Scaring the country folks of Memphis with their brand of sleazy raunch and roll since their 1995 debut album
Soul Food, the Oblivians refuse to mold into stereotype of three piece ensembles sounding "wimpy" or "watered down." Instead, the Oblivians pay tribute to
the Ramones,
the Sonics and
the Stooges by creating their own sound of nostalgic '60s garage punk with their use of lo-fi equipment. Following
Soul Food the next year was a live studio collection entitled
Sympathy Sessions and their second album
Popular Favorites. Continuing on with their unorthodox method of two guitars, drums and a bass-less line-up was their collaboration with keyboardist
Mr. Quintron appropriately titled Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron in 1997. It was the group's last studio set, as Greg Oblivian and Jack Oblivian chose to reform their earlier band, The Compulsive Gamblers; Sympathy for the Record Industry released an official non-Crypt best-of in 1999 called The Best of the Worst 93-97;
Melissa's Garage Revisited followed a year later. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide