Well played.
Hi,
Yes, let’s call this a final call for the club. Thanks for the reminder - was supposed to start this week, wasn’t it!?
So far we have this GBOL - so I’ve assigned a week for you to nominate an album in
@richie - 10th Nov
@OtherwiseOutcomes - 17th Nov
@dantrobus - 24th Nov
@JackLiquorice - 1 Dec
@colon_closed_bracket - 8 Dec
@UncleRetrospective - 15 Dec
CHRISTMAS BREAK
@lokomotiv - 5 Jan
@carnivalboy - 12 Jan
@riverwise - 19 Jan
@BBBzzz - 26 Jan
@The_Cosh - 2 Feb
@radbitt - 9 Feb
If anyone else wants to join then let me know over the weekend, otherwise I’ll be in on Monday with the first album and an idea on format 
Oh, and we can ditch the Christmas break and play through if you like, but wasn’t sure how much everyone might be online
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I’m in! Can I nominate The Shamen - En Tact? Does that work? An album I 2/3 love.
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Yes indeed!
Actually, I hadn’t thought about how to handle nominations - if you send them to me by DM then I can prepare a little blurb / album cover and set up polls etc. Also means it’s a secret what’s coming up. En Tact in January should be fine as we’ll have forgotten about it by then!
Yeah, this sounds fun. Late 80s/early 90s is very much my era.
Cassette only I assume? That’s certainly how I’ll be listening to En-Tact and Tranzophobia.
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If you want to be that hi-fi then I guess it’s ok. I got all mine on flexi.
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I’m not sure if I can commit to every week (it’s not because I never want to hear ‘The Eight Legged Groove Machine’ again). I’m still happy to nominate - I’d probably go for ‘I am Wallet’ by McCarthy.
Cool, no need to commit - and it’ll be open to everyone not just those nominating. I’ll keep a note of McCarthy - good choice!
I completely forgot to do this yesterday! That’s a good start. Ok, going to start you off with some Yorkshire funk released bang in the middle of our timescale.
Cud - ‘Leggy Mambo’
Cud’s Leggy Mambo, released in 1990 via Imaginary Records, marked a pivotal moment for the Leeds indie band, finally delivering a full-length studio album after years of EPs and compilations. Building on the quirky, melodic foundations laid by When in Rome, Kill Me and Elvis Belt, the album showcased their pop sensibilities with tighter production, thanks to XTC’s Dave Gregory. Singles “Robinson Crusoe” and “Magic” cracked the UK Top 100, gaining industry attention despite limited label support. Critically praised for its wit and originality, Leggy Mambo helped secure Cud’s later signing to A&M and set the stage for broader success.
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I’ve never heard a note of Cud, so this should be interesting.
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One of the reasons I brought them up first - they’re a band I’ve grown to love, but never listened to back in the day as they were never one of the big bands.
Will add a couple of polls at the start of next week and will probably keep a full list of all the albums we cover and the average scores. Not expecting Cud to score massively high, especially with some potential big hitters already nominated, but will see how it goes.
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My main memory of Cud is the brief period around 1992 when A&M was pushing them REALLY HARD in the UK and you could buy their singles for 99p or even less with loads of free gifts. I think I bought Purple Love Balloon with a free mobile??? Listening to Leggy Mambo now, I’m not sure I am totally convinced. the vocals feel a little… theatrical to me???
But I can see how A&M thought they might have signed the new Wonderstuff. Anyway, great first choice. Let the Cud fans make their voices known.
Ha ha, I’m not sure how many Cud fans patrol these boards. Yeah, Carl’s vocals are one of the things I’ve grown to love - especially on Purple Love Balloon - and theatrical’s a good way to describe him.
A&M really didn’t know what to do with them - they probably did think they’d fall into that Wonder Stuff market and, indeed, labels were all signing up quirky indie bands at the time. Then, around 1993, they apparently told the band they had to sound American blues rock, so the final LP’s a bit like The Black Crowes if they were decent.
To be honest, Cud, like many, were too flippant for Britpop, so they’d never have survived.
Oh no, this album isn’t available on Qobuz (unless I’m missing it through bad keyword searches, although the group does appear to be there)! I’m sure I should be able to find it on YouTube, hopefully I’ll remember to do that when working from home tomorrow.
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Ah, good point!
Here’s the Youtube link and I’ll add it to the post above
I have this. I didn’t buy it at the time, picked it upon ebay years later. Never really knew much about Cud at the time, although I’d heard the name. I’ve heard Asquarius and Showbiz but have never heard this one for some reason. I saw them live at the much missed Cockpit in Leeds in 2012, it was a good show.
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Funnily enough, When In Rome Kill Me was in my shortlist of albums to nominate. My girlfriend at the time (now wife) was a big fan and used to rock a cool Cud t-shirt.
I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to this album though, so will enjoy it this week.
Great start!
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Not sure I’ve ever listened to any Cud before, maybe the odd track on a compilation or at an indie disco? I have a vague feeling that they were treated a bit sniffily by the music press at the time (though I was a tween/teen in the early 90s so don’t really remember).
Enjoyed that, spent the whole album doing a ‘who does this remind me of’ thing. The track Magic sounded like James to me, there’s a bit of a musical kinship with fellow Leeds band The Wedding Present, I think. And yeah, Wonder Stuff too as has been mentioned. I like that bit of theatricality in a vocalist, so overall this worked for me. A nice intro to the listening club and an intro to a new old band for me!
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Ace, that’s exactly what this is about. Yeah, Cud were built up a bit, but were knocked down spectacularly when they signed to a major. ‘Leggy Mambo’ got a good 7 or 8 average from the music press at the time. Definitely similarities to all the bands you mentioned there - and ‘Magic’ was basically an attempt to write a hit single, so the James comparison’s good - and Cud actually released their first records through The Wedding Present’s label, so a concrete link there!
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