That's a really good way of putting it. Mousse was conceived as a "fan album," I think, something along the lines of Abigail. i.e., neither Abigail (named for N & K's sister) nor Mousse (named for DC's sister) were ever intended to be commercial albums, for airplay or touring purposes. Whereas TN definitely want airplay for albums like Play.

This was the death of "Daddy's Little Girl," lamentably put on Mousse instead of on Play where it belonged.

OTOH, TN continue to play the crowd-favorite "Living It Up In the Garden" from Mousse. But "I'll Meet You In the Sky," "Cary," "Giving Them Back to Susan," "Stainless Steel," and "Monster," all songs from '97 along with LIUITG, have all vanished from rotation in the typical Nields set list. "Stainless Steel" and "Monster," long ago. We're lucky we even have those 2 on Mousse at all!

"Dictator," "Kamikaze," and "I Hate MCI" all originate from '95. That's when I first started following TN religiously. Those 3, along with "Stainless Steel" and "Monster," were rescued from the "Limbo of Lost Songs," when they were included on Mousse.

"39 Orange Street," "Waco Lake" (non-Abigail version) and "Blind" (non-Greta version) come from '94, since TN played all 3 of those at the 12/31/94 Hartford First Night which was my first full Nields headlining show. "Waco Lake" was played at my very first exposure to the Nields Experience, at the Newport Folk Festival 8/6/94.

The full-band (non-Iron Horse) version of "Julia (Not Julia)" likewise goes back to '94. I've also heard TN do full-band versions of "This Is My Life" and "I Would Have Done the Same For You." The line "What are we for if not for this?" is in both IWHDTSFY, and in "I'll Meet You In the Sky."

"Superhero Soup" (non-Hoxsey, high-speed version) was not a regular staple of TN set list in '95 as it has since become. It probably goes back to the beginnings of TN as a 5-piece band, got dropped, and later made a huge comeback. I can't find a set list that included it prior to the 6/24/95 show at Northwest Park in Windsor. I am very heavily reliant upon Greg Wyman for these reminiscences from '94 and '95, because he was my mentor when I was just getting started in this Nields Affair. :)

"Cool In the Backseat" is still in the repertoire of the Nerissa and Katryna duo, a/k/a the Nields Probe. That was first played at the makeup show in NoHo, 9/15/96, after the Jane Siberry/TN Look Park rainout, and has been off-again on-again in the Nields shows ever since. It spawned the t-shirt that says TROUBLE. :)

TN hardly ever played "The Trade" at all. I've only ever heard them do it twice: at the 11/8/97 Trinity College show, and at the 11/21/97 Iron Horse show --- which was also the only time TN ever did "Maybe It's Love" prior to their last Iron Horse show, 6/18/99 --- where TN played MIL for only the second time ever, and "Forever" for maybe the only time ever!

But I'm forever digressing... :) Geez, maybe it's love...

That's how most of the songs from Mousse fell into Cone's proverbial "black hole of the rotation."

Unplayed Nields songs: "I've fallen into Cone's Black Hole, and I can't get out!" :)

© 1999