In the early 1990’s, several Blonde Vinyl artists were chosen to be included on four different volumes of the Certain Damage series released by the College Music Journal. This meant Blonde Viny Artists were appearing alongside some of the biggest names in the college music world, in a highly respected compilation series.

“College Media Journal (CMJ) is a music events/publishing company most famous for its annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada.”

CMJ Presents Certain Damage! Volume 42

Sass O’Frass Tunic‘s “Don’cha Be Afraid” was featured on this compilation, and the liner notes had this to say: “There’s two roads, two sides, two doors you can choose between heaven and hell, and nobody knows this better than blues and gospel singers like Sass O’Frass Tunic’s Fred T. Friend. He’s the kind of golden-throated singer who can jump back and forth between genres, or in this case, actually meld the two together into a joyous combination. Bluesy, rootsy and soulful (and even touting a wild drum break in the middle), ‘Don’cha Be Afraid’ is just one of the many transcendent gospel-tinged moments on Sass O’Frass Tunic’s debut long-player, As Blue as the State Allows.”

CMJ Presents Certain Damage! Volume 44

Fluffy‘s cover of “Jessie’s Girl” was featured on this compilation, and the liner notes had this to say: “Quite possibly, you — the suave, savage, tasteful and vastly influential person you are — immediately jammed this very disc into your player and cued up this track. Because you know a good thing when you see it, you already realized that this surprising cover of the ’81 Rick Springfield nugget shows that Orange County, CA’s Fluffy is no ordinary working class dog.”

CMJ Presents Certain Damage! Volume 45

L.S. Underground‘s “She Said” was featured on this compilation, and the liner notes had this to say: “Slinky, poised and crouched like a stalking jackal, the music of L.S. Underground is ready to pounce upon the world at large. With guitars set on “stun” and tempered by a wicked backbeat, “She Said” is one of the more riveting tracks from its heady, engrossing debut The Grape Prophet. The album is kind of a weird concept LP about this orange picker named Ellis, and his encounter with the Grape Prophet, and his pilgrimage to hear the teachings of this spiritual leader, and then they… well, you get the idea. Listen to the album for the full story.”

CMJ Presents Certain Damage! Volume 46

Plague of Ethyls‘ “Roy’s Cafe” was featured on this compilation, and the liner notes had this to say: “Hailing from Orange County, California, Plague of Ethyls may have a woman’s name in its moniker and two girls in the group itself, but PoE is definitely not the next batch of L7 or Babes in Toyland clones. The two-girls/one-guy combination makes for early comparisons to the Blake Babies, but Plague of Ethyls adds its own lyricism and dimension of emotion to the mix, making its self-titled debut a most intriguing bow from a new artist.”