Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1984, the original line-up included Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), Bill Berry (drums - then still with R.E.M.), plus Warren Zevon on vocals and piano. This line-up released one single, "Narrator", without much success.
Buck, Mills and Berry joined Zevon on his album Sentimental Hygiene (1987). During an all-night (and supposedly drunken) session using remaining studio time after the completion of Zevon's album, the four recorded ten cover songs, mostly blues standards. Although originally not intended for publication, these recordings were finally released by Giant Records on the album Hindu Love Gods (1990). The song that received the most attention was a rock version of Prince's 1985 hit "Raspberry Beret", which reached #23 on the Modern Rock charts. During a concert at The Shadow in Kansas City in December 1990, Zevon commented that the album was "selling by the shitload," whereupon one of his backing band informed him that it was "selling like shit."
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