A boozy, side-project covers band that gradually evolved into a kind of roots rock supergroup, Golden Smog was a loosely affiliated unit comprised, at various times, of members of Soul Asylum, the Replacements, Wilco, the Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, and the Honeydogs. The group first came together in the Minneapolis area in the late '80s as a country-rock reaction to the punk and hardcore sounds that dominated the Twin Cities' musical scene at the time; eventually Golden Smog became something of a fixture at local clubs, where they played a handful of shows annually. From the onset, the lineup was mercurial, although Run Westy Run vocalist Kraig Johnson as well as guitarists Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum) and Gary Louris (the Jayhawks) were relative constants. Smog shows were usually thematically based, in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the project; one performance was devoted exclusively to Eagles covers, while another paid homage to the Rolling Stones and was billed "Her Satanic Majesty's Paycheck."
Somewhat unexpectedly, a five-cut covers EP, On Golden Smog, appeared in 1992. While the closing track, a rendition of Thin Lizzy's "Cowboy Song" sung by Soul Asylum roadie Bill Sullivan, followed in the project's original devil-may-care spirit, the remainder of the record was considerably more focused, keeping in line with the primary musical work of the bandmembers — who, this time out, were essentially Johnson, Murphy, Louris, Jayhawks bassist Marc Perlman, and ex-Replacements drummer Chris Mars, along with Soul Asylum vocalist Dave Pirner (on a cover of Bad Company's "Shooting Star"). Even more unexpectedly, the next Golden Smog effort — 1996's full-length Down by the Old Mainstream — was made up largely of original material composed strictly for the project. With a lineup that included Johnson, Murphy, Louris, Perlman, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, and Honeydogs drummer Noah Levy (all of whom recorded under pseudonyms as a result of contractual obligations), the record bore few reminders of Smog's beer-soaked origins, instead revealing a more mature and thoughtful band breaking free of the restraints of their day jobs and having some serious fun in the process. Weird Tales followed in 1998, but it wasn't until 2006 that the group released Another Fine Day, which, unsurprisingly, due to the amount of time that had passed since the last album, sounded little like earlier Golden Smog records. Blood on the Slacks was released the following year
Between 1992 and 2007, Golden Smog, the engagingly shambolic alt country stupor-group featuring members of the Jayhawks, Wilco, Soul Asylum, and Run Westy Run, cut two EPs and three full-length albums. That may not seem like much of a catalog from which to draw a "Greatest Hits" album, but Stay Golden, Smog: The Best of Golden Smog, The Rykodisc Years doesn't even dig that deep. Stay Golden, Smog gathers eight of the fourteen songs from the Smog's first full album, 1995's Down by the Old Mainstream, and eight of the fifteen tunes from the follow-up, 1998's Weird Tales. As the title would suggest, Golden Smog's two most recent efforts, released by Lost Highway Records, aren't represented here, and their debut EP, 1992's On Golden Smog -- originally released on a small Minneapolis indie label and later reissued by Rykodisc -- is ignored. At this writing, the entire Golden Smog catalog is in print, and all of this begs the question: what exactly is the point of this album? There's no arguing that there's plenty of fine music on this collection; Golden Smog may have started as a drunken goof among a handful of friends, but there was an undeniable chemistry between the participants, and with the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Gary Louris, Dan Murphy, Marc Perlman, Kraig Johnson, and Jody Stephens on board, it's no surprise that this disc features some really fine songs played by friends who know how to make them work in the studio. Unlike most side projects, Golden Smog was capable of coming up with material worthy of the members' day jobs (such as "Won't Be Coming Home," "To Call My Own," and "Pecan Pie"), and to bait the hook for completists, this set tosses in two unreleased tracks, a rough early take of "Until You Came Along," and a cover of Brian Wilson's "Love and Mercy." But as an overview of Golden Smog's career thus far, Stay Golden, Smog leaves too much by the sidelines to do the trick, and since Down by the Old Mainstream and Weird Tales are in print and available at mid-line price, this disc isn't even especially cost effective. In short, only the most casual observers or superfans desperate for the two unreleased songs need concern themselves with this.