Classic or Dud : Pooh Sticks?

Plus "On Tape" is possibly the funnest celebration of geeky pop fandom ever, no?

they got pretty damn cheesy in later years, but every album has at least a couple great tunes, and their liner notes (see, for example, "the great white wonder") are their own kind of classic.

I think I'm in the minority in saying they got better as the years progressed, or at least, more listenable: the clamour and rabble of the "Multiple Orgasm" set is good fun, but records like "Great White Wonder" and "Million Seller" last longer, seem more *POP* in the true sense (as opposed to the joke sense). But of course they were concurrently funnier than ever (Trudi Tangerine's liner notes were always amazing, sometimes better than the songs they were detailing). "Cool in A Crisis" is a great 7" but the "Optimistic Fool" album is a bit drab at times, I find.

The gtrist (and, one guesses, perhaps the true genius behind the band) went on to form International Language (I think, this is all from memory) whose CD on SFTRI was quite nice in a very 'post-Pooh Sticks w/o Hue's character' way. Does anyone know what happened to Hue Pooh, btw?

The Peter Frampton obsession always puzzled me however.

Come back, Trudi Tangerine . . .

Who do you think has been influenced by the Pooh Sticks?

That the examples of the band achieving in its own records very few moments which could compare with their own favourites, listed extensively on the records' sleevenotes, must've been as disapointing for them as it was wholly expected.

No irony, no post-modern posing, just albums' of worth little prayers (some better than others).

But what bands have been influenced by The Pooh Sticks? Few, probably: the group would've appealed mostly to the already 'pop-converted'. If "everyone who ever saw the Velvet Underground formed a band", as the old wisdom tells us, then equally "anyone who ever loved the Pooh Sticks formed a band but they would've anyway".

Still: Teenage Fanclub probably took up "Goody Goody Gumdrops" after hearing the Pooh Sticks' version. Does that count?

One thing: on the cover of "Great White Wonder" the drummer is wearing a T-shirt which says "Lead Sister"... that's a slogan Karen Carpenter had on T-shirts. At the time, this seemed to escape comment (there are probably more tributes/references on Pooh Sticks records than we can ever hope to spot) but you can bet your bottom dollar that in 1991 a jones for the Carpenters would've been seen as terminally uncool in indie circles, yet only a couple of years later there was that whole Sonic Youth etc Carpenters trip and magically the Carpenters were deemed cool. (They're probably uncool again now - it's hard to keep up.)

Gwen Stefani is a Pooh Sticks fan, apparently.

I've still never heard them to this day.

With their new album, Belle and Sebastian have came pretty close to identically replicating the Pooh Sticks circa Great White WOnder/Million Seller. They've been heading in that direction for a few years now, what with all those musical and pop cultural references (both lyrically and musically)- they even reference the same artists sometimes - Jonathan Richman and the TVP's for example. Adopting the 70's rock influences while still maintaining a bit of girlie tra-la-la tweeness, they have pretty much reached their destination.

I'm in You -- best long song ever!

International Language - Where the Bands Are -- Have you heard it?

a few people bought "million seller" on my recommendation and told me they couldn't get into it. that was kinda confusing for me.

I have virtually everything they've put out, even the Encores 7" which consists of crowd noise followed by "Going Steady" by Jilted John sped up, then more crowd noise. Well worth the money, that one.

Best band ever

swansea sound, who don't play any pooh sticks songs live (or heavenly or talulah gosh or death in vegas or dentists or etc etc etc songs) but do have a song called "the pooh sticks," were a load of fun saturday night in new york. hue's voice has held up well, as has amelia's, and they still know their way around the aisles of indie record stores and the corridors of indie rock labels, and they're still adorably irascible when they want to be.

I saw Swansea Sound in Maryland near DC in a tiny basement bar do a fun set too. Hue's a good frontman and sounded strong as you noted. Amelia's hubby helped write and play some good songs too, and her harmonies and occasional lead vocals were impressive.

coincidentally I was listening to the reissue of the 7" box set that came out on Optic Nerve in 2019 today. these are not the same versions they released in the 80s - sounds like maybe they were remixed (poorly)? I'd recommend avoiding that particular reissue (it's out of print anyway)