FAQ: The Wedding Present
kbeh...@cscmail.csc.com
Posting-Frequency: bimonthly
Last-modified: 1996/08/28
Version: 3.1
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?
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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."
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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
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 majo...@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 wed...@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 (darre...@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.
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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 (01...@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 (rlh...@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.Morg...@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 (Pers...@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.'"
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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 (fi...@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 (zippy...@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 (n...@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 (jmuk...@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 (kbeh...@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