Thin White Rope

Dubya - T · Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 20:34 Post subject: Thin White Rope

I'm probably ploughing a lonely furrow again but....

Has anyone else heard Thin White Rope?

They were an amazing band. A darker, twisted REM with overtones of Tom Waits is the nearest comparison I can draw, but that doesn't do them Justice.
They draw on all sorts of elements, from blues, through Can and even Country and Western. I love the way the guitars jar against each other and the way the songs range from off-centred and spiky through to heartfelt and moving via downright odd! Add to that Guy Kuyser's guttural, Tom Waits-like vocals and the result is great music.

I'm listening to "The One That Got Away", the recording of their final live performance and I suppose it's a fairly good intro to the band if you can find it. Other than that get hold of all their albums.
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bravecaptain · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 859

'red sun' is awesome. i don't mean 'awesome' as in 'brilliant' or 'fantastic' or any of those other words that are always used wrongly. i mean astonishing, expansive, ace!

and one of the b-sides to that has a cover of 'some velvet morning' and contains some of the greatest and most visceral feedback ever committed to vinyl.

i loves thin white rope me.

can you guess what their name means?

i bet che can.

mx

Guest · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 14:28 Post subject:

That sounds really good, I love feedback. Any recommendations for what to check out album wise, rather than live stuff?

Guest · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 14:35 Post subject:

Is Spoor any good, its on amazon pretty cheap.

Guest · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 14:37 Post subject:

Actually ill download some to sample it, Im getting the dirtbombs instead

Guest · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 14:41 Post subject:

Scratch that last sentiment i got dirtbombs and ruby sea.

Now that was impulsive.

I love this, getting albums by people you've never heard before and waiting to see if they rock.

Guest · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 18:30 Post subject:

is it spunk mark?

Dubya - T · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 18:41 Post subject:

That's the bunny!

It comes from (bad choice of phrase there!) a William Burroughs book but I don't know which one.

The Ruby Sea was their final and probably most accomplished album. It's a good start. The album has this enduring sadness running through it. The songs ache, especially stuff like The Lady vanishes, Up To Midnight, Christmas Skies and The Clown Song. Good choice, now collect the rest!

I actually find it hard to pick out a favourite album, I particularly like Moonhead but also have a certain fondness for Sack Full Of Silver as it's the first one I got.

They've done some good covers. Town Without Pity is cool as is their live version of Silver Machine and the aforementioned Some Velvet Morning.

The use of feedback is truly inspired. It's not walls of the stuff like early Mary Chain, it's controlled and melodic. There are entire guitar solos constructed from feedback! Check out their version of Can's Yoo Doo Right on Sack Full Of Silver.

IIRC Spoor is a compilation of b sides & covers, so yeah go get it! It'll be interesting.

I'm glad to see I'm ploughing with more "Swingin' Danglers". Well one at least!
Cool

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Dubya - T · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 21:51 Post subject:

Martin,
Did you have Red Sun in mind when you wrote Spaniard, what with the trumpets and all?
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bravecaptain · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 859

yes. 'red sun' was a big influence.

mx

che · Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 17:41 Post subject:

Dubya - T · Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 18:41 Post subject:

Thanks for that Martin, having been a Boos fan since Everything's Alright... and a TWR fan since around the same time I'd never thought of the connection between Red Sun and Spaniard until you praised the latter on this thread!

If anyone would like to check out TWR, go here and sign up for a trial account, you get 50 free downloads.
They have the full back catalogue available which is more than the trial will allow, but anyway!

http://www.emusic.com/

Just got "..In The Spanish Cave" from there and it sounds so different to my old vinyl copy, much clearer. I think the scuzzy vinyl sound suits it better, so I'll rip it I think!
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Guest · Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:21 Post subject:

Hey thanks for the reccomendation. I ordered the cd off an amazon seller on friday, it arrived saturday morning. I put it on and my first impression as I wasnt really listening to it as i mooched around was 'ok, but pretty much like giant sand'. then yesterday I put it on in the car on the way to the city game, turned it up loud, and it clicked, actually it kind of swelled up. It is fantastic, my favourite songs are Bartenders Rag and Hunters Moon, but the whole album is brilliant. Ive recently been listening to Giant Sand and Green on Red and Im well into that gothic alt country stuff, and its along those lines but with the epic wall of noise stuff I really dig as well.

I'd never even heard the name before, so cheers. I'll defo check out some of their earlier stuff but Im spending a bit of time with the Ruby Sea first, I was gonna get the BOC album today but ill leave it for a bit i think.

Dubya - T · Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:47 Post subject:

I always thought (for some reason)that I should like Green on Red but never got it.

I will check out Giant Sand though.
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