The Sidewinders - What She Said: The Best Of The Sidewinders (1991)

The Sidewinders were formed in the spring of 1985 by guitarist Rich Hopkins and vocalist David Slutes, and they released their first record, '¡Cuacha!', on San Jacinto Records in 1988, subsequently signing to RCA/Mammoth Records, where they released two full-length albums, 1989's 'Witchdoctor' and 1990's 'Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall', with 'Witchdoctor' cracking the lower echelons of the Billboard 200 at No. 169. In 1990, Mammoth/RCA released a 7 track promo-only CD entitled 'Do Not Play This Disc - For Educational Purposes Only', and on the strength of two modern rock radio hits in 'Witchdoctor' and 'We Don't Do That Any More', the band scored exposure on MTV and VH1 and embarked on a worldwide tour, but their career was soon sidelined due to legal problems. In 1991, a North Carolina band known as Sidewinders sued the group over the use of its name, and it took two years to sort out the proceedings and secure the release of their next album, now under the name Sand Rubies. As the Sand Rubies, they released a self-titled album on Polydor/Atlas in 1993, and at one point, Pearl Jam served as their opening act. However, due to attrition over the period of the legal troubles, the rhythm section of the band had departed, and the Sand Rubies dissolved during a tour in 1993, just as two other Arizona rock bands, Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments, were attracting mainstream attention. A few one-off shows were given in 1995 and 1996 before an official Sand Rubies reunion was announced in October 1996, and a show at SXSW followed in 1997, as did a new album, 'Return Of The Living Dead', in 1998. They were able to independently release a best-of collection of tracks from their major label years, as well as an all-covers album, 'Release The Hounds' in 1999, after which the band broke up again. The Sidewinders' debut album is one of may favourite records of the late 80's in any genre, and they should have been as big as Giant Sand and Green On Red from the same period, but they just never got the breaks, and the legal issues over their name really knocked them back. I hope that this collection of some of their best work as The Sidewinders brings them to the attention of a new audience some 40 years later. 

Track listing

01 I Can Wait (from '¡Cuacha!' 1987)
02 Solitary Man (from 'Witchdoctor' 1989)
03 We Don't Do That Anymore (from 'Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall' 1990)
04 I'll Go Home (from '¡Cuacha!' 1987)
05 Don't Cry No Tears (from '3I' EP 1991)
06 Witchdoctor (from 'Witchdoctor' 1989)
07 Sara's Not Sober (from 'Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall' 1990)

08 I Guess It Doesn't Matter (from '¡Cuacha!' 1987) 

09 You're Gonna Miss Me (from '3I' EP 1991)
10 Bad Crazy Sun (from 'Witchdoctor' 1989)
11 Blood On Our Hands (from 'Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall' 1990)
12 What She Said (from 'Witchdoctor' 1989)
13 More Than That (from '¡Cuacha!' 1987)
14 7 & 7 Is (from 'Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall' 1990)