Throwing Muses: C-o-D

The debut Throwing Muses album was released 21 years ago this week in the UK on 4ad.

Really? I feel so old....

The first TM song I ever heard was 'Rabbit's Dying' on 6UVS-FM (as it was called then) in Perth, Western Australia. Yes, it is/was a university station.

I recall buying the LP the very next day.

The first thing I heard was a demo tape with an early, creepy version of "Stand Up" that got circulated around Rhode Island.

I just digitized my early 4AD vinyl this weekend. Still classic.

Classic. Without a doubt.

I prefer Tanya to Kristin, probably because in a throw-down i think she'd fight dirty; biting, scratching, knee's to the kootch - you know, whatever it takes. The partnership between Ms. Donelly and Ms. Deal, however, was a great match, and today i'll listen to that first Breeders album even before something as good as "Ramona".

The Real Ramona and University are probably my least favourite of the Muses albums I own, despite the insane amount of love they get here. I think they're a touch too shiny sounding, especially University. House Tornado is classic from start to finish, it has a sort of raw countryish sound to it. I should probably hear the debut before I make any judgements on a best album though.

Tanya Donelly's songs are bright spots on the albums, they turn up just when you want a bit of variety. But Throwing Muses really is Kristin's band - it's the force of her personality that carries them.

Dave Narcizo's drumming is faultless as well. It's criminal how little recognition they get, honestly.

FACT: "Not Too Soon" sounds as absolutely perfect today as it did in 1991.

It sure does! That whole album, actually.

Because I'm such a blogwhore, do clicketh here!

The odd thing about "Not Too Soon" is that it was one of the Muses' earliest songs — they were playing it live long before the debut came out — and yet it didn't see the light of day until album #4.

"Fish" blew my mind when I first heard it in 1987ish, and that still sounds just as good now, too.

yea that's one of my favorite songs on the album now. after like alfred pointed out to me how good it was last year. really wonderful. it has an old-timey girl group thing about it too, great twist.

Just found this link — "Not Too Soon" was performed live on a University of Rhode Island radio show way back in 1985. I remember taping this show myself.

http://www.throwingmusic.com/jive/thread.jspa;jsessionid=ABD334DD295D68E646FE8682488F55F2?messageID=5337ᓙ

Fuck. Try again. http://www.throwingmusic.com/jive/thread.jspa;jsessionid=ABD334DD295D68E646FE8682488F55F2?messageID=5337ᓙ

Never mind.

I'm curious to know if anyone else has a certain Throwing Muses song or songs that will come into their head now and again for some unknown reason. For me the main one is "And A She-Wolf After The War". Although I'm also haunted by "Walking In The Dark", "You Cage"...and that lyric from something on House Tornado when she says "keep walking/If I did the same thing/Five hundred times/could you see it in the dark?"

I can't believe I wrote this almost a year ago to the day:

I'm not really sure the Muses are something I feel comfortable pulling out now, they seem tied up with all this teenager angst for me, not a pleasant place to revisit.

-- Bimble, Sunday, May 13, 2007 11:34 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

to answer your first question, tar kissers comes into my head a lot. or snake off uni.

i can't believe you said that either!

it must be some other thread where scott proposes that their debut is the best record ever made by a band whose members were all in their teens at the time. I think he's right.

Goodness, were they really all in their teens or are you shitting me?

The duet with Bob Mould on Red Heaven, "Dio", pops into my head every once in a while. Deeeeee-oooooooo.

bimble yes as far as I know they were all under 20, Hersh was 18.

I think that is right, ya.

I used to quite often get "I have to sleep/tangled in my familys hair" stuck in my head unbidden from Walking in the Dark. And "Fish" pops into my head now and then, esp if I've been counting something, as I'll start going "one plus two plus three plus four plus five plus six plus six plus six"

There is not one band on this planet that could make a record that sounds like House Tornado.

Are there any comtemporary bands that could be compared to early TM?

http://www.tobysnax.com/shop/

bimble yes as far as I know they were all under 20, Hersh was 18.
Yeah, they were all young ’uns. I remember running into David Narcizo at a club in Newport — this was after the debut came out — and offering to buy him a drink. He reminded me that he wasn't yet of age.

anyone heard this btw : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakuna - any good?

DIZZY!

the doghouse demo that came with the US reissue of the first album is incredible. the first album was burdened with an 80s production job (wow reverb makes the drums sound so good argh) but the demo is clean as a whistle making stuff like "vicky's box" cut deeper, and as a bonus the unreleased songs from the demo are just as good - "sinkhole"!

OMG this is back up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1exb_Uk-i-M

so great ("Shimmer" live)

^^Genius awesomeness!