Material Issue
| Material Issue | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1985–1996 |
| Labels | Mercury, Rykodisc |
| Associated acts |
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| Past members |
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Material Issue was an American power pop trio from Chicago, Illinois. The band's trademark was pop songs with themes of love and heartbreak, with a number of song titles using girls' first names.
Formed in 1985, Material Issue was the brainchild of frontman Jim Ellison, who also played guitar, sang lead vocals, and wrote most Material Issue songs. Ellison met Material Issue's bassist Ted Ansani while both were attending Columbia College Chicago in 1986. Drummer Mike Zelenko was found through an ad in the Illinois Entertainer later that year.
In 1987, Material Issue released an EP on their own Big Block Label (so named for the big block engines of the 1970s muscle cars Ellison loved) which operated out of Ellison's bedroom at his parents home in Addison, Illinois. In 1988, "Sixteen Tambourines" appeared on CMJ New Music Report's compilation and CMJ referred to Material Issue's music as a "hooky brand of high-powered psycho-pop". In 1989, they released the single "Renee Remains The Same" which got heavy airplay around Chicago. Over the next two years, the band toured extensively across the Midwest and found time to record what would become their debut album International Pop Overthrow (IPO). The album was a compilation of various demos recorded between roughly 1988-1991 and produced by Jeff Murphy from the Chicago area power pop band Shoes, and recorded at Short Order Recorder, their studio in Zion, IL.
In early 1991, Material Issue broke onto the national scene with their debut album International Pop Overthrow (IPO) which sold over 300,000 copies for Mercury Records. Ironically, their debut video for the single "Diane" appeared on MTV's 120 Minutes in late December 1990 which was the episode of the final appearance of Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson of The Replacements in sort of a fitting segue between the lesser-known music genres of the two decades. Also, Material Issue and The Replacements shared the stage at Taste of Chicago in 1991, which was the swansong for The Replacements. IPO had extensive national airplay with "Valerie Loves Me" and "Diane" and music critic Jae-Ha Kim declared "Simple Minds upstaged by Material Issue".
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