Finally!

When I first discovered the Minneapolis bands I still love so much 40 years later, almost every article I could get my grubby paws on (which back in the Dark Ages of the 1980s was probably a total of three articles) mentioned the mysterious & legendary Twin-Tone compilation album Big Hits of Mid-America Volume III, of which they seemed to have pressed 10 copies, none of which made it outside of Minnesota, and which had been seen as a sort of North Star for an entire generation of Amerindie rockers:

In 1979, Twin/Tone…documented Minneapolis’ underground music scene of the late 1970s. None were hits. Still, a number of the acts on volume three went on to record their own albums, something few of their ‘60s “Big Hits” counterparts managed. And a few are still active. Curtiss A is recording his third Twin/Tone LP. The Suburbs released their fifth album, and first on A&M Records in May. NNB’s Dick Champ now plays lead guitar in the Scene Is Now. Fingerprints’ guitarist Jeff Waryan leads Figures while bassist Steve Fjelstad engineers many Twin Cities releases. Suicide Commando Chris Osgood is Twin/Tone’s in -house producer and distribution czar.

Chris Osgood is the Godfather of the Scene who gave such luminaries as Bob Mould and Dave Pirner guitar lessons and now, after a few abortive attempts over the decades to track one down, it finally popped up on Amazon and so clickity-clack here it is!! 🤗🕺