The Mountain Goats discography includes a number of cassette-only releases from the 1990s, starting with Taboo VI: The Homecoming, the band's first release in 1991. The following is a list of cassette-only releases by the band.
| Italic Title: | no |
| Taboo VI: The Homecoming | |
| Type: | ep |
| Artist: | the Mountain Goats |
| Released: | 1991 |
| Recorded: | California, 1991 |
| Genre: | Lo-fi |
| Length: | 24:50 |
| Label: | Shrimper[1] |
| Producer: | John Darnielle |
| Next Title: | The Hound Chronicles |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
While working as a psychiatric nurse in Southern California, the Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle purchased a Panasonic boom box[1] from Circuit City and began writing and recording, as well as playing small venues. After completing the album, Darnielle dispersed Taboo VI to his friends; one of which ended up in the hands of Dennis Callaci.[2] It was then released by Callaci under his label Shrimper in 1992.[1] Darnielle had no idea anyone except but his friends would hear Taboo VI: The Homecoming.[3]
John Darnielle had this to say of the cassette:
"When I wrote and recorded Taboo VI, I had no idea that anyone outsideof a few friends would ever hear it; neither did I hope that anyoneoutside of those friends would ever express any interest in it. Acouple of the things on it (Going to Alaska, Eleven Bands, SolomonRevisited, the Hank Williams song) are things I'd stand by if pressed,though I wish I'd've known how to sing better back when they wererecorded.While I completely understand the collector's urge, I wouldoffer the following caveat to anyone trying to hunt down Taboo VI: it'snot what you think it is. Its successor, the Hound Chronicles, representedan abrupt and total change in direction, and is the stylistic startingpoint for all that followed. While I can't and wouldn't disown Taboo VI,I'd like to offer this note of caution to those who like the later stuffand are trying to get their hands on my first efforts: you probably won'tlike it much, and if you pay an inflated price for it, you'll probablyfeel cheated. Having said that, if you still feel inclined to hunt itdown, I do hope that you enjoy it on its own meager terms. It meanswell and didn't want to hurt anyone.Except for maybe that one guy.I hate that guy."[4]
Track listing.[5]
| Italic Title: | no |
| The Hound Chronicles | |
| Type: | EP |
| Artist: | the Mountain Goats |
| Released: | 1992 |
| Recorded: | 1992 |
| Genre: | Lo-fi |
| Length: | 41:27 |
| Label: | Shrimper Records |
| Producer: | John Darnielle |
| Prev Title: | Taboo VI: The Homecoming |
| Prev Year: | 1991 |
| Next Title: | Transmissions to Horace |
| Next Year: | 1993 |
The Hound Chronicles is the second cassette-only release of the Mountain Goats, released in 1992 on the Shrimper Records label. All songs are written by John Darnielle, except "Keep It on Your Mind" by Hank Williams. It was reissued on CD and as a digital download alongside Hot Garden Stomp on July 26, 2012. The song "Going to Kansas" was re-recorded for their 1996 album Nothing for Juice.
| Italic Title: | no |
| Transmissions to Horace | |
| Type: | ep |
| Artist: | the Mountain Goats |
| Caption: | One of the many cassette covers. |
| Released: | 1993 |
| Genre: | Lo-fi, Rock |
| Label: | Sonic Enemy |
| Producer: | John Darnielle |
| Prev Title: | The Hound Chronicles' |
| Prev Year: | 1992 |
| Next Title: | Hot Garden Stomp |
| Next Year: | 1993 |
Transmissions to Horace is the third cassette-only release by The Mountain Goats, released in 1993.[6] Each tape features a different cover. The cassette in its entirety appeared in 1999 as part of Bitter Melon Farm, which was re-released in 2002.
In 2013, it was revealed that additional songs were included in certain copies of the cassette. These songs are early recordings by The Extra Glenns, John Darnielle's other band, some of which possibly predate the recordings of Taboo VI: The Homecoming.[7]
| Italic Title: | no |
| Hot Garden Stomp | |
| Type: | EP |
| Artist: | the Mountain Goats |
| Released: | 1993 |
| Recorded: | 1993 |
| Genre: | Lo-fi |
| Length: | 36:46 |
| Label: | Shrimper |
| Producer: | John Darnielle |
| Prev Title: | Transmissions to Horace |
| Prev Year: | 1993 |
| Next Title: | Taking the Dative |
| Next Year: | 1994 |
Hot Garden Stomp is a 1993 cassette-only release by The Mountain Goats. All songs by John Darnielle except "Tell Me on a Sunday", written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was reissued on CD and as a digital download alongside The Hound Chronicles on July 26, 2012.
| Italic Title: | no |
| Taking the Dative | |
| Type: | ep |
| Artist: | the Mountain Goats |
| Released: | 1994 |
| Genre: | Lo-fi, Folk |
| Label: | Car in Car Disco |
| Producer: | John Darnielle |
| Prev Title: | Hot Garden Stomp |
| Prev Year: | 1993 |
| Next Title: | Yam, the King of Crops |
| Next Year: | 1994 |
Taking The Dative is the fifth cassette-only release by The Mountain Goats, released by Car in Car Disco Records in 1994. The cassette in its entirety appeared on their compilation Ghana, which was released in 1999. According to John Darnielle, there is a bonus track on as few as one copy of the cassette, titled "8 to 20 on a Weapons Charge".[7]
| Italic Title: | no |
| Yam, the King of Crops | |
| Type: | ep |
| Artist: | the Mountain Goats |
| Released: | 1994 |
| Genre: | Lo-fi, Rock |
| Label: | Oska Records |
| Producer: | John Darnielle |
| Prev Title: | Taking the Dative |
| Prev Year: | 1994 |
| Next Title: | Zopilote Machine |
| Next Year: | 1994 |
Yam, the King of Crops is the sixth cassette-only release by the Mountain Goats, released in 1994.[8] It was the last cassette released by the band until 2011, when they released All Survivors Pack as a preorder bonus for All Eternals Deck.[9] It appears in its entirety on the Protein Source of the Future...Now! compilation CD.
The title and lyrics of the song "Two Thousand Seasons" come from the 1973 novel by Ghanaian writer Ayi Kwei Armah.