Various Artists: Subject To Change: A Compilation Of Northwest Artists To Benefit Artists For A Hate-Free America

The last year or so has seen a rash of compilations featuring Pacific Northwesterners trying to stamp out intolerance and injustice: After all, if just one bigot hears that acoustic version of Everclear's "Heroin Girl," it could force him to re-examine his values and vote out the hate in '96. (With a few more albums like this, they'll lick that hate problem yet.) The fundamental problem with Subject To Change is that its producers forgot to assemble a good record: With the exception of a few borderline-marquee acts (Everclear, Pete Droge, Eric Matthews), it's just a mediocre mish-mash of well-meaning nobodies. The album's diversity was no doubt considered a selling point, but with mediocre funk (5 Fingers of Funk's "Get Up & Get Dissed") standing alongside mediocre Faith No More imitators (Village Idiot's "Wither"), diversity doesn't make an album worth buying. To add insult to injury, the producers forgot to include The Presidents of the United States of America, the prototypical participant in Seattle-oriented benefit albums. Had the Presidents tossed in a live version of "Peaches," just think of the hate that could have been prevented.