Cud -- yes, you read that right

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So, they were almost universally loathed for whatever reason, and their earliest albums are good but sometimes a bit thin. Then they got some major label cash and created this brilliant album called Asquarius in 1992, of which I am fond. It's one of the best summer albums around and still is, breezy and winning, Carl Puttnam is this quite underrated great and wonderful singer, and the accompanying story in MM at the time which Cathi Unsworth wrote when she and the band visited Spain to film a video is one of her best, capturing a smart band who loved music and life and good times. Saw them put on a rushed but still good show opening for EMF that year (we did not stay for EMF and I don't care what you think). Followup album didn't quite connect, they fell apart, though various retrospective and one-off things have happened since, and there's a good fan page here, updated as of a couple of months ago (they got the year wrong for whatever reason).

Now is your chance to celebrate or mock.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 May 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Heard some good Cud songs in the early 90's, always kindof meant to investigate, never did.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I have Asquarius! Dunno where it is though, I kinda liked "Rich and Strange", but they were really just a poor mans Frank and Walters in the final analysis.

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, interesting comparison! I think they played a tour together actually. F&W were never my thing -- Cud actually has a certain sparkle (even if it was just Puttnam's sequinned shirts).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I was in a band with cud's singer's brother. very briefly.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Sequined shirts...I seem to remember that now. I was crazy about the first two F&W EP's.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:27 (twenty-one years ago)

http://img69.photobucket.com/albums/v210/jel2004/cud.jpg

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Yay! Sequins!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

but dude! The Cod Piece!

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I think he was unlucky to have curly hair. It wasn't right back then.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

but dude! The Cud Piece!

― martin m. (mushrush), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

A friend of mine met Barry Lasagne at university on the basis of one or both of them having Cud painted on their DMs.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 22 May 2004 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The music was quite good yes. The aesthetic of cows' udders and the general look wasn't. They did, via a friend, get me into Hot Chocolate though!

― Keith Watson (kmw), Saturday, 22 May 2004 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

One Giant Love was brilliant, surely? I remember it being radio 1 playlisted a bit and also being brilliant, in fact I can remember how all the Showbiz singles went which is quite surprising.

― Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Saturday, 22 May 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Cud were best enjoyed if you had no concept of what they looked like.

Always liked "Hey Boots" though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

"oh no won't do" is a great song, as is "only a prawn in whitby". i have asquarius somewhere but i believe that i've never actually listened tp ot

― the surface noise made by people (electricsound), Sunday, 23 May 2004 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

to it

― the surface noise made by people (electricsound), Sunday, 23 May 2004 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

did they mean it to be pronounced "assquarius"?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 23 May 2004 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I enjoy their cover of Day by Day.

― D Aziz (esquire1983), Sunday, 23 May 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

That is a nice version -- I knew the original from having heard Godspell a few times when I was younger, and they carried it very well.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 23 May 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Carl Puttnam had a voice made for better things than Cud records. I have two albums (Asquarius and another one whose name escapes me) and really haven't felt the need to listen to them since about 1994.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 23 May 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Since the Frank & Walters' career began several years after Cud's it would be more accurate to describe them as the poor man's Cud. In fact the F&Ws were far less inventive, and managed to write precisely one tune that I can still remember, "Rasputin". I saw them play in about 1990. It was meh.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 23 May 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

frank and wlaters were great. i have never heard cud. frank and walters were all about silliness at first then they turned earnest and were still great until they got flood to produce one of their records, guh. is that the same as cud? sequins vs. orange overalls? 'michael' was much better than 'rasputin'.

― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 23 May 2004 22:05 (twenty-one years ago)

"LION POP"

― kit brash (kit brash), Sunday, 23 May 2004 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought they were great! We supported them a couple of times, around 'When In Rome...' - they were unbelievably witty: the whole 'Better make this one single' routine on the first album and mixing Living in the Past with Mission Impossible (those 'whoas' are amazing) etc.

The reason people went off them was largely down to the late '80s phenomenon of 'selling out' - an accusation by C86 fans - which laregly meant moving to a bigger label and getting a producer. It's odd looking back, considering the corporate nature of so much so-called independent music now.

Oh yeah, their version of Lola is bluddy fantastic!

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 24 May 2004 06:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Irritating 'wacky' indie band. Played at Student Discos from hell from about 1989 onwards. Only a prawn from whitby. Slighty worse than Frank and Walters and Stump.

One of them now manages a Threshers store in Leeds apparently.

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Monday, 24 May 2004 08:40 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

I realise that they never were released in North America, but the first two Cud albums "When In Rome Kill Me" and "Leggy Mambo" absolutely piss over "Asquarius" and "Showbiz". "..Rome.." especially is totally packed with delightfully original, driving pop numbers with brilliant lyrics and great musicianship throughout. The Elvis Belt compilation ep is a bit patchy but still towers over their later work.

― everything, Friday, 30 December 2005 00:34 (twenty years ago)

i thought i would like cud more :-(

― born-again christians in the old corral (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 30 December 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

I like Terry LaBan alot.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Friday, 30 December 2005 00:50 (twenty years ago)

Don't understand that comment upthread that they were "slightly worse than...Stump". Isn't everyone?

― everything, Friday, 30 December 2005 00:52 (twenty years ago)

i thought i would like cud more :-(

:-(

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 30 December 2005 00:58 (twenty years ago)

Ooh, Leggy Mambo, that's the other one I couldn't remember upthread. I still haven't listened to them since about 1994, yet I now have "Not Exactly D.L.E.R.C." stuck in my head thanks to this thread.

― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 30 December 2005 10:24 (twenty years ago)

I realise that they never were released in North America, but the first two Cud albums "When In Rome Kill Me" and "Leggy Mambo" absolutely piss over "Asquarius" and "Showbiz" - This is true.

― fandango (fandango), Friday, 30 December 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

My incredibly vague memories of Cud were an album with a very large and unnerving face of a man on the front (not one of them), gigs where all the fans got up on stage and the uniquely named Only A Prawn In Whitby. I liked them but then I liked The Mock Turtles too.

― Kim Tortoise, Friday, 30 December 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

"Slack Time" makes me drive too fast. One of my favorites.

I first got into Cud via their terrific cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on that Anti-Poll Tax compilation. They were lots of fun and I've never seen a picture of them, so I can't really say much about anything other than the music.

Have all their output, picked most of it up on eBay for a song, and it was a dear bargain to be sure.

I also especially love the "Robinson Crusoe" extended mix. Baggy baggy what?

― rentboy (rentboy), Friday, 30 December 2005 13:50 (twenty years ago)

Cud's baggiest moment has gotta be the b-side of Robinson Crusoe, "Plantation Island". It's bag-tastic.

Cud POV:

Bibi Couldn't See
Ariel
I've Had It With Blondes
Slack Time
Eau Water

― everything, Friday, 30 December 2005 17:26 (twenty years ago)

five months pass...

Now hear ye, hear ye, hear ye.

CUD ARE BACK IN 2006

2xCD compilation album on Universal

PLUS +++++++++++ ON TOUR IN AUGUST 2006 +++++++++++++ PLUS

YEAH!!!!

― John Bownas (john bownas), Friday, 16 June 2006 20:18 (nineteen years ago)

Crazy. I just played Asquarius the other day.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 June 2006 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

I touched my copy of "When In Rome Kill Me" not two hours ago.

― everything (everything), Sunday, 18 June 2006 03:03 (nineteen years ago)

Love em

― babysquid (babysquid), Friday, 23 June 2006 15:01 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...

That double compilation cd came out. I'm resisting getting it because they omitted tons of their best songs like "Heart", "Now", "Bibi Couldn't See", "Push and Shove", "Van Van Van" and "The Day Crime Paid". Instead they put in filler from the first two albums like "Alison Springs", "Love In A Hollow Tree" and "Vocally Speaking" and the jokey throwaway covers of "Lola" and "You Sexy Thing". Nuts! I'm going to stick with my decade old home-made c90 compilation.

Here's the tracklisting anyway:

1. You Sexy Thing
2. Don't Bank On It
3. Under My Hat
4. Slack Time
5. I've Had It With Blondes
6. Make No Bones
7. Lola
8. Only (A Prawn In Whitby)
9. Vocally Speaking
10. Wobbly Jelly
11. Alison Springs
12. Living In The Past
13. Hey Wire
14. Robinson Crusoe
15. Hey Boots
16. Love In A Hollow Tree
17. Not Exactly DLERC
18. Eau Water
19. Magic
Disc: 2
1. Oh No Won't Do
2. Ariel
3. Through The Roof
4. Rich And Strange
5. Spanish Love Song
6. Purple Love Balloon
7. Once Again
8. Neurotica
9. ESP
10. Sticks And Stones
11. Tourniquet
12. One Giant Love
13. Look On Up At The Bottom
14. Strange Kind Of Love
15. Day By Day
16. Dream Is Killing Me
17. Stay
18. Apollo
19. Strangelove

― everything (everything), Thursday, 16 November 2006 18:16 (nineteen years ago)

>> I first got into Cud via their terrific cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on that Anti-Poll Tax compilation.

I love that cover!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 16 November 2006 18:47 (nineteen years ago)

> filler from the first two albums like "Alison Springs"

ok, that's it, you've gone too far...

― Koogy Yonderboy (koogs), Friday, 17 November 2006 09:55 (nineteen years ago)

Really? Maybe I need to hear it again, then. But c'mon, surely you agree that there's some vital material missing from the first cd?

― everything (everything), Friday, 17 November 2006 14:09 (nineteen years ago)

there does seem to be a lot of When In Rome... missing, yes. but maybe it was difficult to extract individual songs from that one long story track.

did any of the Reception Records tracks make it on there? (uses The Google) nope. and that discog is about 5 times longer than i'd've said it would be. which is probably why i don't recognise 75% of the compilation.

(although i do have the Purple Love Balloon 12" with the mobile designed by Jamie Tank Girl Hewlett (or was it Phillip Bond?))

― Koogy Yonderboy (koogs), Friday, 17 November 2006 16:33 (nineteen years ago)

Apparently they didn't break up till around '96. Who knew?

― everything (everything), Friday, 17 November 2006 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

eight months pass...

_When In Rome, Kill Me_ and _Asquarius_ both have been reissued in the UK with bonus tracks and superior remastering (or so the early reviews say).

― Mr. Odd, Monday, 6 August 2007 14:58 (eighteen years ago)

lol I was just listening to Elvis Belt (comp of early singles) yesterday!

― Colonel Poo, Monday, 6 August 2007 15:03 (eighteen years ago)

My friend Mickey was in Cud for a while.

― Scik Mouthy, Monday, 6 August 2007 15:06 (eighteen years ago)

i was looking for stuff about the victorian taxidermist william potter, and came across this

http://www.williampotter.com/

― Filey Camp, Monday, 6 August 2007 15:09 (eighteen years ago)

Those Cud diaries he has are a treat. Love all the photos!

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 6 August 2007 15:27 (eighteen years ago)

That's a great read. What a week this was:

8 Mar (1990)
We miss a photo session at London’s NFT when the van runs out of petrol.
We pull out of a support tour with Birdland, cause we think they’re crap. Apparently this decision creates some bad feeling in the business. An NME feature is cancelled.
It turns out we’ll be doing the Birdland London show after all.

11 Mar
Photo session.
CUD wear lipstick and prance about with flowers and feathers.

12 Mar
Bristol Fleece and Firkin
Raising money for inflatables.

13 Mar
Bournemouth Benedicts
A quiet audience.

14 Mar
Swansea Uni
Eric arranges accommodation with some of his old college friends, but he’s winding us up now with sexist comments.

15 Mar
Warwick Uni, with Beats International and Voice of the Beehive
Best performance of the tour so far, with a generous rider to celebrate it.

16 Mar
Gloucester, Guild Hall Banana Club
We visit Brian Jones grave in Cheltenham on the way and get chased off by a bull mastiff.

― everything, Tuesday, 7 August 2007 18:29 (eighteen years ago)

My friend Mickey was in Cud for a while.

Was he the drummer?

― anatol_merklich, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:44 (eighteen years ago)

eight months pass...

several cud reissues out now on cherry red.. with bonus material. all your cud needs.

― electricsound, Monday, 21 April 2008 06:20 (seventeen years ago)

Haha, I met all of Cud yesterday morning - they've got some shows coming up in and around Leeds and were getting together for a rehearsal at Mickey (from Embrace)'s house - he played keys on their last record and is gonna play live with them. What's the singer called? he's got a fucking mad 'tache. Nice blokes.

― Scik Mouthy, Monday, 21 April 2008 08:14 (seventeen years ago)

Mickey was telling me that apparently Carl was once two weeks late to their own recording session for one album, and his excuse was that his front door had been stolen. Which isn't that improbable... A few days later he went missing again for two days, and when he arrived back the guitarist asked him where the fuck he'd been this time. Carl's reply was that "I stepped out of me front door to come to the studio, and walked through the centre of Leeds, and I bumped into Bob Dylan!" at which point the guitarist knocked him out. It seems even the band are divided over whether they like the singer... (aren't most bands?)

― Scik Mouthy, Monday, 21 April 2008 08:17 (seventeen years ago)

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