kinney
Baptist Generals	Holopaw	Smashing Pumpkins
Beachwood Sparks	Hot Hot Heat	Sonic Youth
Beat Happening	Iron & Wine	Soul-Junk
Big Chief	Jale	Soundgarden
Billy Childish	Jason Loewenstein	Sprinkler
Blood Circus	Jennifer Gentle	Steve Fisk
Boyd Rice	Jeremy Enigk	Sunny Day Real Estate
Bright Eyes	Julie Doiron	Supersnazz
Broken Girl	Kelley Stoltz	Tad
CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy)	Kinski	Tall Birds
Cat Butt	L7	Ten Minute Warning
Chad VanGaalen	Les Thugs	The Album Leaf
Chappaquiddick Skyline	Loney, Dear	The Black Halos
Chemistry Set	Looper	The Brunettes
Chixdiggit!	Love as Laughter	The Catheters
Chris and Carla	Low	The Constantines
Codeine	Lubricated Goat	The Dwarves
Combustible Edison	Mark Lanegan	The Elected
Comets on Fire	Michael Yonkers	The Evil Tambourines
Cosmic Psychos	Migala	The Fastbacks
Courtney Fortune	Modest Mouse	The Grifters
Damien Jurado	Mudhoney	The Hardship Post
Damon & Naomi	Nebula	The Helio Sequence
David Cross	Nirvana	The Jesus and Mary Chain
Dead Moon	Oxford Collapse	The Makers
Death Cab for Cutie	Pedro the Lion	The Murder City Devils
Death Vessel	Pernice Brothers	The Postal Service
Dinosaur Jr	Pigeonhed	The Shins
Dntel	Pissed Jeans	The Spinanes
Earth	Pleasure Forever	The Supersuckers
Elevator Through	Plexi	The Thermals
Elevator to Hell	Poison 13	The Tyde
Eric Matthews	Pond	The Walkabouts
Eric’s Trip	Radio Birdman	The White Stripes
Flight of The Conchords	Rapeman	The Wipers
Fluid	Red House Painters	Thee Headcoats
Frausdots	Red Red Meat	Trembling Blue Stars
Friends of Dean Martinez	Rein Sanction	Ugly Casanova
Fruit Bats	The Reverend Horton Heat	Vaselines
Gardener	Rogue Wave	Velocity Girl
Gas Huffer	Rosie Thomas	Wolf Eyes
Gluecifer	S*M*A*S*H	Wolf Parade
Godflesh	Saint Etienne	Zumpano

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Curtis W. Pitts: Sub Pop Employee Of The Month

Playing time: 56 minutes 37 seconds

 

 

1. Sebadoh - Sacred Attention (2:48)
2. Velocity Girl - Crazy Town (3:47)
3. Big Chief - One Born Every Minute (5:26)
4. Pond - Cinders (4:47)
5. Eric’s Trip - Blue Sky For Julie \ Smother (4:03)
6. Pigeonhed - Ain’t It So (6:26)
7. Hazel - Truly (6:02)
8. Reverend Horton Heat - 400 Bucks (3:08)
9. Supersnazz - Uncle Wiggly (2:50)
10. Les Thugs - Flags (2:36)
11. Six Finger Satellite - Funny Like A Clown (3:43)
12. Sebadoh - Show Snippets (11:01)

 

 

Buy Curtis W. Pitts Sub Pop Employee Of The Month from Amazon.com

 

 

The John Peel Sub-Pop Sessions 1989 - 1993

Playing time: 37 minutes 28 seconds

 

 

 

 

1. John Peel - Greetings from John Peel (0:10)
2. Mudhoney - By Her Own Hand (3:17)
3. Mudhoney - Here Comes Sickness (3:34)
4. Mudhoney - You Make Me Die (1:37)
5. Tad - Helot (1:55)
6. Seaweed - Sit in Glass (2:19)
7. Seaweed - She Cracked (2:07)
8. Pond - You Pretty Thing (3:06)
9. Pond - Cinders (4:15)
10. Velocity Girl - Here Comes (4:05)
11. Velocity Girl - Always (3:01)
12. Velocity Girl - Crazy Town (3:51)
13. Codeine - Broken-Hearted Wine (4:11)

 

 

Buy The John Peel Sub-Pop Sessions 1989 - 1993 from Sub Pop.com

 

 

That Virtua Feeling (Sub Pop and Sega Get Together) (Promo)

Playing time: 36 minutes 49 seconds

 

 

 

 

1. Supersuckers - Marie (3:28)
2. Plexi - Caught Up (2:30)
3. Red Red Meat - Chain Chain Chain (3:47)
4. The Fastbacks - I Know (4:23)
5. Sunny Day Real Estate - Theodore B. (3:07)
6. Eric Matthews - Fanfare (2:56)
7. Velocity Girl - Finest Hour (3:01)
8. Pond - Sundial (4:21)
9. Six Finger Satellite - Parlour Games (3:02)
10. The Hardship Post - Watchin You (1:57)
11. Teen Angels - Teen Dream (2:04)
12. Sebadoh - Rebound (2:13)

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