[sonicl]

Vote for your favourite, and generally discuss/reminisce

www.4ad.com

[SYRFox]

Pixies all the way!
They too have 2 00's bands that I totally love, TV on the Radio and Celebration.
I actually bought the 4AD's "1980 Forward" compilation containing 18 tracks from 18 bands from the label, it's great, and additionnaly, I found it for 2€ (I think it's around $2), so there's no need to say I jumped on it

[Pookie]

I was never a fan. Out of those listed, I only liked The Birthday Party. Otherwise, I could listen to Cocteau Twins (for a short period) and Throwing Muses at a push.

It was all a bit twee for me.

[RdTv]

I went with 'other' just because there are a lot of bands that I love equally as much and I'm not prepared to sit and decipher which one gets me hot and bothered the most.

[Pookie]

I saw Lush live, supporting Felt and they were DULL.

I won't start on the Pixies (SHIIIIIIIIIT, sorry couldn't help myself ).

I will now stay out of this thread because I've tried in on for size, and it just isn't for me.

[RdTv]

Originally Posted by Pookie

I was never a fan. Out of those listed, I only liked The Birthday Party. Otherwise, I could listen to Cocteau Twins (for a short period) and Throwing Muses at a push.

It was all a bit twee for me.

Really? I know they put out a lot of ''shoegaze'' stuff but, I thought they had some harder bands out also....oh well

[sonicl]

I can't actually name a favourite 4AD band. The label's 80's output was consistently amazing, it was hard to put a foot wrong with them. They had the reputation of being all gothy/ethereal, but that only really counts for The Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and This Mortal Coil. The rock that they released (Birthday Party / Pixies / Throwing Muses) was hardly balls to the wall stuff, but it turned quite a few peoples' idea of rock updise down. And Colourbox... wel Colourbox didn't really belong on 4AD, did they, but everything they released was brilliant.

Yeah, I'm torn between Throwing Muses and Colourbox.

A lot of the 4AD stuff i was kind of force-fed by other people. I listened to a Peel Session by The Cocteau Twins (probably my favourite band on it, together with The Pixies) the other day, and it still sounded amazing, especially when they do 'Garlands', and suddenly you realize how heavier they could sound live than on record. Throwing Muses had their good moments too, University being one of them, and obviously Birthday Party. I've discovered recently that Dead Can Dance are not all shite, and i've been digging 'The Serpent's Egg' more and more. This Mortal Coil are also worth checking out, even though i wouldn't listen to them all the time.

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by RdTv

Really? I know they put out a lot of ''shoegaze'' stuff but, I thought they had some harder bands out also....oh well

I think that most of the stuff 4AD put out was 'quality', but I did find it a bit twee at the time (I'm particularly talking about the bands sonicl mentioned).

Lush, Cocteau Twins, Throwing Muses, Pale Saints, Pixies (maybe not twee, but a 'pop' version of pre-grunge/noise), This Mortal Coil.

Like I say, it was all listenable to me, and it was much played in the record shop I worked in in the late 80's/early 90's. And much of it was very pleasant to listen to in that context. It just never got me moist with excitement, unlike other bands at the time (Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Big Black etc) who sounded infinitely more exciting and most definitely DID get me moist!

[sonicl]

Originally Posted by Pookie

I think that most of the stuff 4AD put out was 'quality', but I did find it a bit twee at the time (I'm particularly talking about the bands sonicl mentioned).

But you were busy pushing over statues with Crass at the time, it's hardly surprising you found the "sonic cathedral" sound of most 4AD bands twee!

Originally Posted by Pookie

I think that most of the stuff 4AD put out was 'quality', but I did find it a bit twee at the time (I'm particularly talking about the bands sonicl mentioned).

Lush, Cocteau Twins, Throwing Muses, Pale Saints, Pixies (maybe not twee, but a 'pop' version of pre-grunge/noise), This Mortal Coil.

Like I say, it was all listenable to me, and it was much played in the record shop I worked in in the late 80's/early 90's. And much of it was very pleasant to listen to in that context. It just never got me moist with excitement, unlike other bands at the time (Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Big Black etc) who sounded infinitely more exciting and most definitely DID get me moist!

Out of curiosity, Pookie, was the fact that most people who listen to 4AD stuff tend to embrace the whole label and bands that put you off? To an extent that's what never really made me obsessive like others about it.

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by sonicl

But you were busy pushing over statues with Crass at the time, it's hardly surprising you found the "sonic cathedral" sound of most 4AD bands twee!

NOOO! Crass were out by then. It was 80's American noise (had to be American, with the exception of Silverfish and Fudge Tunnel!).

[RdTv]

I see what you're saying and that makes oodles of sense.
As far as the current bands go, I like Blonde Redhead's new album ''23'', its imo an improvement from ''Misery Is a Butterfly'', at least its a little more diverse. Should be out on 4/23 for you UKers.

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by sarramkrop

Out of curiosity, Pookie, was the fact that most people who listen to 4AD stuff tend to embrace the whole label and bands that put you off? To an extent that's what never really made me obsessive like others about it.

It was really weird, but at the time there was a tendency to have a favourite label, which you did support to an almost fanatical degree.

I knew people who bought every 4AD release, and those who bought every Creation release, and could tell you the catalogue number of every release.

There was a real pressure when I started working in a record shop to have a favourite band (I've never had a favourite band, so mine became Black Flag - the first band I mentioned I liked), and a favourite record label (mine became SST because of the BF connection).

And the fact that there is a thread here about a record label suggests that my experience isn't dissimilar to other's.

[sonicl]

I have to say there was a fair amount of 4AD worshipping in the circle that I mixed in. I'll be blowed if I can remember what prompted me to start a thread about them though.

I was actually more of a Blast First man, they were the label that I bought everything they put out, but that belongs in another thread, which I'll start another day.

Originally Posted by Pookie

It was really weird, but at the time there was a tendency to have a favourite label, which you did support to an almost fanatical degree.

I knew people who bought every 4AD release, and those who bought every Creation release, and could tell you the catalogue number of every release.

There was a real pressure when I started working in a record shop to have a favourite band (I've never had a favourite band, so mine became Black Flag - the first band I mentioned I liked), and a favourite record label (mine became SST because of the BF connection).

And the fact that there is a thread here about a record label suggests that my experience isn't dissimilar to other's.

I was always heavily into Creation, until i started listening only to all the American bands like Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden (Ultra Mega Ok, was a favourite) etc.

[Pookie]

Blast First were better for me, and put out a lot of SST stuff in the UK. Homestead to a lesser degree, but then as I say, I was a big fan of American guitar music at the time.

Can you remember the exact time when you switched to American bands? I remember it was when i was given a tape of Bleach and was lent Daydream Nation. For a while i was totally obesessed with American bands and i wouldn't listen to much else.

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by Nefeli

pookie, do you remember other workers fav band? find it funny you had that pressure also reasonable again for those times.

Other workers favourite bands:

Felt (seriously)
Fields of the Nephilim (seriously)
Hawkwind (ahem)
Yello (really)
The Replacements
Depeche Mode (now it's just getting silly)

Thinking back, a pretty varied bunch we were.

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by sarramkrop

Can you remember the exact time when you switched to American bands?

For me it was about 1980, when I first switched from UK punk to American. It was Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, MDC (never liked the homophobes Bad Brains), etc. And it went from there really: Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Big Black, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Scratch Acid etc.

Originally Posted by sarramkrop

I remember it was when i was given a tape of Bleach and was lent Daydream Nation. For a while i was totally obesessed with American bands and i wouldn't listen to much else.

I was given a tape of Bleach. I was working in a record shop and I used to talk to people at small record labels a lot, one of them said, You've got to listen to this new Sub Pop band called Nirvana. But even by this time, I was getting a bit bored of Sub Pop. Anyway, she sent me a tape and it was on my Walkman pretty much constantly for weeks after. And I bored people witless saying how fantastic they were.