JJ72 was formed in 1996 by lead singer and songwriter Mark Greaney and drummer Fergal Matthews, while studying at Belvedere College, and the name JJ72 derives from a window at the College made from 72 jam jars. After auditioning several bassists they recruited their schoolmate Garvin Smith in 1996, but after a few early gigs Smith left, and Greaney and Matthews once again set about auditions for a new bassist. Before the could recruit a new member of the band, Greaney and Matthews entered the studio as a duo in 1997 to record their first demo, which they sent to local record companies and media, but with little response. In 1998 they started university courses, but shortly after starting they decided to concentrate on the band, and after a concert at Behan's pub in Dublin, backed by a string quartet, and an appearance on local television, they recruited Hilary Woods, who Greaney had known for several years, to play bass, despite having only picked up the instrument recently. In 999 they recorded a second demo and targeted the UK, playing several gigs there and getting a write-up in Select, which led to interest from the Dublin-based Sony sub-label Lakota Records, who signed the band in mid-1999. Debut single 'October Swimmer' was released in November that year, and was named 'Single of the Week' by BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe. They were given support slots with The Dandy Warhols and My Vitriol, and the band had their first hit with 'Long Way South' in May 2000, which peaked at number 68 in the UK Charts. They released their eponymously titled debut album in Summer 2000, and it was a critical and commercial success, selling in excess of 500,000 copies in the band's native Ireland and in the UK, where it reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart.
Five singles were released from the record, and 'Oxygen' gave the band their first top 30 single in the UK, leading them to perform on Top of the Pops. After touring with Coldplay and Embrace, they set out on their own headline tour in 2001, and then supported Muse on a tour of Europe. The band's second album 'I To Sky' followed in October 2002, containing the singles 'Formulae' and 'Always And Forever', and it reached the Top 5 of the Irish album charts and the Top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. In February 2003, Woods left the band, and Greaney and Matthews recruited Canadian-born bassist Sarah Fox as her replacement. The band played sporadic shows throughout 2003, and began recording new material with producer Ken Thomas in August that year, for a release expected in January 2004, but by December it was reported that recording for the band's third album had been completed at Parkgate Studios, and a Spring 2005 release was tentatively announced. A download and 7"-only single 'She's Gone' was released in 2005, followed by second single, 'Coming Home' in August, but an ongoing dispute with their record labels Lakota Records/Sony held up the release of the album, and after an October 2005 release date failed to materialise the album was abandoned. On 22 June 2006, JJ72 issued a press release announcing they were to split up after 10 years together, citing their struggle with their record label as their main reason for the split. During their decade together JJ72 produced some fine music, with much of it being hidden away on the flips of their singles, and this collection gathers it all together to remind ourselves what an under-rated band they were.
Track listing
01 Gherkin (b-side of 'October Swimmer' 1999)
02 Fresh Water (b-side of 'Snow' 2000)
03 Earthly Delights (b-side of 'Long Way South' 2000)
04 Desertion (b-side of 'Oxygen' 2000)
05 Astoria (b-side of 'Oxygen' 2000)
06 It's A Sin (b-side of 'Algeria' 2000)
07 Guidance (b-side of 'October Swimmer' re-issue 2000)
08 Black Eyed Dog (b-side of 'October Swimmer' re-issue 2000)
09 Blood Tests (b-side of 'October Swimmer' re-issue 2000)
10 Wounded (b-side of 'Snow' re-issue 2001)
11 Dream'd In A Dream (b-side of 'Formulae' 2002)
12 Alabaster Ocean (b-side of 'Formulae' 2002)
13 Higher Than Gods (b-side of 'Formulae' 2002)
14 Dog (demo) (b-side of 'Always And Forever' 2002)
15 Wicked Game (b-side of 'Always And Forever' 2002)
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