The Soup Dragons 20 Golden Greats poll

These dudes played at my college in 1993. I was on the hospitality committee. They were complete assholes.

They didn't even put the song Lovegod on here. Assholes.

no "Kingdom Chairs"?

is there where I say I prefer their "I'm Free" to the Stones'?

Of course.

Also, why no "Whole wide world" eh?

Actually, I'd probably vote for the "percussion/vocals only" version of "Can't take no more"

No "Whole Wide World" because 1990-1995, plus different label.

I saw this on Cherry Red's page and wondered who is going to buy it.

I saw this in my email inbox and thought of one person who isn't!

clearly cherry red believe that this will sell 2000 copies.

was having a chat with a friend a couple of days ago who runs one of CR's many sub-labels, and apparently 2000 copies is the criteria as to whether they will reissue an album or not ..

Weren't the Soup Dragons the first band to say "there's always been a dance element to our music", or was that Primal Scream?

yep, that was them.

Mother Universe.

only know the first two songs so voted "Backwards Dog" on title alone

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

If I mad a CD compilation of the best 15 or 20 Soup Dragons tracks it would be great but there would, I think, be only two song from this disc on it - Mother Universe and Backwards Dog. What a weird release.

Well, they had, unusually, two phases prior to their success:

1. the 'Buzzcocks' stylings of 'Whole wide world' and the subway records
2. the big budget indie-pop of 'soft as your face' and 'Hang Ten'

They were just about to unveil their new iggy-influenced direction, which is usually the kiss of death as no-one really loves it more than the frontman, when 'Loaded' showed that the scene had changed overnight. The album got sacked (the cassette edition had already gone out), remixed and that dance influence that had always been there got boosted.

Phases 1 & 2 not really that distinct though right? I mean Hang Ten is just Buzzcocks-pop with slicker production iirc. Maybe I don't rc. I do have that record at home but can't say I've listened to it much recently. Whereas Whole Wide World still gets played sometimes.

I had Mother Universe on 7" when I was only very little. It had Dream E Forever on the b-side. I was disappointed that the single didn't seem to have the spoken-word sample at the beginning that I remember buying it for.

Free from the lock and me say free from the key.

xpost Hang 10 and Can't Take No More fall in the loud pop phase.
Soft as Your Face heralded the big budget phase - though I'd call it more the pastoral psych pop phase, which took in the first album iirc.

xxpost The Iggy direction did get out - I remember seeing them trying to be Primal Scream trying to be the MC5 on The Chart Show. Fatal flaw for them was being 6 months behind Scream on everything.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

xpost. Feels like we have had this coversation before but anyway in the years 1985-1989 the Soup Dragons were always much heavier than Primal Scream and Backwards Dog is a hell of a lot more convincing as a Stooges/MC5 pastiche than Ivy Ivy Ivy or whatever song it is you think Primal Scream were doing that was in that direction. Mother Universe - the point when the Soup Dragons "went dance" came out in 1989 and Loaded came out in March 1990 so I don't think there's a case that there's any connection between the two bands really.