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The Vaselines
(Scotland) Glasgow
The band formed in 1986, and released two short EPs, Son of a Gun, which featured a cover of Divine's "You Think You're a Man" on its B-side, and Dying for It, which featured the songs "Molly's Lips" and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam," both of which Nirvana would later cover. In 1989 they released their only album, Dum-Dum, on 53rd and 3rd Records. The band broke up shortly after its release. They briefly reformed in 1990 to open for Nirvana when they played in Edinburgh.

Though they were not widely known outside of Scotland during their short career, their association with Nirvana brought exposure to the band. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain once described Kelly and McKee as his "most favorite songwriters in the whole world", and even named his daughter Frances Bean Cobain after McKee.[2][3] With their songs "Son of a Gun" and "Molly's Lips" covered on Nirvana's album Incesticide and "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" covered on MTV Unplugged in New York, the band gained a new audience. At the 1991 Reading Festival, Kelly joined Nirvana on stage for a performance of "Molly's Lips."[1] In 1992, Sub Pop released The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History, a compilation that contained The Vaselines' entire body of work.

Kelly went on to found the band Captain America (later renamed Eugenius after legal threats from Marvel Comics), supporting Nirvana on their U.K. tour.[1] He currently performs solo and released a solo album Man Alive in 2004. McKee founded the band Suckle along with Seenan and released her first solo album, Sunny Moon, in 2006.

Branko Stojanov

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Releases:
Son Of A Gun (12") 1987
on 53rd & 3rd Records - AGARR 010
Dying For It (7"+12")
on 53rd & 3rd Records - AGARR 017
- Dying For It
- Molly's Lips
- Teenage Superstars
- Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
Dum-Dum (LP)
on 53rd & 3rd Records - AGAS 007
Dying For It (7") Aug 1991
on Seminal Twang Records - TWANG 4
All The Stuff And More (LP) 1992
The Way of the Vaselines - A Complete History (CD) 1992
on Sub Pop
Compilation
On compilations:
Rough Trade Shops Indiepop 1  (CD2) 3-Oct-2004
on Mute - CDSTUMM 239
500 copies with free 7", released by the Rough Trade shop in London
- Molly's Lips
Last updated: 21-Aug-2009 © 1994-2024 TweeNet Creative Commons License