Matador at 21: 6-CD charity box set and double vinyl

On September 28, on the eve of the label’s 21st anniversary celebration in Las Vegas, the Matador at 21 box set lands in stores. The limited-edition box contains five CDs documenting the history of the label with remastered songs released from 1989 through 2010, and one CD of unreleased live recordings from the Matador 10th Anniversary concerts in New York City in 1999. These were recorded to multitrack via the Rolling Stones Mobile Truck and not mixed down until now.

As shown above, the set comes in a blue-grey foil-stamped linen-bound box. The six CDs sit in custom digipaks. An 85-page perfect-bound book documents the history of the label with essays, photos, ephemera, emails and more. In addition, the box holds 36 custom Matador poker chips in three values.

The release has been assigned the catalog number OLE-1000, which is pushing it a little bit because we’re really only up to OLE-949 (the upcoming Kurt Vile 7?) in the main sequence. A budget-priced double vinyl set reproduces the contents of Disc 5, ‘Matador Today,’ and will be available on the same day as the box. All proceeds from the set will go to benefit three charities chosen by the label owners, enumerated at the bottom of this post. The artists have graciously agreed to donate their royalties as well in order to make this all possible.*




DISC 1 – THE PRE-DAWN (1989-1992)

1. Teenage Fanclub – Everything Flows
2. H.P. Zinker – Dancing Days
3. Superchunk – Slack Motherfucker
4. Dustdevils – Throw the Bottle Full
5. Railroad Jerk – These Streets
6. Come – Fast Piss Blues
7. Bettie Serveert – Kid’s Alright
8. Chain Gang – Cut Off The Drug Czar’s Head
9. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 – More Glee
10. Unsane – This Town
11. Circle X – Compression of the Species
12. Toiling Midgets – Mr. Foster’s Shoes
13. Bailter Space – The Today Song
14. Pavement – Perfume-V

DISC TWO – THE YEARS OF MILK AND HONEY (1993-1995)

1. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Afro
2. Yo La Tengo – Big Day Coming
3. Railroad Jerk – The Ballad of Railroad Jerk
4. Helium – Superball
5. Pizzicato Five – Baby Love Child
6. Liz Phair – Mesmerizing
7. Pavement – Silence Kit
8. Guided By Voices – Game Of Pricks
9. 18th Dye – Whole Wide World
10. Chavez – Peeled Out Too Late
11. Come – String
12. Moonshake – Secondhand Clothes
13. Guitar Wolf – Midnight Violence Rock’n Roll
14. San Francisco Seals – Back Again
15. Bardo Pond – Rumination

DISC 3: DAYS OF WHISKEY AND TEARS (1996-2001)

1. Boards Of Canada – Telephasic Workshop
2. Spoon – Waiting For The Kid To Come Out
3. Yo La Tengo – Autumn Sweater
4. Chavez – You Must Be Stopped
5. Silkworm – Tarnished Angel
6. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Flavor Part 1 (Beck)
7. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Flavor Part 2 (Mike D)
8. Pole – Fliegen
9. Cat Power – American Flag
10. Belle & Sebastian – We Rule The School
11. Mogwai – Helps Both Ways
12. Arsonists – Backdraft
13. Large Professor – ‘Bout That Time
14. Cornelius – Tone Twilight Zone
15. burger/ink – Flesh & Blood
16. Pavement – You Are A Light
17. Arab Strap – Blood
18. Matmos – L.A.S.I.K

DISC FOUR: DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK (2002-2007)

1. Interpol – Hands Away
2. Cat Power – He War
3. Yo La Tengo – Today Is The Day
4. The New Pornographers – From Blown Speakers
5. Dizzee Rascal – Fix Up, Look Sharp
6. Dead Meadow – Good Moanin’
7. Mogwai – Kids Will Be Skeletons
8. Mission Of Burma – The Setup
9. Early Man – Death Is The Answer
10. Belle & Sebastian – Dress Up In You
11. Pretty Girls Make Graves – All Medicated Geniuses
12. Cat Power – Love & Communication
13. Shearwater - Johnny Viola
14. Brightblack Morning Light – Everybody Daylight
15. Lavender Diamond – You Broke My Heart
16. Jennifer O’Connor – Tonight We Ride
16. Earles & Jensen – Just Farr A Laugh: The Yogurt Machine
17. Stephen Malkmus – Discretion Grove

DISC FIVE: MATADOR TODAY (2008 – )

1. Fucked Up – Son The Father
2. Sonic Youth – Sacred Trickster
3. Kurt Vile – Amplifier
4. Yo La Tengo – Nothing to Hide
5. Jay Reatard – There Is No Sun
6. Times New Viking – Move To California
7. Harlem – Friendly Ghost
8. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Bottled In Cork
9. The New Pornographers – My Shepherd
10. Cold Cave - Youth and Lust
11. Interpol – Summer Well
12. Shearwater - Castaways
13. Esben and the Witch – Marching Song
14. Girls – Lust For Life
15. Magic Kids – Superball
16. Delorean – Stay Close
17. Cat Power – Metal Heart
18. Perfume Genius – Learning
19. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – Real Emotional Trash

DISC SIX: UNRELEASED LIVE RECORDINGS FROM THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERTS, NEW YORK CITY, SEPTEMBER 1999

1. Pavement – Here (Live 1999)
2. Pavement – Trigger Cut (Live 1999)
3. Pavement – The Hexx (Live 1999)
4. Pavement – She Believes (Live 1999)
5. Pavement – Unfair (Live 1999)
6. Pavement – Zurich Is Stained (Live 1999)
7. Pavement – Debris Slide (Live 1999)
8. Pavement – Spit On A Stranger (Live 1999)
9. Come – New Coats (Live 1999)
10. Bardo Pond – Walking Stick Man (Live 1999)
11. Bardo Pond – Tommy Gun Angel (Live 1999)
12. Cat Power – Good Woman (Live 1999)
13. Cat Power – Naked, If I Want To (Live 1999)
14. Cat Power – You May Know Him / Sea Of Love (Live 1999)
15. Mogwai – Ex-Cowboy (Live 1999)

* Matador and the bands’ proceeds from sales of the box set and the double vinyl will be donated to:

The Jane Addams Hull House Association, a Chicago, IL non-profit that’s been assisting the city’s neediest families (child welfare, domestic violence prevention, literacy-advocacy, etc.) since 1889.

The Ali Forney Center (NYC-based provider of shelter and counseling for homeless gay, lesbian and transgender youth)

The Heart Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (non-profit public hospital and a world leader in pediatric lifesaving)

Matador at 21 will be in stores on September 28. You can preorder it now from the Matador Store.

Matador at 21: The Lost Weekend takes place at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from October 1-3, 2010. This event is sponsored by MySpace Music, Altamont and Incase.