Geneva were formed in 1992 by vocalist Andrew Montgomery and guitarist Steven Dora, who recruited second guitarist Stuart Evans, bass player Keith Graham and finally drummer Craig Brown, under their original name of Sunfish. One of their demos found their way to Suede's record label, Nude, who signed the band in 1996, changing their name in the process, first to Garland, then later to Geneva. Their first single 'No One Speaks' was released the same year, and the band garnered enough press to headline NME's annual Bratbus tour of up and coming bands in early 1997, releasing their second single 'Into The Blue' to coincide with the tour. They fitted well with the current musical scene and were well promoted by the UK music press of the time, who saw them as a reaction to the fading Britpop scene, with many bands rejecting the laddish ideals of bands like Oasis. They wrote darker, more intelligent songs, in the vein of contemporaries such as Gene and Strangelove, while Montgomery's relatively high-pitched vocals were often compared to those of Suede's Brett Anderson. Their debut album, 'Further', appeared in June 1997, and it mixed power pop with darker brooding songs, and reached No. 20 in the UK Albums Chart, while all four singles from the album reached the UK Top 40. The second album, 'Weather Underground', was released in March 2000, after more than a year of wrangling with the band's record label, but following the release of 'If You Have To Go' as a single from the album, the band split up later that year. Geneva were ultimately consigned to the also-rans of the late 90's indie scene, releasing just two albums in their short career, but surprisingly including two more album's worth of songs on the b-sides of their singles, and here they all are as a reminder of this idiosyncratic and under-rated group.
Track listing
Disc I - 1996-1997
01 What Your Shrink Says (b-side of 'No One Speaks' 1996)
02 Closer To The Stars (b-side of 'No One Speaks' 1996)
03 Keep The Light On (b-side of 'No One Speaks' 1996)
04 Driftwood (b-side of 'Tranquilizer' 1997)
05 Dead Giveaway (b-side of 'Tranquilizer' 1997)
06 Strung Out On You (b-side of 'Tranquilizer' 1997)
07 Michaelmas (b-side of 'Tranquilizer' 1997)
08 Compulsive Love Disorder (b-side of 'Tranquilizer' 1997)
09 Selfbelief (b-side of 'Best Regrets' 1997)
10 Feel The Joy (b-side of 'Best Regrets' 1997)
11 Raymond Chandler (b-side of 'Best Regrets' 1997)
12 Last Orders (b-side of 'Best Regrets' 1997)
Disc II - 1997-2000
01 At The Core (b-side of 'Into The Blue' 1997)
02 Riverwatching (b-side of 'Into The Blue' 1997)
03 Land's End (b-side of 'Into The Blue' 1997)
04 Echo Chamber (b-side of 'Dollars In The Heavens' 1999)
05 Faintest Tremor In The Weakest Heart (b-side of 'Dollars In The Heavens' 1999)
06 She's So Familiar (b-side of 'Dollars In The Heavens' 1999)
07 When You Close Your Eyes (b-side of 'Dollars In The Heavens' 1999)
08 Promised Land ('Weather Underground' out-take 1999)
09 Bring Down The Sun (b-side of 'If You Have To Go' 2000)
10 Vostok (b-side of 'If You Have To Go' 2000)
11 Mindreading (b-side of 'If You Have To Go' 2000)
12 Hale Bopp (Proto Mix) (previously unreleased)
