Scrawl: C or D?

Their production always seemed to me to be the result of engineer incompetence rather than intentional rawness, especially on Velvet Hammer.

... I loved "Travel On, Rider".. I think it was the best record released in 1995 & one of Scrawl's best. "Nature Film" had its moments - but I prefer the original versions to the rereleases. (Especially Charles)

And they're great live... In fact, they totally kick ass live.. Now I wish they would get a new drummer and get out there again.

Wait a minute -- Steve Albini is incompetent?

Where did you find the CD, lost mine and been looking for another copy for years.

"Why is the keg always empty?"

I started w/ Velvet Hammer, then found Bloodsucker, then paid the major label bux for their latest (last?) 2 albums, then found the other stuff via eBay. I'm partial to Nature Film (esp. their version of "Public Image"!!), though "Clock Song" is a bazillion times better on Bloodsucker. Also, the seemingly requisite duff Scrawl moment (cf. "Story Musgrave" from Travel On, Rider, "Remember That Day" from Velvet Hammer) doesn't really happen on Nature Film.

If Velvet Hammer sounds bad, it's in the mastering, not in the production. Both Bloodsucker and Travel On, Rider sound superb - well, all three do - I love those BIG FUCKING DRUMS!
And I liked their simplicity - no flowery prose, no unnecessary motions, just straight-forward honesty. (For the epitome of this, track down their cover of Wire's "Reuters".)

Pertinent info - the Simple Machines Scrawl discography, and the official Scrawl site.

The way it's been mixed doesn't really seem to suit the songs. But that's just my opinion. My problem with Albini isn't the sounds he gets, which are fantastic, but what he does with them in the mix.

And, yeah, Travel On, Scrawl (the promo EP mentioned above) is cool, both for A) the Nugent medley, and B) a demo of Nature Film's "Everyone I Saw Tonight". And, hey, another CD w/ "Louis L'Amour" on it never hurt no one.

Anybody know what she's up to now?

MarC/DC

Providence, actually, but you RoXoR for remembering Scarce.

Found Smallmouth by chance for a buck. Great stuff. (I've heard most of their other albums but had missed this one.)

smallmouth features "charles," their fab answer song to kiss' "beth."

i loooooove plus also too for those ragged harmonies that always sound a little bit off, kinda like X's harmonies. fave song from that: "1=1." strange, cool version of "rocky top," too.

d'oh, that's he's drunk i'm talking about, not plus also too, though i like that one also too!

Classic all the way. Live shows were incredible, He's Drunk flawless, other records very nearly as good, particularly Bloodsucker (although I haven't listened to Travel On Rider in a while). I will be very very happy if I can somehow track down the original (i.e., faster than on Nature Film) version of "11:59."

Only band I can think of that comes close -- and who is really obviously influenced by Scrawl -- is Tizzy, but I think they've broken up.

Also, the seemingly requisite duff Scrawl moment (cf. "Story Musgrave" from Travel On, Rider, "Remember That Day" from Velvet Hammer)

CLASSIC! I thought they kind of "jumped the shark" when they got rid of Carolyn the drummer even if she was ruining their sound

Smallmouth is the peak for me (likes me the Gary Smith production), though I love their cover of "High Roller" which is on Bloodsucker (AMG editors reading: this track is obv not written by Marcy & Sue), which I don't really like too much otherwise.

I am not really seeing where their acute industry damage is exactly (c.f. the whole "Bloodsucker" trip), especially as compared to nearly anyone else (other artists/people/entities) affected by the Rough Trade bankruptcy (and plus also too: RT paid for that albini session anyway).

Great people, great records. Classic.

oh yeah, they did a version of "Stranglehold" too which was wicked.

I remember feeling sort of so-so about Velvet Hammer -- like it was a little samey, I think.

I haven't listened to it in at least two years. I should give it another chance.

Story Musgrave one of my all-time faves, along with "Please Have Everything," the way Marcy's voice shakes kills me. Last I heard she was running a bar in Columbus? Is this true? Is she still doing music? Someone should force her to record an album of country covers, an album of punk standards, a collection of new material, and whatever else we can coax out of her...

so classic, I was fortunate enough to see them live a few times. the last time ('97 maybe?) they did a heartstopping drumless version of "Love's Insecticide". I really need to track down those major label records.

I will be very very happy if I can somehow track down the original (i.e., faster than on Nature Film) version of "11:59."

i have the working holiday cd comp this is on - will post later on

Smallmouth is the peak for me

me too, "enough" & "hymn" are faves.

<i>WTFLOL Story Musgrave is my favourite song on that album!</i>

WTFLOL I totally forgot I wrote that! (I'm a cock.) Coincidentally, I was just listening to <i>Travel On, Rider</i> today. If I could take it back, I'd call "Hunting Me Down" the album's low point, & even if "Story Musgrave" doesn't do much for me, I love the album (& the group) to pieces. <em>Velvet Hammer</em> is still my fave, if only because Mays sounds so raw & fierce on it throughout. Was lucky enough to see them live in Boston (the Middle East) right after Elektra dropped them. Amazon.com used CD sellers have both their Elektra discs up for sale - you can snag both for about $2, it looks like (not including shipping). Sue Harshe has a MySpace page w/ some solo tracks on it - Google for it!

scrawl were great. i really like "travel on, rider" and "velvet hammer".. haven't heard the first two records unfortunately! afghan whigs + marcy mays did a nice cover of "will you love me tomorrow"

11:59 it's january - working holiday version

http://download.yousendit.com/B1BF8CB908416879

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDBRko1CBGw

ohiofan1989 (2 weeks ago)
Oh yah, whenever I would run sound for SCRAWL
I would get yelled at if I added any effects to the mix. The lead singer would always tell me, "RAW...WE WANT IT TO SOUND RAW! TURN THAT F*CKING DELAY OFF!!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5ujt7rOZc

evilwatchme (5 months ago)
Nice, I just wish that they played a song that I knew. Like Take a Swing.

everyone else is reuniting, why not scrawl

can't get $40 a seat

nah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NipJicxVI6o

played less than a year ago!

CLASSIC! I thought they kind of "jumped the shark" when they got rid of Carolyn the drummer even if she was ruining their sound

Was she? I liked how she pushed the beat. Her replacement was good, but the music seemed to lose some of its tension.

I do remember them being splendid live, caught em at least 3x.

Nearly posted (roughly) the same thing I said nine years ago.

If you don't have the patience to dig out your 45s, Spotify has a bonus-tracks version of Bloodsucker with the Singles Only 7", both sides of "Your Mother Wants to Know," and the cover of Wire's "Reuters" (all excellent).

dulli listened to me

London tonight! Anyone else going?

Classic. So glad I saw them at ATP NY this fall.

Big piece on Scrawl:
http://atlengthmag.com/music/scrawl-punk-rock-for-grown-ups-a-retrospective/

great piece, thanks

Liked xgau's 80s comments on them, archived on his site. Also, Ft. Shame, Sue Harshe's band w guitarist-songwriter Todd May (who also plays w Lydia Loveless), is subtly alluring, in a layered, Central Ohio winter's night way.

thanks for posting that article! such an underrated band

thanks, also, really enjoyed that article. Sent me back to re-listening to Travel On, Rider, and Velvet Hammer, which has made this day much much better.

I somehow fell off the Scrawl train after Smallmouth (great record, and I wish my tour shirt still fit!) Looks like I should pick up their 90s output.

They were great live when I saw them way back when. I too lost track of them later and need to check that stuff out

last 3 albums are solid for sure

Definitely. All killer, no filler.

It's a shame they're so underrated, especially for how insanely influential they were.

How were they influential? I hope you are correct. Which bands are citing them? They seem like a critics/music nerd fave to me, but not sure how that translates into influence

First time I heard Sleater-Kinney (among others) it seemed obvious they were Scrawl fans. I don't know if they actually were, but that's how I hear/heard them.

Listened to "11:59 It's January" last night. Could go for a best of Scrawl playlist.

Five songs on the hard-drive, love them all: "Charles," "Enough," "I Need You," "See," and "Tell Me Now, Boy."

I listened to them a ton this last year. Favorites: "Charles" (1990 and 1998 versions both essential), "Remember That Day," "Hymn."

It was a good year because it was such a bad year that this year could only be better

"11:59 It's January" is perfect.

there oughta be some kind of prize
if one of us survives

https://www.matternews.org/culture/music/scrawl-continues-to-keep-the-drama-to-a-minimum

Heard about that Columbus show ( but alas my relatives there who I was encouraging to attend had a conflict and didn’t make it)

was just thinking "wow I loved the solo show I saw Marcy Mays do" and scrolled up to see that I posted about that 20 years ago, which means that show was like...30 years ago. WTF.

Have driven three hours to see them on their home turf and would (with more notice) do it again.

(A full-throated "You make me wanna wring your neck" is kinda dramatic, imo.)

why on earth was "The Day She Was Thru With Punk Rock" removed from the Travel On, Rider album right before release? along with one other song.