Dionne WordPress Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • The Weekend Stream
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Helium Discography Rising with New Vinyl Reissues

March 24, 2017 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

More than two decades after '90s noise-pop outfit Helium disbanded, Matador Records is celebrating their influence with a pair of vinyl reissues and a new rarities compilation due this spring.

Formed in Boston, Helium underwent a variety of lineup shifts before signing to Matador, where the group was comprised of vocalist/guitarist Mary Timony, a singer in the fantastic tradition of Deborah Harry and Kim Gordon; bassist Ash Bowie, and former Dumptruck drummer Shawn King Devlin. Catchy singles like "Pat's Trick" and "Superball," driven by fuzzy guitars and soft, ghostly keyboards, netted them a spot on Lollapalooza's second stage in 1995. The group disbanded not long after the release of second LP The Magic City, produced by Mitch Easter; Timony later fronted Wild Flag from 2010 to 2014 and currently leads the group Ex Hex.

Now, Matador will reissue the group's two full-length albums, 1995's The Dirt of Luck and 1997's The Magic City (the latter as a 2LP set with the EP No Guitars, released earlier that year), as well as a new compilation, Ends With And, overseen by Timony. Named for a lyric in "Superball," Ends With And collects 19 rare tracks across two LPs, including B-sides, EP and compilation tracks (two of which are by Timony and Bowie's Led Byrd side project) and four unreleased demos, including the unheard song "Golden Bridge."

"Compiling Ends with And has been like stumbling upon a long forgotten time capsule and trying to put the pieces in order. I hadn't heard most of the songs in a very long time," Timony said in a press statement. "It's good to know that these songs will all be in one place now."

All three reissues are in stores May 19. Timony will also take to the road for a run of "Mary Timony Plays Helium" dates in June.

Full track lists and pre-order links are below!

The Dirt of Luck (originally released as Matador OLE 124-1, 1995 - reissued Matador, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

  1. Pat's Trick
  2. Trixie's Star
  3. Silver Angel
  4. Baby's Going Underground
  5. Medusa
  6. Comet #9
  7. Skeleton
  8. Superball
  9. All the X's Have Wings
  10. Oh the Wind and Rain
  11. Honeycomb
  12. Flower of the Apocalypse

The Magic City + No Guitars (Matador, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

LP 1: The Magic City (released as Matador OLE 195-1, 1997)

  1. Vibrations
  2. Leon's Space Song
  3. Ocean of Wine
  4. Aging Astronauts
  5. Medieval People
  6. Lady of the Fire
  7. Lullaby of the Moths
  8. Revolution of Hearts, Pts. 1 & 2
  9. Ancient Cryme
  10. Cosmic Rays
  11. Devil's Tear
  12. Clementine
  13. Blue Rain Soda
  14. Walk Away

LP 2: No Guitars EP (released as Matador OLE 225-1, 1997)

  1. Silver Strings
  2. Dragon #2
  3. The King of Electric Guitars
  4. Sunday
  5. 13 Bees
  6. Riddle of the Chamberlin

Ends With And (Matador, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

LP 1

  1. Baby Vampire Made Me
  2. XXX
  3. OOO
  4. Love $$$
  5. Lucy
  6. Termite Tree
  7. Hole in the Ground
  8. Magic Box

LP 2

  1. Superball (Demo)
  2. What Institution Are You From?
  3. Lucky Charm
  4. #12 L'Enfant
  5. I Am a Witch
  6. Ghost Car (Demo)
  7. Puffin Stars
  8. Leon's Space Song (Demo)
  9. The Dragon #1 - Led Byrd
  10. Fantastic Castle - Led Byrd
  11. Golden Bridge (Demo)

LP 1, Tracks 1-4 from Pirate Prude EP - Matador OLE 078-1, 1994
LP 1, Tracks 5 and 7 from Pop Narcotic single NARC-004, 1993
LP 1, Track 6 from "The American Jean" single - Warped Records WR002, 1992
LP 1, Track 8 from Half Cocked compilation - Matador OLE 152-1, 1995
LP 2, Tracks 2-5 from Superball+ EP - Matador OLE 144-2, 1995
LP 2, Tracks 1, 6, 8 and 11 previously unreleased
LP 2, Track 7 from Rock Stars Kill compilation - Kill Rock Stars KRS-221, 1994
LP 9, Track 9 from Extra Walt! EP - Walt Records 009, 1996
LP 2, Track 10 from Stargirl EP - Villa Villakula VVK-5, 1996

Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Rock Tags: Helium, Vinyl

Avatar photo

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

  • CeteraRelease Round-Up: Week of May 19
  • xenoNo One Can Hear You Stream: Mondo Celebrates "Alien" with Two Vinyl Reissues
  • 3ebStep Back from That Ledge: Third Eye Blind Expand Debut for 20th Anniversary
  • Seger youngRamblin' Gamblin' Man: Third Man Issues Rare Bob Seger Tracks for Record Store Day

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Status Quo Live deluxe
    Live! Deluxe Edition
    Status Quo
    May 16, 2025
    US UK
  • Brothers in Arms 40
    Brothers in Arms: 40th Anniversary Edition
    Dire Straits
    May 16, 2025
    US UK
  • Version 1.0.0
    The Bridge
    David Sancious
    May 16, 2025
    US UK
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,676 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Dionne Warwick Make It Easy on Yourself(Don't) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick's "Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971" Due in June on 12...
  • Tracks II CD packshot no disc artShut Out the Light: Bruce Springsteen Offers Seven Unheard Albums on 'Tracks II'
  • Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits Amazon exclusiveHe Wears It Well: Rod Stewart's 'Ultimate Hits' Due in June
  • RSD 2025 best of restRecord Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popdose
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2025 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy