The Cannanes: classic or dud?

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The Cannanes. Been around for more than 15 years. Released a trillion records on as many labels. Highly underappreciated in their own country (although this is slowly changing). Still writing fantastic pop songs with strong lyrics after all these years. So tell me - Classic underrated pop legends? Or should they have given the game away years ago?

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The recent Explosion Robinson/Cannanes collab is one of the best things they've done, and working with Steward seems to have given them a further boost..

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

They are goodness. I admit to a partiality to when Randall Lee was part of the band.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I will admit though, that when they had Annabel Bleach on vocals they were unlistenable. Luckily that was only for the v v early stuff c. 1986 (the No One single on K, and Bored, Angry and Jealous, neither of which I recommend you seek).

― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

their contribution "tribute" to fortune cookie prize (the beat happening tribute) is, like, totally awesome.
― http://gygax.pitas.com, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

― , Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Cannanes are mostly perfect. I can't think of another band that can project as much charm and warmth into a song. And to echo what others have said, the recent releases (especially Felicity and Communicating at an Unknown Rate, both of which have Stewart Boyracer helping out) are probably also their best. If they stick around another 15 years I will be very happy.

― Miranda, Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Splendid. I think each record they've made is slightly better than the one before it, which after 15 years is a very good thing, and I love the personally communicative, BS-free tone of their lyrics.

Bonus points for having just about the best attitude of any band I've ever encountered in person.

― Douglas, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bored, Angry & Jealous is actually one of my favourite EPs ever. It is absolutely astonishing, and it saddens me to think that anyone - anyone - may think otherwise. Even now, it brings a smile to my lips when faced with Brighton rain and indeed I'm going to bring it out now to play for a 1,000th time. It is truly magical, even though it's now all crackly and faded as all hell, and rates alongside a handful of Ed's Redeeming Qualities and Sportique songs in my personal loves.

Sorry. I couldn't let that comment go unchecked. I started a damn label to release that record.

― Jerry, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm prepared to give it another listen. It admittedly has been a while, But Annabel Bleach's voice isn't exactly easy on the ears.

Best Cannanes LP = Arty Barbeque, closely followed by Caveat Emptor

― electric sound of jim, Friday, 1 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

four years pass...

I'm tempted to start another thread but for now -- Ashtray Boy's "Paunch" is one of the greatest songs ever.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 20:52 (twenty years ago)

"Anna said I'd be the first on the block
With a wardrobe of kaftans, loose-fits and smocks
I should frequent jazz clubs rather than rock..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 20:56 (twenty years ago)

My favorite Cannanes record: Communicating at an Unknown Rate (credited to the Cannanes and Steward, to be accurate). Amazing pop, and "Astra" is a classic.

― James, Wednesday, 1 March 2006 21:00 (twenty years ago)

i haven't heard "paunch", but "roadkill" always raises a dry smile

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 21:10 (twenty years ago)

"Paunch" is on the brilliant Macho Champions, and when you hear how the song is actually performed you'll be even more amazed.

Anyway, Cannanes. The one show I saw of theirs all those years back was a total treat.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

Well, what do you know -- out of nowhere a couple of weeks back I not only got some of the more recent albums but the (I believe) utterly out of print Witchetty Pole...for two bucks or so at Easy Street near EMP in Seattle. How the hell had *that* slipped through?

And I listen to it now. :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 12 May 2006 00:10 (nineteen years ago)

the first album is definitely a good one. and those first two singles from the lineup with randall lee are so underrated.

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Friday, 12 May 2006 00:20 (nineteen years ago)

Randall's voice is definitely better and better to me with time, to the point where I'm all "Wait, why DON'T more people know about this guy, dammit!"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 12 May 2006 00:25 (nineteen years ago)

Only have A Love Affair With Nature (a friend of mine swears by it, and basically forced me to listen to it -- isn't it out of print?) That's a great album, somewhere between the Go-Betweens and Young Marble Giants (only with scratchier production -- or is that the vinyl-to-mp3 dub?), not quite as good as the former (though how many things are?), but I like it better than the YMGs. (Admittedly, I like the YMGs a lot better in principle than in practice -- the Cannanes, to me, added the second and subsequent tricks to the sound.)

Should really seek out their other work.

― Pessimist (Pessimist), Friday, 12 May 2006 00:44 (nineteen years ago)

jim, do you have the first ep with Annabel Bleach singing? I love that record - I don't own it, I have only heard it on the radio very occasionally.

― ratty, Friday, 12 May 2006 00:46 (nineteen years ago)

Randall was always my favorite part of The Cannanes, though he wasn't on much, and which is why I also like Nice and Ashtray Boy. I esp like some of the songs on Nice's Apple Pie.

― TRG (TRG), Friday, 12 May 2006 00:53 (nineteen years ago)

i sold it a long time ago ratty, i just didn't like it enough. but the tracks are all on witchetty pole which i do have.

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Friday, 12 May 2006 01:02 (nineteen years ago)

Inspired by all this, I've just ordered (for ridiculously cheap, I love Amazon resellers) Communicating at an Unknown Rate and Tiny Frown. I am a happy Ned.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 12 May 2006 01:16 (nineteen years ago)

It's a bit harder to buy Nice albums on Amazon. Says one unhappy customer:

This is NOT the *REAL* Nice!! Some other group has ripped off their name!!

― TRG (TRG), Friday, 12 May 2006 01:23 (nineteen years ago)

hahaha

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 12 May 2006 01:24 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, that poor guy was set to impress his ELP friends with a copy of an album none of them knew existed.

― TRG (TRG), Friday, 12 May 2006 01:30 (nineteen years ago)

Having investigated, I just ordered Apple Pie for a measly $2. Kinda crazy.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 12 May 2006 01:31 (nineteen years ago)

IF I'D ONLY WAITED UNTIL IT WENT DOWN IN PRICE! (I'm sure that's the story of half my collection.)

― TRG (TRG), Friday, 12 May 2006 01:38 (nineteen years ago)

I just sent their forthcoming EP off to the pressing plant... it's really good!

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 12 May 2006 02:39 (nineteen years ago)

Does that mean you're still putting out records as Dark Beloved Cloud, Douglas?

― sleeve (sleeve), Friday, 12 May 2006 02:52 (nineteen years ago)

the new stuff i heard at the cannanes show we did with them in november was fantastic. their new songs are as good as they've ever been

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Friday, 12 May 2006 03:45 (nineteen years ago)

I just sent their forthcoming EP off to the pressing plant... it's really good!

I must slime my way onto the promo list. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 12 May 2006 03:58 (nineteen years ago)

Meantime, finally listening to Living the Dream here, one of the other ones I got used the other week. Three songs in and it's a dream!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 13 May 2006 00:26 (nineteen years ago)

My vote goes to Arty Barbecue. That's a great album.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Saturday, 13 May 2006 00:41 (nineteen years ago)

Yus. A total treat.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 13 May 2006 00:43 (nineteen years ago)

Sleeve: yes it does, although only singles-club EPs. Things have been VERY slow the last couple of years (only two discs, Barbara Manning and Ida), but several discs are now forthcoming...

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 13 May 2006 03:08 (nineteen years ago)

Wow! That stuff has not been on my radar. A Hattifatteners CD!!!

― sleeve (sleeve), Saturday, 13 May 2006 03:20 (nineteen years ago)

And going way upthread:

The recent Explosion Robinson/Cannanes collab is one of the best things they've done

Am now listening to it and yes, quite something -- makes perfect sense it came out on Slabco. Obv. nothing against David Nichols but it's grand to hear the band's familiar approach over much different beats.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 14 May 2006 15:47 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

Hadn't realized they were back in the States. Recording in New York with Explosion Robinson, it says.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 21 May 2008 22:31 (seventeen years ago)

They're going to be at NYC popfest next month. I wasn't really aware of them before, but this thread has me pumped to check them out.

― St3ve Go1db3rg, Wednesday, 21 May 2008 23:04 (seventeen years ago)

saw them a couple of weeks ago, great show, i understand that they're experiencing some frustration at not having had a record out in a long time but i gather that's soon to change..

― electricsound, Wednesday, 21 May 2008 23:18 (seventeen years ago)

Make them come here.

― Colonel Poo, Thursday, 22 May 2008 08:06 (seventeen years ago)

Is David Nichols, who wrote that book on the Go-Betweens, still in the group? I corresponded with him back in the stone age (1982) and he contributed to me and my pals Dc based fanzine Thrillseeker at that time. Met him when they played dc Space way back.

― curmudgeon, Friday, 23 May 2008 13:22 (seventeen years ago)

DUDES WE PLAYED WITH THEM LAST WEEK AND I GOT TO PLAY TAMBOURINE FOR THEM! they were rhythm-section-free, but so nice and played a rad show.

― 69, Friday, 23 May 2008 15:41 (seventeen years ago)

No drumming! So wait, was David with them?

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 23 May 2008 16:27 (seventeen years ago)

nah just frances stephen and penny

― 69, Friday, 23 May 2008 18:09 (seventeen years ago)

I haven't listened to them in a million billion years, but for some reason I had ripped Love Affair and Witchetty to mp3 at some point, so just popped them on inspired by this thread revival. Was expecting to hate it like so much other twee pop that I used to love, but am being surprised. My wife thought it was Hefner, which doesn't actually seem that far off (sometimes).

― dlp9001, Sunday, 25 May 2008 01:20 (seventeen years ago)

eight months pass...

Going through another phase...

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 January 2009 22:04 (seventeen years ago)

i have those. surprising how many gems they have hidden away on their later albums that i've missed before. a new album is excessively overdue.. particularly when they were starting to make up considerable ground locally when the last one came out however many moons ago

― Cooking From A Stovetop (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 January 2009 22:22 (seventeen years ago)

Ned, I think that Cannanes show we saw with David on drums at the Huntington Beach Library was one of the last tours with Nichols (maybe the last?). 1996/1997 or so?

Anyway, Explosion Robinson is awesome, and I'm glad a small Slabco rediscovery is happening.

― Ashee Bolanalli (Mackro Mackro), Tuesday, 27 January 2009 22:53 (seventeen years ago)

One of the albums (well, EPs?) was from an American tour in 1999, I think? Was that when the show was? Definitely late nineties with Timonium opening, great combination.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 January 2009 22:55 (seventeen years ago)

as far as I can tell they are very overrated

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 19:49 (seventeen years ago)

:-(

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 20:11 (seventeen years ago)

fuck off and die pinefox you turkey

― Cooking From A Stovetop (electricsound), Wednesday, 28 January 2009 22:49 (seventeen years ago)

end of an era

― Ashee Bolanalli (Mackro Mackro), Wednesday, 28 January 2009 22:58 (seventeen years ago)

their entire oeuvre is under-rated/overlooked/etc...and CLASSIC.
and doesn't anyone else love this one? fantastic! long live Ajax!
http://img26.picoodle.com/img/img26/3/1/28/f_mziwqqjrfdfm_1268024.jpg

― nerve_pylon, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 22:59 (seventeen years ago)

I should imbibe more of this; "Take Me Down to the Hotel Joanna" is always good shambling catharsis

― is it cocktail hour yet (winston), Wednesday, 28 January 2009 23:29 (seventeen years ago)

and doesn't anyone else love this one?

Whatever do you mean?

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 23:59 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

FUCK YEAH MOTHERFUCKERS

http://www.last.fm/event/1463886+The+Cannanes

― Colonel Poo, Monday, 22 March 2010 17:57 (sixteen years ago)

two months pass...

nothing for nigh on 10 years, but their website says three (3) albums of new material are due to drop. yay!

― nailed the presentation to the cross (electricsound), Friday, 11 June 2010 00:22 (fifteen years ago)

Oh shit! Check it out I found a split 33 7" with Sleepy Township thats pretty awesome.

― Evan, Friday, 11 June 2010 01:18 (fifteen years ago)

with 'tennyson' on it? yeah that's a good one

― nailed the presentation to the cross (electricsound), Friday, 11 June 2010 01:28 (fifteen years ago)

Yes. Good stuff! I like Sleepy Township too.

― Evan, Friday, 11 June 2010 01:32 (fifteen years ago)

if you need any ST hookups, i have the compleat collection

― nailed the presentation to the cross (electricsound), Friday, 11 June 2010 01:45 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

new album is out at the end of this week btw

― manatee is forever (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 September 2011 01:54 (fourteen years ago)

the new tracks are really good based on the two recent live shows i've seen

― manatee is forever (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 September 2011 01:55 (fourteen years ago)

Nice!

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 September 2011 02:13 (fourteen years ago)

eight years pass...

Listening to the s/t album and "Arty Barbecue", which is my favorite period. Such fun, winsome jangle pop. Really wish Captured Tracks or someone like them put together a comp of all their mid-90s singles and compilation contributions.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 03:26 (five years ago)

Yeah I only love Cannanes more as the years go by.

― Evan, Tuesday, 22 September 2020 13:47 (five years ago)

I'd extend that period from A Love Affair With Nature to the s/t I think

― CP Radio Gorgeous (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 22 September 2020 13:53 (five years ago)

three weeks pass...

I put together a compilation of all their singles and non-lp tracks from 1992-2000 (excepting the ones already on "Arty Barbecue"), email me at geraldmcbb (@t) h0tma!l d0t c0m for a link.

Still missing these tracks from compilations:
You'll Be Back
Ice Blue Drink
Spoiled
What If Everything Was Nice
Thunder Bay Area Gravel Inspector (live)
Popstars

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 17 October 2020 00:42 (five years ago)

Done and done!

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 October 2020 00:51 (five years ago)

I've been dying to hear their cover of Don't Fear The Reaper on a split 7" from 2008 but it doesn't appear to be digitized anywhere accessible to at least sample.

― Evan, Saturday, 17 October 2020 16:12 (five years ago)

Email me at the above address and I'll hook you up.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 17 October 2020 16:49 (five years ago)

Oh thanks! Will do this evening

― Evan, Saturday, 17 October 2020 21:44 (five years ago)

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