Singer/guitarist/songwriter Jim Ellison took his own life on June 20, 1996. The musician will most likely be remembered for his work with the underrated power pop band, Material Issue.
Ellison and bassist Ted Ansani formed Material Issue while they were both enrolled at Columbia College in 1986; the duo was later joined by drummer Mike Zelenko who answered an ad in the Illinois Entertainer.
The band released an EP in 1987 and toured extensively for the next three years. In 1990 they were signed by Mercury Records and released their debut album International Pop Overthrow the following year. The album only cost $5,000 to record and sold over 300,000 copies. Behind the three singles, "Renee Remains The Same," "Diane," and "Valerie Loves Me," International Pop Overthrow reached #86 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
In 1992, Material Issue released Destination Universe which included the single "What Girls Want." Even though Destination Universe wasn't as successful as their first record, Material Issue continued to tour relentlessly in support of both albums.
By 1994, grunge had become fully immersed in American culture. Unfortunately, the band's next album Freak City Soundtrack suffered from the repercussions. The album sold fewer than 50,000 copies and the group parted ways with Mercury Records.
During the next two years, Material Issue recorded new songs with the intention of shopping them around to labels. Tragically, Jim Ellison committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Those recordings were released posthumously on Telecommando Americano in 1997.
Liz Phair, a Chicago contemporary of Material Issue recalls, “Material Issue was a kick-ass Chicago band. We all looked up to them. Their songs were infectious and often deeply heartfelt. The chorus: ‘I want love, I want drugs, I want sex and affection; I want everybody in the room to look in my direction,’ from ‘What Girls Want’ is one of the most honest and encapsulating summaries of the twenty-something female mind that I have ever heard, and all the more shocking to have been written by a man.”
Awesome Band! MI has been performing a few shows this year (with Phil Angotti) for the 20th anniversary of IPO. Looks like they're selling some vintage designed shirts from back in the day. Really cool! http://www.materialissue.bigcartel.com
Posted by: Morey Knows | 12/22/2011 at 04:22 PM
How were the shows with Phil Angotti?
Posted by: richie | 12/22/2011 at 06:23 PM