Pavement's minor MTV hit, "Cut Your Hair," came out in 1994, and the song's offbeat, ramshackle charm introduced the cult indie band to a broader audience. It also marked the end of an era. Pavement had been releasing records for five years at that point, most of them shaggier and noisier than the weirdly winning "Hair." Yet despite the absurdity and abrasiveness at its heart, the band had been swept into the alt-rock mania of the mid-'90s. The Secret History, Vol. 1 — a new, 30-song collection of EPs, B-sides, outtakes, alternate versions, compilation tracks, radio sessions, and live recordings — is a reminder of just how challenging Pavement was in those Alternative Nation years. And just how entrancing.
