Cud (band)
Encyclopedia
- This article is about a BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
bandMusical ensembleA musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. For other uses, see Cud (disambiguation)Cud (disambiguation)Cud is the portion of food regurgitated by a ruminant.Cud or CUD may also refer to:* Cud, a lump of metal on a coin caused by a die defect* Cud , an indie rock band formed in Leeds, England in 1987* Cannabis use disorders...
.
Cud are a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
formed in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1987, consisting of vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Carl Puttnam (born Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
), guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
/keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Mike Dunphy (b. Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
), bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
William Potter (b. Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
), and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Steve Goodwin (b. Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
).
Though an indie rock band, their music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
incorporated elements of funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
. They were critically acclaimed throughout their career, but never broke through to a mainstream UK record-buying audience.
Biography
The four-piece formed in Leeds in 1987, reportedly when they discovered a discarded drum kitDrum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
in a skip
Skip (container)
A rubbish skip is usually called merely a skip or waste bin. A skip is a large open-topped container designed for loading onto a special type of lorry. Differing from dumpster, instead of being emptied into a waste vehicle onsite, a skip is replaced by an empty skip and then tipped at a landfill...
. They recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a Peel Session on the 16 June 1987 before they had released any records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
being sufficiently impressed by the demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tape that they had sent him. The band signed to The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...
's Reception label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
for their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"You're The Boss", with their second release being the Peel Sessions EP , released on Strange Fruit Records
Strange Fruit Records
Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions....
in February 1988 - this was notable for a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Hot Chocolate's "You Sexy Thing
You Sexy Thing
"You Sexy Thing" is a song recorded by the British group, Hot Chocolate. It was written by Hot Chocolate's lead singer Errol Brown, and produced by Mickie Most. It reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1975, and number 3 in the US Pop charts a year later...
" which had already featured in the Festive 50 at number 20.
After building up a strong local fanbase, their popularity grew more widely, and they were signed by Imaginary Records
Imaginary Records
Imaginary Records was an independent record label based in Heywood, Lancashire, England, which specialised mainly in indie rock and post-punk. It was created and owned by Alan Duffy, known for his lyrical contributions to Porcupine Tree's first two albums, On the Sunday of Life and Up the...
in 1989, who would release their first two albums, When in Rome, Kill Me
When in Rome, Kill Me
When in Rome, Kill Me is the debut album by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud and released through Imaginary Records The album was recorded during March 1989 at the Woodhouse Studios in Leeds with Alaric Neville and Richard Formby handling production....
and Leggy Mambo
Leggy Mambo
Leggy Mambo is the second studio album by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud and released through Imaginary Records.An extended version called "Leggy Mambo - Gold Top Copy" was released in May 2008 by Cherry Red Records and featured additional remixes.-Track listing:#"Now!" - 2:24#"Heart" –...
. 1991 saw Cud beginning to make an impact on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and they signed to the major label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. They subsequently reached the Top 40 in 1992, with "Rich and Strange" (#24) and "Purple Love Balloon" (#27), as well as reaching number 30 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
with fourth album Asquarius
Asquarius
Asquarius was the third studio album released by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud which obtained critical acclaim on its release, and reached number 30 in the UK album chart. Q magazine included it in their 1998 issue as part of their essential dozen Britpop records to have in your collection...
. A further Top 40 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
single followed in 1994 with "Neurotica". However, their moderate success and cult status was short lived, after they failed to overcome musical differences, as well as major label A&M having a problem with the band's attitude. As a consequence of this, 1994's Showbiz would be their last album. Potter was replaced by Mick Dale, who would later join Embrace
Embrace (UK band)
Embrace are an English post-Britpop band from Bailiff Bridge, Brighouse, West Yorkshire. To date they have released five studio albums, one singles album and one B-sides compilation. The band consists of brothers singer Danny McNamara and guitarist Richard McNamara, bassist Steve Firth,...
, shortly before the band split entirely in early 1995. Mike Dunphy now teaches design technology (DT) at Tadcaster Grammar school.
On 21 November 2001 Puttnam returned to the music scene with Donkey With a Fez On, an album of previously unreleased demo material originally intended for release after the Showbiz album. This was followed by a live performance at the 12 Bar Club
12 Bar Club
The 12 Bar Club is one of the smallest live music venues in London, England. It is located in Denmark Street, aka "Tin Pan Alley", just off Charing Cross Road and close to Soho....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Puttnam was accompanied by Alaric Neville and David Lazenby on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, and Michael Hurst on melodeon
Melodeon (organ)
A melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
and percussion. The performance was subsequently released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 2002 as Chateau de Carles
Chateau de Carles
Chateau de Carles is a live recording of Carl Puttnam's solo gig at the 12 Bar Club in London on 21 November, 2001.Featured on the recording are:Carl Puttnam Alaric Neville Dave Lazonby...
. Both Donkey With a Fez On and Chateau de Carles were not on general release, and could only be obtained by mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
from the mysterious Gabriel Tonka (almost universally believed to be Puttnam).
In 2006, Cud reformed to support the release of a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
of their greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
entitled Rich and Strange - The Anthology which was released in August 2006 on Universal Records, alongside a brief UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour to promote it. Dunphy was replaced by Felix Frey on guitar for the tour. The same line-up again reformed for a short tour early in 2008 to support the expanded re-releases of Elvis Belt
Elvis Belt
Elvis Belt is an album of selected early singles, EPs and Peel Sessions released by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud in 1990 through Imaginary Records...
(now a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
entitled Elvis Belt/Elvis Handbag), Leggy Mambo
Leggy Mambo
Leggy Mambo is the second studio album by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud and released through Imaginary Records.An extended version called "Leggy Mambo - Gold Top Copy" was released in May 2008 by Cherry Red Records and featured additional remixes.-Track listing:#"Now!" - 2:24#"Heart" –...
and Showbiz. At Cud's gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
at the Barfly
Barfly (club)
Barfly is a chain of live music venues nightclubs in the UK operating as part of the MAMA Group. It has venues in Brighton, London & York. They regularly feature live music. Their club nights tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music...
in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
on 6 March 2008 Puttnam suggested, contrary to suggestions on Cud's homepage, that the latest tour would be Cud's last. On 27 April 2008, Cud announced that their final ever gig (entitled "No more Cud!") would take place in Rios Leeds on 3 May 2008. To commemorate the event, a limited-edition CD single was sold, which was supposed to feature a new recording of "Punishment-Reward Relationship", along with live versions of "Now!", "Only", "Living in the Past" and "Strange Kind of Love". This was distributed as a blank printed CDR with the tracks to follow shortly afterwards. To date the songs have not been forthcoming.
2010 gigs
Cud reformed again (with Puttnam, Goodwin, Potter & Frey once again) for two gigs (during March, 2010, held at the Hootananny Club in BrixtonBrixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
UK singles
- "Mind the Gap" (Reception 1987)
- "The Peel Sessions: Cud" (UK Strange Fruit 1988)
- "Under My Hat" (UK Ediesta 1988)
- "Slack Time" (UK Dug/Nightshift 1988)
- "Lola" (UK Imaginary MIRAGE 1989)
- "Only (A Prawn in Whitby)" (Imaginary MIRAGE 1989)
- "Hey! Wire" (UK Imaginary MIRAGE 1990)
- "Robinson Crusoe" (UK Imaginary MIRAGE 1990)
- "Backdoor Santa" (fanclub flexi-disc 1990)
- "Magic" (UK Imaginary MIRAGE 1991)
- "Oh No Won't Do" (UK A&M 1991) UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#49 - "Through the Roof" (UK A&M 1992) UK #44
- "Rich and Strange" (UK A&M 1992) UK #24
- "Purple Love Balloon" (UK A&M 1992) UK #27
- "Once Again" (UK A&M 1992) UK #45
- "Cud's Ode to Christmas Joy" (fanclub flexi-disc 1992)
- "Neurotica" (UK A&M 1994) UK #37
- "Sticks and Stones" (UK A&M (1994) UK #68
- "One Giant Love" (UK A&M 1994) UK #52
UK albums
- When in Rome, Kill MeWhen in Rome, Kill MeWhen in Rome, Kill Me is the debut album by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud and released through Imaginary Records The album was recorded during March 1989 at the Woodhouse Studios in Leeds with Alaric Neville and Richard Formby handling production....
(1989) - Elvis BeltElvis BeltElvis Belt is an album of selected early singles, EPs and Peel Sessions released by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud in 1990 through Imaginary Records...
(1990) - Leggy MamboLeggy MamboLeggy Mambo is the second studio album by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud and released through Imaginary Records.An extended version called "Leggy Mambo - Gold Top Copy" was released in May 2008 by Cherry Red Records and featured additional remixes.-Track listing:#"Now!" - 2:24#"Heart" –...
(1990) - AsquariusAsquariusAsquarius was the third studio album released by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud which obtained critical acclaim on its release, and reached number 30 in the UK album chart. Q magazine included it in their 1998 issue as part of their essential dozen Britpop records to have in your collection...
(1992) UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#30 - Showbiz (1994) UK #46
- Rich and Strange - The Anthology (2006)
External links
- The Official Cud website
- The Unofficial Cud Arkhive
- Space-CUDets (the website not the fan club)
- Idiot Dog Discography
- Biography on h2g2H2g2h2g2 is a British-based collaborative online encyclopedia project engaged in the construction of, in its own words, "an unconventional guide to life, the universe, and everything", in the spirit of the fictional publication The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from the science fiction comedy series...
- Rios Leeds Website