Primitive Radio Gods

American alternative rock band

Alternative rock
indie rock
shoegaze (later)

Years active1985–1991 (as The I-Rails)
1991–1994 (O'Connor solo)
1996–presentLabels

Columbia
London-Sire
What Are Records?

MembersChris O'Connor
Tim Lauterio
Luke McAuliffePast membersJeff SparksWebsiteprimitiveradiogods.info

Primitive Radio Gods is an American alternative rock band from Southern California. Current members consist of frontman Chris O'Connor, who performs vocals and bass guitar; percussionist Tim Lauterio; and Luke McAuliffe, who contributes various additional instrumentation (guitars, violins, piano) as well as much of the art that has appeared on the band's albums and website. Former member Jeff Sparks wrote, sang, and played bass before leaving the band to pursue other music projects in 2001.

The band is best known for their 1996 hit "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand",^[1] which peaked No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.^[2]

History

Early years (1991–1994)

The history of the Primitive Radio Gods begins with The I-Rails. Formed in the late 1980s, The I-Rails were an independent alternative rock band based in Oxnard, California. Consisting of three members, bassist and singer Chris O'Connor, guitarist Jeff Sparks (a childhood friend of O'Connor), and drummer Tim Lauterio, The I-Rails released a total of four albums, none of which received much public attention. After the fourth album, Panharmonium, was released in 1990 and similarly ignored, the band decided to split. While Sparks and Lauterio went on to pursue other potential careers, O'Connor continued to work with material originally intended for a fifth I-Rails album. Inspired by bands such as Public Enemy, O'Connor recorded additional material and ultimately mixed a total of ten tracks. After mastering, O'Connor released the demo to public music stations under the (misspelled) moniker "Primative Radio Gods", a song on the I-Rails album Nine Songs from Nowhere.^[3]

Discography

As The I-Rails

Studio albums

Valentino Says (1987)
Unfocused (1988)
Nine Songs from Nowhere (1989)
Panharmonium (1990)

Singles

"Same Old Me / Everyone's in Love" (1988)

As Primitive Radio Gods

Studio albums

Rocket (1996)- #36 US
White Hot Peach (2000)
Still Electric (2003)
Sweet Venus (2006)
Out Alive (2010)
Manmade Sun (2016)
Untitled Final LP (2020)^[4]
Collected Works: 2000-2020 (2022)

EPs

Fading Out (2001)

Compilation albums

Mellotron On! (1999/2003)
Umpteen Spooks (2006)
Motor of Joy (2006)
Collected Works: 2000-2020 (2022)

DVD releases

Still Electric: Interactive Video Album (DVD, 2003)

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title	Year	Peak chart positions				Album
Title	Year	US Mod. Rock	AUS ^[5]	CAN ^[6]	UK ^[7]	Album
"Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand"	1996	1	31	2	74	Rocket
"Motherfucker"	1996	—	—	—	—	Rocket
"Fading Out"	2000	—	—	—	—	White Hot Peach

References

^ RPM (magazine) (16 September 1996). "RPM Alternative 30 Chart - Rock/Alternative - Volume 64, No. 5, September 16, 1996". RPM archives. (Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada). OCLC 352936026. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
^ Billboard Radio Songs Week of September 14, 1996. Billboard.com.
^ "Chris O'Connor of Primitive Radio Gods : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
^ "Untitled final LP, by primitive radio gods".
^ "Primitive Radio Gods – Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand". australian-charts.com. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
^ "RPM Weekly – Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand". RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2022 – via Library and Archives Canada.
^ "Primitive Radio Gods | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 7, 2022.