Majesty Crush

Majesty Crush was an American indie rock band which belonged to the shoegazing genre popularized in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Majesty Crush formed in 1990 and broke up in 1995. The band's lineup consisted of lead singer David Stroughter (1966-2017[1][2]), bassist Hobey Echlin, guitarist Michael Segal and drummer Odell Nails III.

Majesty Crush
OriginDetroit, Michigan, USA
GenresShoegazing, dream pop, indie rock
Years active1990–1995
LabelsVulva, Chameleon/Dali, Davies Productions, Ché Trading, Numero Group
Past membersHobey Echlin
Odell Nails
Mike Segal
David Stroughter

History

Majesty Crush served as the opening act at shows in the early 1990s for such bands as Jesus Jones, Mazzy Star, Royal Trux, and The Verve. The song "No. 1 Fan" picked up significant radio airplay on Windsor, Ontario's 89X, and led to Majesty Crush signing with Dali Records, a Warner/Elektra subsidiary. The label released Love 15, the band's lone studio album, in 1993.[3] AllMusic's Joshua Glazer described the album as "a testament to what might have been, if only the band's four members lived in Manchester instead of Detroit."[4] The band's momentum came to an abrupt halt, however, when Dali folded within a month of the album's release.[3][5] Majesty Crush returned a year later with the self-released Sans Muscles EP before breaking up in 1995.[6] David Stroughter went on to form the band P.S. I Love You.[7] Odell Nails later drummed for Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, the similarly shimmery and ethereal bands Astrobrite and Mahogany (band), and the more garage indie-punk outfit Hunters.

In 2009, Full Effect Records released the compilation album I Love You in Other Cities: The Best of Majesty Crush 1990–1995. OC Weekly's Dave Segal remarked that the album "offers 14 reasons why we should still care about this footnote in shoegaze-rock history."[3] AllMusic's Heather Phares called it "a good retrospective of a band that just may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time."[6] Laura Witkowski of Metro Times said the album "feels like the work of a superfan, one keen to share his excitement for a band deserving of more attention than it received."[8]

In 2020,Third Man Records chose "No.1 Fan" to be the lead off track of its Southeast Of Saturn compilation focusing on the best under-discovered early 90s ethereal and shoegaze bands from Detroit and its surrounding areas, and in 2023, the surviving members of the band entered into an exclusive license deal with the Numero Group which has been releasing various tracks in preparation for a Deluxe physical anthology release in 2024.

Musical style and lyrical content

While incorporating the same lush, dreamy sound as other shoegazing acts of the time, it was the lyrics of Majesty Crush songs that set them apart from other artists of the genre. Stroughter's often strange and obsessive lyrics cover such subjects as stalking Jodie Foster ("No. 1 Fan"), torture ("Boyfriend"), heroin ("Horse"), a female cashier at an adult book store ("Sunny Pie"), actresses ("Uma"), tennis stars ("Seles") and Italian porn stars ("Cicciolina").[3][4][9]

Discography

Studio album
Title Album details
Love 15

Compilation album
Title Album details
I Love You in Other Cities: The Best of Majesty Crush 1990–1995

EPs and singles
Title Details
"Sunny Pie" (7")
  • Released: 1991
  • Label: Vulva
"Grow" (7")
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Davies Productions
Fan (EP)
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Vulva
Sans Muscles (EP)
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: Vulva
"If JFA Were Still Together" (7" split with Spare Snare)

References
  1. Echlin, Hobey. "David Stroughter, 1966-2017: A remembrance". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
  2. "Officer Involved Shooting of David Stroughter" (PDF). Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  3. Segal, Save (2007-10-11). "Sprawl of Sound". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  4. Glazer, Joshua. "'Love 15' - Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  5. Duffy, Thom (1994-02-19). "Thrill of Discovery Draws Biz to MIDEM Showcases". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 45. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. Phares, Heather. "'I Love You in Other Cities: The Best of Majesty Crush 1990-1995' - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  7. Torreano, Bradley. "Majesty Crush - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  8. Witkowski, Laura (2009-02-25). "Days of future passed". Metro Times. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  9. Young, Robert (1993-11-04). "Majesty Crush loves to play the fame game". The Post and Courier. p. 17-D. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
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