Guadalcanal Diary
Guadacanal Diary was one of those great underground (and underappreciated) bands that followed out of the Athens/Atlanta scene in the wake of R.E.M.'s success to the mainstream. The Guad's had a great pop sound that mirrored the 'jangly guitar' southern alternative of the late 70s and early 80s. "Always Saturday" was their only top ten hit, reaching #7, but the album Flip Flop (and the earlier 2x4 record) were both popular on the college radio circuit in the mid-80s. The band's chief lyricist Murray Attaway had a penchant for songs that had a reflective-spiritual message, but also lively, fun pop songs as well. The band has an on-again, off-again relationship with recording- they initially folded in 1989, but then reformed after some spontaneous jam sessions, only to then disappear once more leaving their future unknown.
