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FAQ: The Wedding Present


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Archive-name: music/wedding-present-faq
Posting-Frequency: bimonthly
Last-modified: 1996/08/28
Version: 3.1

See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
  THE WEDDING PRESENT
  Frequently Asked Questions
  version 3.1
  Last modified: August 28, 1996
  Changes:
         v3.1
           Changed 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 3.3
         v3.0
           All new organization!

  SECTION 1: Personnel
       1.  Who are The Wedding Present?
       2.  Who are the Ukrainians?
       3.  Who is Cha Cha Cohen?
       4.  Who are the Popguns?
       5.  What is the extent of the contributions of the other
           members of the band?
  SECTION 2: News
       1.  What's new?
       2.  Where can I get TWP information on the net?
       3.  Is there a Wedding Present fanzine?
  SECTION 3: Merchandise
       1.  How can I get a copy of (a particular item)?
       2.  What record company is the band on NOW?
       3.  What are the versions of each of the CD's that are
           currently being reissued by whoever?
       4.  Why do the US versions of Bizarro and Seamonsters
           have extra songs?
       5.  What is HP3 (Hit Parade 3)?
       6.  Does TWP have videos for sale?
       7.  Why does TWP release their own live tapes?
       8.  Is there a book about TWP?
  SECTION 4: Songs and Albums
       1.  Why is "Felicity" a "William Shatner number"?
       2.  Which songs did Amelia Fletcher of Heavenly sing
           on which Wedding Present albums?
       3.  What is "Dalliance" about?
       4.  Why was the third LP called "Seamonsters?"
       5.  What's the deal with the samples from
           "Close Encounters" and "UFO"?
       6.  Did the Hit Parade singles break some kind of record?
       7.  Why are there two CD singles of "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah"?
       8.  Who sings "Shake It"?
       9.  What is Versions?
  SECTION 5: Cover Versions
       1.  What songs have TWP covered?
       2.  Did TWP cover a Pavement song? Where can I find
           the original?
       3.  Does anyone know of any covers of Wedding Present songs?
  SECTION 6: Polls
       1.  What are everyone's favorite songs?
       2.  Why doesn't the band play everyone's favorite songs
           at concerts?
  SECTION 7: Miscellany
       1.  What is the origin of the name of the band?
       2.  What is C86?
       3.  Did Courtney Love really slap David backstage at the
           1994 Reading Festival?
       4.  Have TWP ever played a wedding?


  ----------------------------------------------------------
  1.  PERSONNEL
  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Q1.1  Who are The Wedding Present?

  A1.1  The Wedding Present are a rock band from Leeds, England.
        They have been in existence since 1985.

        There have been many line-up changes in the history of
        the band.  The following chart shows each member, their
        instrument, and years spent in the band:

                           85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96
        David Gedge   v g  ************************************
        Peter Solowka   g  ********************
        Keith Gregory   b  *************************
        Shaun Charman   d  **********
        Simon Smith     d            **************************
        Paul Dorrington g                      ************
        Darren Belk     b                           *******
                        g                                  **
        Jayne Lockey  v b                                  ****
        Hugh Kelly      d2                                 **
        Simon Cleave    g                                    **

        v- vocals, g - guitar, b - bass, d - drums,
        d2 - second drums

        Peter Solowka went on to form The Ukrainians.
        Keith Gregory went on to form Cha Cha Cohen.
        Shaun Charman went on to form The Popguns.
        Darren Belk and Hugh Kelly continued with Beach Buggy.

        Chris Cooper, formerly of Pale Saints, was the second drummer
             on the Winter 96 UK tour.
        Debby Vander Wall of Butterglory was the second drummer on the
             Spring 96 US tour.


  Q1.2  Who are the Ukrainians?

  A1.2  The Ukrainians feature Peter Solowka, guitar player for TWP
        until 1991, and Len Liggins and Roman Remeynes, who were
        featured on The Wedding Present album known as "Ukrainski
        Vistupi V Johna Peela," an collection of Ukrainian folk songs.
        They have released two LPs, as well as an EP of Smiths covers
        sung in Ukrainian.  More info can be found at
        http://www.tryzub.com/UFPWWW_Etc/Culture/Music/Ukrainians/
        UkMain.html


  Q1.3  Who is Cha Cha Cohen?

  A1.3  Cha Cha Cohen is the latest project from Keith Gregory, bass
        player for The Wedding Present until 1993.  The band features
        Keith, Simon Smith, Paul Dorrington, Ian Johnson (a friend of
        Keith's), and Jackie from the Dust Devils.  They have released
        a single in the UK on Hemiola Records.


  Q1.4  Who are the Popguns?

  A1.4  The Popguns featured Shaun Charman, who was their drummer from
        1988 to 1991.  He appeared on their first two albums, Eugenie
        and Snog.  More information can be found at
        http://www.fys.ruu.nl/~dompselr/Popguns.


  Q1.5  What is the extent of the contributions of the other members of
        the band?

  A1.5  David Gedge: "Although each incarnation of the group has
        operated in different ways to the others, The Wedding Present
        has always been a democratic organization, with everyone having
        an equal say on all aspects of our work.  Confusion about
        songwriting, for instance, might have arisen because all along
        I've done the singing tunes and lyrics, and these are the two
        elements that a large number of people are thinking of when they
        talk about a "song".  With the exception of maybe Peter,
        everyone in the group has usually written their own guitar,
        bass, drums, whatever...parts and been involved with all
        the arranging."


  ----------------------------------------------------------
  2.  NEWS
  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Q2.1  What's new?

  A2.1  TWP is currently on tour:

          September 5th  Washington D.C.  930 Club
          September 6th  Philadelphia  Trocadero
          September 7th  New York City  Tramps
          September 11th  Dublin  Mean Fiddler
          September 12th  London  Finsbury Park Powerhaus
          September 13th  London  Virgin Record Shop
          September 13th  London  Finsbury Park Powerhaus
          September 14th  London  Finsbury Park Powerhaus
          October 2nd  Carlisle  Richmond
          October 3rd  Glasgow  Garage
          October 4th  Dundee  Lucifer's Mill
          October 6th  Newcastle  Riverside
          October 7th  Manchester  Hop And Grape
          October 8th  Leeds  Metropolitan University
          October 9th  Birmingham  Foundry
          October 10th  Oxford  Zodiac
          October 12th  Salisbury  Arts Centre
          October 13th  Nottingham  Clinton Rooms

        A full US tour should take place in November.

        The album "Satunalia" will be released by Cooking
        Vinyl Records as a CD, cassette and limited edition
        double 10" LP on September 9.  The track listing:
        Venus, Real Thing, Dreamworld, 2,3,Go, Snake Eyes,
        Hula Doll, Big Boots, Montreal, Skin Diving, Jet Girl
        (new version), Kansas, 50s.

        The single "2, 3, GO" on 7" and CD was released on
        August 19th.


  Q2.2  Where can I get TWP information on the net?

  A2.2  MAILING LIST
        ============

        Join The Wedding Present internet mailing list, for up-to-
        the-minute news and commentary.  To subscribe, send mail to

           majordomo@westnet.com

        with the body of your mail message (not the subject) reading

           subscribe twp yourmailaddress

        You can also get a copy of all Wedding Present lyrics, as
        well as a current copy of this FAQ and other list from
        majordomo.  Send mail to majordomo@nemesis.berkeley.edu with
        your message reading 'index weddoes'.  This will give you a
        list of all available Wedding Present files.  Then mail the
        command 'get weddoes [filename]' to majordomo.  For instance,
        if you want the lyrics to Watusi, you would send the message
        'get weddoes watusi'.

        The list is comprised mainly of citizens of the United States
        and the United Kingdom, mainly from universities (which explains
        why membership drops off in the summer). However, there are
        folks from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium,
        France, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands,
        as well as from business and government sites.

        The list was formerly located at weddoes@stolaf.edu.  It
        was transferred to Berkeley on September 6, 1994.  The alias
        at St. Olaf was shut down on November 11, 1994.  On January
        22, 1996, the list moved to Westnet.

        WWW (World Wide Web)
        ===

        http://www.westnet.com/weddoes

             This is official unofficial Wedding Present home page.
             It features lyrics, discography, and articles, as well
             as this FAQ.

        Usenet
        ======

        There is no newsgroup devoted solely to the Weddoes, but eagle-
        eyed readers of alt.music.alternative will find a question or
        comment regarding the band occasionally.

        Also, this document is posted to the *.answers newsgroups.


  Q2.3  Is there a Wedding Present fanzine?

  A2.3  Yes, it's called "Orange Slices," and is published by Darren
        Bugg (darren.bugg@leedsonline.co.uk).  The premiere issue was
        published in December 1996, the second issue was published
        in July 1996.  To order the latest copy, send one pound
        and twenty pence (1.50 in Europe, 1.90 in the rest of the
        world (includes p and p) in the form of a bank cheque or
        postal order to: Darren Bugg, c/o The Wedding Present,
        PO Box HP25, Leeds, LS6 1RU, United Kingdom. PLEASE NOTE: You
        MUST write 'c/o The Wedding Present' on the envelope.
        Please make cheques and money orders payable to DARREN BUGG.

        In North America, send three dollars and fifty cents (US
        funds, includes p&h) in the form of a bank check or money
        order to Orange Slices, c/o Kevin Behrens, PO Box 54542,
        Atlanta GA 30308, USA.  Please make checks and money orders
        payable to KEVIN BEHRENS.


  ----------------------------------------------------------
  3.  MERCHANDISE
  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Q3.1  How can I get a copy of (a particular item)?

  A3.1  It's difficult to find some things, since TWP have been on about
        47 record companies.  The best thing to do, after you've
        exhausted all the cool record shops, is to write to Sally at
        the band's address: The Wedding Present, PO Box HP25, Leeds,
        England, LS6 1RU.

        DG: "Anybody requiring information who's based outside of The
        United Kingdom should write to PO Box HP25, Leeds, LS6 1RU,
        as usual, and that includes those people who are still looking
        for Kennedy CDs, Brassneck 7" singles, compilation LPs, etc.
        As I always say--contact us before paying inflated collectors'
        prices."

        This address is also for ordering T-shirts and other
        paraphenailia.  The stuff they have is ever-changing, so write
        for the latest list.


  Q3.2  What record company is the band on NOW?

  A3.2  Cooking Vinyl.
        They left Island in 1995.
        They parted company with RCA in 1993.
        They closed up their own label, Reception, in 1989.


  Q3.3  What are the versions of each of the CD's that are currently
        being reissued by whoever?

  A3.3  TOMMY
           Reception (UK)
           Pearls from the Past (CA), same as UK version
        GEORGE BEST
           Reception (UK)
           Pearls from the Past (CA), actually titled "George Best + 9"
              and includes the songs from the Nobody's Twisting Your
              Arm and Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? EPs
        BIZARRO
           RCA (UK)
           RCA (US), includes the 4 songs from the Brassneck single
           Manifesto (US), same as RCA (US) version (Manifesto was
              formerly known as Bizarre/Planet)
        SEAMONSTERS
           RCA (UK)
           First Warning (US), includes 3 songs from the Dalliance and
              Lovenest singles, namely Niagara, Dan Dare, and Fleshworld
           Manifesto (US), same as original UK version
        HIT PARADE 1
           RCA (UK)
           First Warning (US)
           Manifesto (US)
        HIT PARADE 2
           RCA (UK)
           RCA (UK) includes a second disc of the 12 Peel Session tracks
           Manifesto (US)
        HIT PARADE 3
           RCA (France) mispressing
           RCA (France)
        WATUSI
           Island (UK)
           Island (US)
        MINI
           Cooking Vinyl (UK)
           Cooking Vinyl (US), actually titled MiniPlus, includes "Sucker",
                "Waiting On The Guns," and "Jet Girl"


  Q3.4  Why do the US versions of Bizarro and Seamonsters have extra
        songs?

  A3.4  Since both were released months after their UK counterparts
        (Bizarro by RCA, Seamonsters by First Warning), extra tracks
        were added to compensate.


  Q3.5  What is HP3 (Hit Parade 3)?

  A3.5  David Gedge:  "I don't know how many times I've apologized for
        this so far, but I won't stop now because I truly regret that
        this project ever saw the light of day.  Basically RCA France
        wanted to build on the success of the first two HP CDs (the
        first of our records to not completely flop over there!) by
        releasing a mini-LP of stuff which wasn't available locally.  A
        collection of covers only previously for sale in the United
        Kingdom seemed a worthwhile option, but I underestimated...

        1.  The ineptitude of the RCA people in France who managed to
            get the tracks mixed up and replace Box Elder with, ahem,
            Brassneck
        2.  Just *how* available it was going to be outside the region
            it was solely intended for &
        3.  The demand from people, especially in the USA, to hear Box
            Elder by TWP.

        "When the mistake was discovered RCA France offered to make
        refunds to anybody purchasing the faulty disc.  Obviously this
        doesn't help you if you're in Hawaii, or something!"

        Arnaud Guillot (0195l@www.estp.fr) writes: "HP3 has been
        released twice: there has been a second release with the good
        track.  To have this CD, you should send the proof of buying the
        first one and then they send to you, free, the right one."


  Q3.6  Does TWP have videos for sale?

  A3.6  Yes, two, officially.  "Spunk (*punk)", featuring promos and live
        stuff (pre-1990 material), and "Dick York's Wardrobe" containing
        videos for the twelve Hit Parade singles.

        There's also a vid for "Dalliance", which you may have seen on
        TV, but...

        David Gedge: "Unfortunately, Dalliance was a bit late for 'Spunk'
        and a bit inappropriate for "Dick York".

        And most recently, the band shot a video for "Yeah Yeah Yeah
        Yeah Yeah."


  Q3.7  Why does TWP release their own live tapes?

  A3.7  David Gedge: "I think it was originally Shaun Charman's idea.
        We got sick of people having to shell out lots of money for badly
        recorded tapes and decided to offer an alternative."

        The only live tapes still available are Wakefield (8/91),
        Uppsala (11/91), Den Haag (10/92), Windsor (10/93)  and
        Strousburg (12/94).  The songs are:

        WAKEFIELD:
        Lovenest, Dalliance, Blue Eyes, Suck, Kennedy, Blonde, Crawl,
        Come Play With Me, Corduroy, Dare, Carolyn, California, Heather.

        UPPSALA:
        Dalliance, Go-Go Dancer, Corduroy, Crawl, Heather, Rotterdam,
        Brassneck, Come Play With Me, Blonde, Everyone Thinks He Looks
        Daft, Silver Shorts, Kennedy, Suck, Lovenest, Blue Eyes, Dare,
        Octopussy.

        DEN HAAG:
        Boing!, Go-Go Dancer, Lovenest, Three, Blue Eyes, Blonde,
        Kennedy, Suck, Loveslave, Silver Shorts, The Queen of Outer
        Space, Bewitched, Crawl, Heather, Sticky, Come Play With Me,
        Brassneck, Corduroy, Dare, Dalliance, Flying Saucer.

        (Thanks to Rick Hawkins (rlhawk@well.com), who believes Uppsala
        is his favorite.)

        WINDSOR:
        Let Him Have It, Blue Eyes, Go-Go Dancer, Dalliance, Dare,
        Catwoman, The Queen of Outer Space, Sticky, Silver Shorts,
        Kennedy, Loveslave, Crawl, Come Play With Me, Corduroy,
        Flying Saucer, So Long Baby

        STRASBOURG:
        So Long Baby, Blue Eyes, It's A Gas, Flying Saucer, Let Him
        Have It, Dalliance, Click Click, The Queen of Outer Space,
        Spangle, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, Loveslave, Silver Shorts,
        Suck, Come Play With Me, Crawl, Gazebo, Catwoman


        Tapes cost #3.50 plus 50p postage for the first and .30p for
        each additional.  DOUBLE postal rates for Continental Europe
        and Eire and QUADRUPLE for the rest of the world.  Ensure all
        cheques and money orders are in British pounds stirling and
        payable to 'The Wedding Present'.  Please write your name and
        address on the back of the cheque.  Send it sealed with a kiss
        to The Wedding Present, PO Box HP25, Leeds, England, LS6 1RU.

        (Tapes also cost $5 plus $3 postage for the first, $1.75 for
        each additional, plus $5 currency exchange fee for the whole
        order.)


  Q3.8  Is there a book about TWP?

  A3.8  Yes.  It's called "Thank Yer, Very Glad", by Mark Hadkinson,
        published by Omnibus Press in Britain

        David Gedge:  "The biography of the band is unauthorised and
        not very good, so I hesitate before drawing people's attention
        to it.

        "I would not advise anybody to buy this biography because the
        writing is very poor.  Go and buy yourself a cake instead."

        There is also a songbook for Bizarro, which was published by
        EMI Music in 1990, and distributed in the UK by IMP.


  ----------------------------------------------------------
  4.  SONGS AND ALBUMS
  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Q4.1  Why is "Felicity" a "William Shatner number"?

  A4.1  Because the guy who wrote the song is named James Kirk, of the
        band Orange Juice.  TWP covered this song, and it can be found
        on Tommy.


  Q4.2  Which songs did Amelia Fletcher of Heavenly sing on which
        Wedding Present albums?

  A4.2  David Gedge: "Amelia only sang on two LP's, namely George Best
        and Bizarro --but she also appeared on Nobody's twisting Your
        Arm & Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? E.P.'s [Currently on
        "George Best + 9" -- the N. America release from Pearls From
        The Past]

        Songs she sang on are (I think):

        Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
        Something And Nothing
        Anyone Can Make A Mistake
        You Can't Moan Can You?
        Nobody's Twisting Your Arm
        Don't Laugh
        Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?
        Getting Better
        Pourquoi Es Tu Devenue Si Raisonnable?
        Crushed

        But any other girly singing from 1987 to 1988 is her!"


  Q4.3  What is "Dalliance" about?

  A4.3  Dalliance was based on the sad story of Sara Johnson, the
        mistress of the husband of famous English "authoress" Jilly
        Cooper.


  Q4.4  Why was the third LP called "Seamonsters?"

  A4.4  David Gedge: "I guess I was captivated by this cartoon-like
        image of some gigantic mass -- all teeth and scales -- slowly
        appearing from beneath the waves.  It kind of went with the
        songs, too."


  Q4.5  What's the deal with the samples from "Close Encounters" and
        "UFO"?

  A4.5  David Gedge: "Yes, we did steal the flying saucer noise from
        "U.F.O.", yes we did put the "Close Encounters" theme on the
        beginning of the seventh seven inch of 1992 and yes those acts
        are probably both illegal if anyone in the big world of
        corporate legaldom notices.  We took the harmonics off "Flying
        Saucer" when we were assembling the LP because we thought that
        it might've become annoying after repeated plays while not
        causing the same problem on the single itself."


  Q4.6  Did the Hit Parade singles break some kind of record?

  A4.6  David Gedge:  "Yes, indeed -- although we became only the second
        artist to have twelve Top 30 UK hits in one year -- Elvis being
        the other --  ours were all *new* releases [I think some of his
        were re-releases...I'm not completely sure about this!!].  We've
        subsequently achieved the, erm, honour of a mention in the
        (British edition of) 'The Guiness Book of World Records'.
        Hooray!"

        Neil Morgenstern (N.Morgenstern@cs.ucl.ac.uk): "The highest
        position is #10 for 'Come Play With Me'. This single spent 2
        weeks in the Top 75, the other week being at #65. 'Silver
        Shorts' spent one week in the top 75 at #14. This single holds
        the record for the highest placing in the Top 75 by a single
        that was only in there for 1 week. 'Three' also peaked at #14
        but managed a second week at #73.

        "Other positions reached were as follows:

        'California' - 16
        'Love Slave' - 17
        'Sticky'  - 17
        'Boing' - 19
        'Go-Go Dancer' - 20
        'Flying Saucer' - 22
        'Queen Of Outer Space' - 23
        'No Christmas' - 25
        'Blue Eyes' - 26

        "'Blue Eyes' spent a second week in the top 75 at #53. The
        highest placing for the second week even though it had the
        lowest placing for the first week. Apart from those already
        mentioned, none of the others managed a second week in the
        top 75."


  Q4.7  Why are there two CD singles of "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah"?

  A4.7  David Gedge: "The single came in 4 formats...the 12", Cassette
        and CD1 all featured 4 songs recorded in Seattle with Steve
        Fisk--pretty straightforward.  A week later we brought out a
        second CD which was essentially the title track and three
        recordings from our John Peel session of earlier this year.  I
        imagined that this would be fine because it was essentially
        similar to the Strange Fruit things we used to bring out.  There
        *was* a fourth Peel Session track--Him Or Me (What's It Gonna
        Be?) but since we already had a superior version (Fisk-produced,
        on CD1) we felt that duplication would be unnecessary.  Also,
        Spangle and Gazebo are completely different from the Watusi
        versions.

        "However, there has been some annoyance that the Peel Session
        stuff wasn't available on good ol' vinyl, and I'm sorry about
        that.  We'll think twice about repeating the idea!  The version
        of Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah on the first week's releases had the
        false starts edited off but we decided to leave them on CD2 to
        make it a bit different! The voice you can hear is that of the
        very handsome engineer John Goodmanson and not Steve Fisk.


  Q4.8  Who sings "Shake It"?

  A4.8  Darren Belk.  It's the only WP song to not feature David Gedge
        on vocals.


  Q4.9  What is Versions?

  A4.9  Jesse Obstbaum (PersFave@aol.com): "Versions was the 10"
        released in America following Watusi, sub-titled 'A collection
        of b-sides and out-takes from the Watusi sessions.'  The track
        listing is: Spangle (Version), Flame On, Jumper Clown, Le
        Bikini, Gazebo (Version), Bubbles, Him Or Me (What's It Gonna
        Be)?, So Long Baby (Version).  The release covers all of the
        non-LP tracks The Wedding Present recorded with Steve Fisk
        except the acoustic version of It's A Gas. It was intended to
        be a promo-only release to be sent to college radio for a
        second push.

        "Unfortunately, by the time it was pressed, the powers-that-be
        at Island US had lost interest in the band and most copies were
        sent out to indie promoters to 'do with what they will.'"


  ----------------------------------------------------------
  5.  COVER VERSIONS
  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Q5.1  What songs have TWP covered?

  A5.1  Here is the complete list, in chronological order:

        Song                      Originally by      Can be found on

        Felicity                  Orange Juice       Tommy
        Getting Nowhere Fast      Girls At Our Best  George Best CD
        Getting Better            Beatles            ...Reasonable 12"
        I Found That Essence Rare Gang Of Four       Radio Sessions
        It's Not Unusual          Tom Jones          Kennedy 12"
        Box Elder                 Pavement           HP3/Brassneck 12"
        Happy Birthday            Altered Images     Peel Sessions 88-92
        Come Up And See Me        Steve Harley and   Three Songs EP
          (Make Me Smile)           Cockney Rebel
        Don't Dictate             Penetration        Airspace Comp.
        She's My Best Friend      Velvet Underground Dalliance 12"
        Mothers                   JPS Experience     Lovenest 12"
        Cumberland Gap            Lonnie Donegan     HP3
        Cattle And Cane           Go-Betweens \
        Don't Cry No Tears        Neil Young   \
        Think That It Might       Altered Images\
        Falling                   Julee Cruise   \
        Pleasant Valley Sunday    Monkees         \
        Let's Make Some Plans     Close Lobsters   \
        Rocket                    Mud               -Hit Parade 7"s/CDs
        Theme from Shaft          Isaac Hayes      /
        Chant of the EverCircling David Bowie     /
          Skeletal Family                        /
        Go Wild In The Country    Bow Wow Wow   /
        UFO                       TV show theme/
        Step Into Christmas       Elton John  /
        Signal                    Pell Mell          Volume 5 Comp.
        Undercurrent              Pacific Surfers    Ablaze! Mag. flexi
        Him Or Me                 Paul Revere and    Yeah^^5 12"
          (What's It Gonna Be?)     the Raiders
        Jumper Clown              The Creepers       It's A Gas 12"
        Red Shoes By The Drugtore Tom Waits          T.W. tribute album
        Waiting On The Guns       Butterglory        Sucker 7"


  Q5.2  Did TWP cover a Pavement song?  Where can I find the original?

  A5.2  David Gedge: "Keith returned from a holiday in America in
        1989 with a cassette of ["Box Elder"] which we all liked and
        decided to cover on the Brassneck E.P. "

        It can also be found on the American version of Bizarro,
        as well as Hit Parade 3.

        The original version by Pavement can be found on the Slay
        Tracks record, as well as their Westing (By Musket & Sextant)
        compilation.

        This question comes up because Pavement were not credited on
        the US version, though they were on the UK version.  Also the
        copyright date on Westing is later than that of Bizarro,
        leading people to believe that Pavement covered TWP.


  Q5.3  Does anyone know of any covers of Wedding Present songs?

  A5.3  Confetti recorded "Corduroy"/"Once More"/"Anyone Can Make A
        Mistake" on Rollercaster Records (PO Box 1161, Brighton, Sussex,
        BN2 2TD, UK, but they might not exist anymore).

        The band Thatcher on Acid did a cover of "My Favourite Dress"
        retitled "My Favorite Mess" (!) on the LP "Yurp Thing" on Allied
        Recordings.  The contact address for the band is PO Box 357,
        London, SE19 1AD, UK.

        Kerbdog has covered "Kennedy" on their "Dummy Crusher" single
        on Polydor Records.  Also on the disk is the Pixies' "Debaser".


  ----------------------------------------------------------
  6.  POLLS
  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Q6.1  What are everyone's favorite songs?

  A6.1  The last survey of mailing list subscribers was conducted
        in May 1995.  Here are those results, compiled by Mike
        Field (field@cae.wisc.edu):

        Voting based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.
        Number of first place votes is in parentheses.

         1) Dalliance                  119(1)
         2) Brassneck                   89(3)
         3) Kennedy                     66(1)
         4) My Favorite Dress           65(1)
         5) Corduroy                    64(2)
         6) Take Me!                    62(3)
         7) Come Play With Me           57(1)
         8) Spangle                     48
         9) I'm Not Always So Stupid    46(1)
        10) Dare                        43(1)
        11) Silver Shorts               43(1)
        12) A Million Miles             41(2)
        13) Heather                     39
        14) Crawl                       38(1)
        15) Suck                        35
        16) Octopussy                   32(1)
        17) Bewitched                   31(1)
        18) Blonde                      29(1)
        19) Rotterdam                   28(1)
        20) California                  28
        21) Nobody's Twisting Your Arm  25(1)
        22) Flying Saucer               25
        23) No                          25
        24) Why...So Reasonable Now?    21
        25) So Long, Baby               20

        A poll conducted through the band's newssheets was compiled by
        Leigh Hunt (zippyfrood@cix.compulink.co.uk) and published in
        the Orange Slices fanzine in December 1995:

         1) Kennedy
         2) Dalliance
         3) Brassneck
         4) My Favorite Dress
         5) Corduroy
         6) Crawl
         7) Come Play With Me
         8) Take Me!
         9) Flying Saucer
        10) Dare
        11) Suck
        12) Give My Love To Kevin
        13) Heather
        14) Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
        15) Blue Eyes
        16) Bewitched
        17) Spangle
        18) A Million Miles
        19) Clcik Click
        20) I'm Not Always So Stupid


  Q6.2  Why doesn't the band play everyone's favorite songs at concerts?

  A6.2  David Gedge: "We agonize over the set list!  But when you've got
        over 100 songs to choose from (and it's no secret that I think
        at least 50% of the performance should be new stuff), it's
        impossible to please everybody."


  ----------------------------------------------------------
  7.  MISCELLANY
  ----------------------------------------------------------

  Q7.1  What is the origin of the name of the band?

  A7.1  David Gedge: "I've always thought that The Wedding Present was
        an inappropriate name for a pop group--more like a poem, or a
        book or something--and therefore quite attractive (to me!).
        I've also always been fascinated by Weddings...those surreal
        performances where the audience plays an integral part--the joy,
        the sadness, the passion...all unfolding firstly in a house
        where God is served and ultimately in a house where beer is
        served...the knife inserted ritually into the virginal white
        cake to reveal the dark fruity interior...that ugly pagan
        concept of the father handing over his daughter to her new
        master...the mothers crying because they're losing a daughter,

  [ Part 2: "Attached Text" ]

        "I used to be a huge Birthday Party fan and although I'd thought
        of 'The Wedding Present' about ten or eleven years ago, I
        decided it was a bit too similar and hence called the band I was
        in THE LOST PANDAS. By the time our first single came out in
        1985, TBP were dead and gone so I felt more comfortable
        reverting to my original idea."


  Q7.2  What is C86?

  A7.2  Andrew Norman (nja@le.ac.uk): "C86 was a compilation - first a
        tape available from the NME for a low price, then a vinyl album
        and CD.  Bands on it were Primal Scream, Mighty Lemon Drops,
        Soup Dragons, Wolfhounds, Bodines, Mighty Mighty, Stump,
        Bogshed, A Witness, The Pastels, Age of Chance, Shop Assistants,
        Close Lobsters, Miaow, Half Man Half Biscuit, Servants
        MacKenzies, Big Flame, Fuzzbox, McCarthy, Shrubs, and The
        Wedding Present.  Some of it jangly pop, some of it what Peel
        was calling "shambling" music (e.g. Stump, Bogshed - quirky
        Beefheart-style stuff).  Tim from McCarthy is now in Stereolab,
        Primal Scream are still going though not very jangly any more,
        TWP are still going strong of course, most of the others have
        fallen by the wayside.  I always thought the compilation's name
        being used as a synonym for fey jangling pop was a bit odd -
        there was plenty of rough, abrasive, awkward music there too."

        Thanks to Jay Mukherjee (jmukherj@glue.umd.edu), who also adds
        that The Pastels are still around, for the complete track list.


  Q7.3  Did Courtney Love really slap David backstage at the 1994
        Reading Festival?

  A7.3  Apparently.

        David Gedge: "I was a bit shocked when it happened.  But I
        think she was a bit inebriated, and it was more playful than
        malicious.  I was actually quite impressed that she knew my
        name.  A faint flicker of recognition came across her eyes when
        we met, and then I found out that she only knew my name because
        she wanted to batter me.  She said, 'Steve Albini! Are you a
        friend of Steve Albini?'  I said, 'Well, he worked for me on
        one album.'  And then she tried to slap me across the face a
        few times.  It was quite... surprising.  But I imagine she
        forgot all about it five seconds, and went on to the next
        thing." (Melody Maker, 10Oct94)


  Q7.4  Have TWP ever played a wedding?

  A7.4  David Gedge: "Err...no!  I don't mind pop music when it's tacky
        -- but that's probably going too far!"

  _____________________________________________________________________

  All suggestions for additions, modifications or deletions should be
  directed to Kevin Behrens (kbehrens@cscmail.csc.com).

  This information n(c)! 1996 by Kevin Behrens.

  The compilation of this information may be published
  in any form whatsoever without the permission of the author.

  This information may be freely distributed electronically and otherwise.
  End WeddoesFAQv3.1


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