Research Projects

The Very Pleasant Neighbor Discography

Very Pleasant Neighbor began in 1988 and overtime it was rendered into an acronym: VPN.  Due to the unfortunate invention of the internet and the subsequent invention of the search engine, this acronym became virtually unsearchable. An eclectic but brilliant indie rock band became lost in a slush of false positives.I wrote about them for Stranded in Stereo a couple years back and my interest was re-kindled by the random discovery of one of their early demo tapes.

The band ceased to exist around 2004. Nonetheless, they are renowned than they deserve to be. There is nothing in my powers that can do to undo this injustice. But here I hope to make one  positive contribution to their legacy. I am attempting to catalog a complete list of their releases. I realize that there are some gaps here. I'll add on as I learn more.

* 10-2-11 added abrasive paper 7"
* 10-8-11 added both cassette track listings
* 10-9-11 added more track listings.
*10-10-11 added Boing Boing Boing cassette info
*10-12-11 started www.verypleasantneighbor.com
*10-17-11 new data on Boing track listing
*10-18-11 high res scans on LMNOP and RETROAMAZER


TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
The Very Pleasant Neighbor 1989Self releasedCassette
*This particular copy has a hand-written track listing different than the one on the insert. I suspect they were re-using old tapes and old inserts then dubbing over them with a set of new recordings as they played later shows a common practice. I list both track listings here because they were both probably valid at different times.

HANDWRITTEN LISTING

SIDE A:
1. Oooh
2. Screwed On Backwards
SIDE B
1. ½ A Song
2. Stick Of Gum
3. Ambiguity Festival
4. Trampoline
5. Favorite Song
6. Liquid Space Food
7. The Cake Lady
8. Candidate
9. Nose Is Nose
10. Eskimo
11. My Generation
12. Sally Sue
13. Hot Blooded

INSERT LISTING
SIDE A:
1. I Can't Really say
2. People Are Stupid
3. The Space Between Songs
4. Murphy's Lawyer
5. The Bacon Bit
6. The Thing Over There
SIDE B:
7. Six Bats (3 baseball 3 vampire)
8. Experimental Moment
9. Boyfriend In France
10. I Do It All For You
11. Reeba the Amoeba
12. Orange + Mushy


TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
Boing Boing Boing Boing 1990?Self releasedCassette

SIDE A:
1 penny
2 thank you
3 counting the moon
4 wait, wait...now
5 ooh!
6 bulldog
7 increments
8 murphy's lawyer
9the ballad of rigorous mort
10 prince of the roaches
11 crispy
12 your song here

SIDE B:
13 orange and mushy
14 zero
15 erasable mattress
16 boy in a void
17 people are stupid
18 welder
19 oxmallet
20 welder
21 heaven
22 bad penny
23 my tenth generation
24 seven slice pizza template
25 boyfriend in France



TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
The Very Pleasant Neighbor unknownSelf releasedCassette
SIDE A:

1.Zero
2.Penny
3.Success Story
4.Erasable Mattress
5.Bent Metal

Image courtesy of Kevin Bayer





TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
Retro Amazer unknownFang7-Inch
SIDE A:
1. Retro Amazer
2. Orange + Mushy
SIDE B:
3. Boyfriend In France
4. Eskimo
5. Oxmallet


TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
Geezer Lake Split 1994DTOX7-Inch
1. VPN - Boy With Only One Head
2. Geezer Lake - Applecart Sink


TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
LMNOP unknownDark Beloved Cloud7-Inch
*a mysterious :56 second 1-sided 7-inch
1. lmnop



TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
Penny 1992Dark Beloved Cloud7-Inch
SIDE A
1. Hey Bulldog
2. Counting The Moon
SIDE B  
3. Penny
4. Bent Metal

TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
Boy With Only One Head 1994Big Ten RexCDEP
1. Vacuum
2. High-heeled gloves (unfriendly mix)
3. Increments
4. Boy with only one head
5. Why do I dig holes
6. Counting the moon

TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
V/A Dangerous Inventions 1995Pallywag RecordingsCD
They contribute a remix of "High Heeled Gloves" (The Big Mix)

TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
Small Wire 1998Evil Teen RecordsCD
1. Patty Hearst
2. Turn Off
3. Eleanor (has 4 arms)
4. Laughing For Help
5. Skywriting
6. Submarine
7. In Cement
8. One Half Of Our Funeral
9. Don't Cut Me Out
10. Faster Than Melting
11. She Has A Leak

TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
Abrasive Paper 1998Evil Teen Records7-Inch
1. Elenor (Has Four Arms)
2. Laughing For Help



TITLE YEARLABELFORMAT
For Nearby Stars 2001Evil Teen RecordsCD
1. Flypaper
2. The Flood
3. Flame
4. Sleepwalking
5. Ten Years From Tomorrow
6. Perfumigation
7. American Car
8. Eraser
9. Tied
10. From The Ceiling
11. Wave