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ALTERNATIVE NRG

LABEL
Hollywood Records

CATALOG #
HR-61449-2

RELEASE DATE
Feb 04 1994

Alternative NRG was released in 1994 to benefit Greenpeace. According to the liner notes, the disc was recorded in 14 separate venues across America, using a recording truck that was powered exclusively by Cyrus. Cyrus is a converted 28-foot aluminum box trailer, upon which is mounted a 160 square foot, 1,920-watt solar panel array, consisting of 40 1x4-foot solar modules. The entire solar array can be hydraulically tilted to track the sun's seasonal variations and capture the optimum sunlight. The power produced by the solar array is stored in two 48-volt, sealed, long-life batteries totalling 2,500 amp-hours or 110,000 watt-hours when fully charged. This whole shebang, once converted to AC (the sun is DC), can generate the electricity needed for an average-size house for several days. It was certainly enough to power the mobile recording setup used for Alternative NRG. The artists and tracks on this compilation are as follows:
  1. REM - Drive
  2. James - Ring The Bells
  3. U2 - Until the End of The World
  4. Midnight Oil - Tell Me The Truth
  5. Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Everyday Life Has Become A Health Risk
  6. Soundgarden/Brian May - New Damage
  7. The Jesus and Mary Chain - New Kind of Kick
  8. UB40 - Sing Our Own Song
  9. Annie Lennox - Cold
  10. P.M. Dawn - Looking Through Patient Eyes
  11. The Soup Dragons - Sweetmeat
  12. EMF - Search and Destroy
  13. Yothu Yindi - Yolngu Boy
  14. Sonic Youth - JC
  15. Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. - Fam Bam
  16. L7 - Shitlist

"New Damage," which runs 5:20, was recorded in two separate locations. Brian May's part was in PIE Studio OD'S in Glen Cove, New York; Soundgarden was recorded at Bear Creek Studio in Seattle, Washington. The song was produced by Michael Beinhorn (who also produced Superunknown) and mixed by Chris Cornell in 1993. The main difference between this and the version of "New Damage" that appears on Badmotorfinger (besides the addition of Brian May in the newer version) is that the newer version is much, much heavier -- the opening is huge. May actually has a minimal part; you can only hear him if you really try. There is a soundclip [AU: 274,776] available.