rfd: shudder to think

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got a discarded copy of _funeral at the movies_ from the campus station and was struck by the prettiness of parts of it. what's their deal?

― sundar subramanian, Monday, 4 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Uh, search "So Into You" from the lovely Pony Express Record, which used to unfairly haunt remainder bins across our great nation. Piercing pop smarts, pained lyrics, jagged guitar. Elvis Costello with vocal range and not trying to be clever, but aching because being clever means being different. I also have the First Love/Last Rites soundtrack, but barely listen to it. Very bland and restrained, in comparison.

I also have a live CD f the Pny Express period. I think it was promo only, as AMG doesn't list it. If you see this, get it by all means.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 5 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Pony Express Record is probably the best thing they've done. Craig Wedren's operatic howl not quite fitting against Nathan Larsen's jagged guitar gives it much more life than the later stuff, which became much blander as the new band line up got used to each other. The stop-start nature of most of the tracks is ever so slightly reminiscent of the Cardiacs, but in a good way.

I never really got round to investigating anything done with the original line up, but Pony Express Record is a bona fide classsic.

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Tuesday, 5 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Shudder To Think, now there's a blast from the past. I picked up "Funeral at the movies" on vinyl in the summer of '91 after Mark Radcliffe played "Lies about the sky" on his radio show one day. I also picked up the CD a few minutes later (and in another shop) because it had their first album "Ten Spot" on it as well. Both excellent records, totally unlike much else around at the time - I think I compared them to REM jamming with Husker Du to someone at the time, they weren't impressed. The third album "Get your goat" is also very good, has moments of weirdness that were a bit beyond me at the time, though I expect I'd like it more now. Then came the "Hit liquor" / "No. Rm 9 Kentucky" single which was great, and though I bought it I never played "Pony Express Record". I think I shall now. If you can find the early stuff, go and get it, it's still unique.

― Rob M, Tuesday, 5 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Seconding all these varied descriptions to one extent or another, I also have to recommend their contributions to the _Velvet Goldmine_ soundtrack. They did three cuts, two of which, "Hot One" and "The Ballad of Maxwell Demon," are on the album, Nathan singing the first and Craig the second. Both are perfectly spot on and hilariously good pastiches of _Hunky Dory_/_Ziggy_-era Bowie, like the Rutles only a shade more serious in intent. The hidden winner, though, is a third song which is on the actual movie soundtrack but has never been officially released -- "People Rocking People." That's meant to be a rip on Bowie's eighties/corp rock phase, only even more bland -- you can hear a snippet of it when Christian Bale's character goes to the bar, it's got this total trudge beat and sounds hilarious. I'd love to hear the whole thing.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 5 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Pony Express Record!!

The track mentioned above ("So Into You") is actually a cover of some funk song, if I remember correctly. There's also an "interpretation" of Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me". The first half of the album is amazing - imagine if Slint rewrote Queen songs. (Shit - I have to stop dropping Slint's name. That is SO 1998.)

Their Dischord-era stuff is worth checking out if you like Pony. If you're willing to hear Shudder to Think go totally pop (in their indomitable, sensical dada-esque manner), check out the criminally savaged 50,000 B.C.. Not as good as Pony - a bit too produced - but certainly interesting. (This is where the "write songs like your idols" thing began - a "thing" that was continued on their soundtrack work.) You can probably find both Pony and 50,000 B.C. for the cost of a McDonald's Value Meal. Combined. It's a shame.

― David Raposa, Tuesday, 5 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I found 50,000BC (bad album name, great album) for pittance in a bargain bin. "Red House" from FATM is on it and if I recall correctly was actually put out as a single. It's stopped only from being a classic by one or two duff tracks. There's even a song that is a bit like Cheap Trick.

― EdwardO, Tuesday, 5 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Only heard "Pony express record" and it was sent straight back from where I got it. I heard all these great things about it, "cubist rock", "Prince meets Fugazi", yada yada. The guy's got a good voice and boy does he like to show it off but I didnt find his voice as interesting as he did. Lots of bloody irritating time signatures too and it just never really takes off which is a pity cos "No. Rm. 9 Kentucky" and "Hit liquor" are ace tunes.

― Michael Bourke, Tuesday, 5 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

five months pass...

I am a huge Shudder to Think fan. (Probably biased, though, since I went to school with the bass player.) I love "X French Tee Shirt" from _Funeral at the Movies_ but I have to say that _Get Your Goat_ is their best album. (Next to their first Dischord release, _Curses Spells Voodoo Mooses_ which was never released on CD, I don't think.) I just love Craig's songs and singing. They were also great in their appearance on the short-lived "Viva Variety" show. I haven't kept up with their newer stuff, since I think the older songs are better.

― Elspeth McKee, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Lordy were they ever pretentious. And bless 'em for pissing off DC purists. I liked them up to the last record -- they got happy and started to suck. Ain't that always the way?

― Andy, Monday, 3 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

four years pass...

It's not worth starting a thread with this query, I imagine, so I kick this one to life.... Anyone heard the post-Shudder to Think Nathan Larson spinoff called "Mind Science of the Mind"? (Not the worst bandname ever...but close.) One album in the mid '90s. Care to comment on it, S/D...? Bandmembers included Larson, Mary Timony, a couple of Dambuilders, with album production by Ted Niceley.

― St. Joy (St. Joy), Tuesday, 4 April 2006 04:08 (eighteen years ago) link

five years pass...

the new craig wedren album ("WAND") is streaming on Spinner and it sounds really really good.

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 30 September 2011 15:39 (twelve years ago) link

if you liked shudder to think at all, you should really check this out.

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 30 September 2011 17:34 (twelve years ago) link

Will do!

― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:35 (twelve years ago) link

Thanks for the tip - congrats and jon - did either of you catch the STT reunion show (w. cheer-accident opening) at Park West a few years ago? That was mucho good show ...

― BlackIronPrison, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:40 (twelve years ago) link

i did not unfortunately

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, 30 September 2011 17:42 (twelve years ago) link

i did not unfortunately

― congratulations (n/a), Friday, September 30, 2011 5:42 PM (22 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:43 (twelve years ago) link

tbh, I only recently discovered how much I love Shudder To Think about 18 months ago

― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Friday, 30 September 2011 17:43 (twelve years ago) link

i saw the reunited STT at a festival 3 years ago, pretty awesome set. Wedren was doing a little series of great unreleased tracks on his twitter a while back so i'm pretty excited to hear this new album.

― some dude, Friday, 30 September 2011 21:54 (twelve years ago) link

one year passes...

Pony Express is still so very vital. Anyone that laments their not going down this same crooked path twice would do well to check out Nathan Larson's post-Pony one-off solo Mind Science Of The Mind. As close to Pony Express Pt II as you're likely to get. As for the criminally underrated 50,000 BC, it's their version of a pop record and it's delicious. This gives me an idea for a thread...

― vmajestic, Friday, 16 August 2013 00:15 (ten years ago) link

one year passes...

On In Love
by Jefferson Friedman / Craig Wedren / ACME

So I only found about this today and know nothing about it's provenance but DAMMIT this is really something!

First track may be a slight red herring, skip to track 2.

http://oninlove.bandcamp.com/releases

― MaresNest, Friday, 2 January 2015 00:47 (nine years ago) link

No one read any of Nathan's novels?

― Can We Be Shown Worldbuilders + Mike Harrison? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 2 January 2015 00:50 (nine years ago) link

Shudder to Think are maybe the ultimate 'small doses' act for me. 40 minutes of Pony Express every so often and thats me

― Master of Treacle, Friday, 2 January 2015 01:26 (nine years ago) link

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