Never Mind the Molluscs is a compilation EP released in March 1993http://theoldnet.com/get?timestamp=20021004045922&url=http://badger.ac.brocku.ca/%7Esn96ai/ericstrip/eric.html on Sub Pop Records."Stay home, grunge boss warns". Hamilton Spectator, September 16, 1993. Released as part of the Halifax Pop Explosion movement of the early 1990s, the EP featured four songs by emerging alternative rock bands from Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, (2011) Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995. (10th anniversary ed.) ECW Press. . p. 475. Two of the featured bands, Jale and Eric's Trip, were signed directly to Sub Pop, while Sloan were signed to Geffen Records;"VARIOUS ARTISTS: Never Mind the Molluscs". Montreal Gazette, April 17, 1993. the fourth band, Idée du Nord, were the only contributors to the compilation who never became widely known outside of the Maritime scene.
The studio sessions for this EP were done in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at Solar Audio Recording Studios.https://findingaids.library.dal.ca/solar-audio-recording-studio-collection Bob Weston produced and engineered the session, while Mike Nichols assisted in engineering the session.The sessions wrapped up 7 hours earlier than anticipated.Internal Sub Pop Memo, dated January 18, 1993 During these sessions, after initially passing on an offer to sign to Sub Pop in October 1992,https://maritimemusicscene.neocities.org/interviews/93/1993-10-24-wg Eric's Trip signed to Sub Pop.Internal Sub Pop Memo, dated January 18, 1993
Bob Weston had issues with Customs when bringing his recording equipment over the border.Internal Sub Pop Memo, dated January 18, 1993
The cover artwork was designed by Andrew Scott.
Eric's Trip contributed a medley of two separate songs, "Blue Sky for Julie/Smother", to the album. This version of "Smother" is a newer recording. The band first recorded "Smother" in July 1992.https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://rickwhitearchive.bandcamp.com/album/erics-trip-listen-cassette-july1992https://maritimemusicscene.neocities.org/sessions/studio/1992-07-xxa-et
Sloan later covered "Smother" for the Geffen Records compilation album DGC Rarities Volume 1; their version recombined "Smother" into a medley with a different Eric's Trip song, "Stove" from the album Love Tara.
Track listing Sloan, "Pillow Fight" Jale, "Lung" Eric's Trip, "Blue Sky for Julie/Smother" Idée du Nord, "Iodine Eyes"
References