Shudder To Think - Hit Liquor

[@RichKnight36]

This is my favorite album of the 90s. There's nothing else like it.

[@Dullrig]

you ain't kiddin

[@stealmybagel]

Just like deez

[@Thee-_-Outlier]

This was heavy in me and my close friends rotation when driving around on weekends circa '93. Tool, slayer, shudder to think, Danzig, and green day just dropped dookie etc. Then you had rap and hip hop like the beasties, wu tang, dre and snoop and then you had that old school east coast scene with common, naughty by nature, most def, black star and so on. Really we were the first generation to really go all in on all music genres. One second listening to Steve Miller band the next NWA or the Misfits or who knows Those were the days 😢

[@QuayleBite]

This album re defined my entire concept of what guitar playing and lyric writing could be like. Got to chat briefly with Craig and Nathan after a show in 96, (they were super nice) and I asked them, "how do you guys come up with all of these dissonant riffs and oddball tritone based melodies?" Craig's like "aww, we just move our fingers around to different places until it sounds good."

[@creekandseminole]

lolz nice.

[@Hs3u39]

That's awesome. I was turned onto this band in the late 90s and worked up a few of their tunes coming from an overthinking analytical point of view. I thought of the vocal style as sprechstimme and bitonal in places. I spent a lotmof time trying to figure out all the parts. This is great band, completely unique and so expressive.

[@quintmylodonrecorders8387]

MattS I had fairly regular email correspondence with Nathan for quite a while, while he was doing the one hot one project. I had been trying to get my hands on some soundtracks and stuff that had been out of print. I mentioned it casually once and he said "when I get back from Spain I'll mail you all the stuff you are missing, I have some boxes in the garage that the wife wants me to clean out" ... like normal dude. super nice guy, it only affirmed my love for these guys

[@webkahmik]

Perfect. Exactly right, actually. No amount of prep or theory suffices. My brother, a musician, put it best, "If you make a mistake, repeat it."

[@alisterfolson]

Cool. I met these guys after one of two shows I saw of them in the late 90's in San Diego...cool af. And yes, their album Pony Express Record is one of my favorites of all time

[@theCurteye]

I'm known as the music guy in my circle. I've never been exposed to this and I'm going down this rabbit hole. Exceptional.

[@PhoenixProdLLC]

They also did an excellent cover for the movie "Velvet Goldmine". Very unique at the time especially compared to the surrounding crowd. The D.C. art rock scene is where they originated I think.

[@soup1809]

Now your really the music guy

[@neptuneteletron2998]

Saw these guys open for Sunny Day Real Estate at The Middle East in Boston. Wanna say 1994. The best concert of my life. I remember Craig saying to the audience, "I forgot to wear a belt, so if my pants fall down on this next song, please be sure to laugh louder than the rock."

[@mr.bungle8690]

This band was slept on in 1994 today it would be considered genius!

[@aafris]

Very homoerotic

[@musiclover01ization]

Strange, dissonant, and yet very catchy. I love this song !

[@jameskeyes9112]

Dissonant, but the song holds tightly together. I love it

[@billy2896]

The bass. God damn.

[@joshkohl852]

Whoever mixed this album didn’t get the credit they deserve! Drums sound perfect…

[@PompousPicard1]

Andy Wallace, who also mixed a bunch of other rock records around that time, including Nevermind. I agree, the sound is amazing.

[@joshkohl852]

@@PompousPicard1 well that certainly explains it! Thanks for the intel! I remember when I first bought the cd (when it first came out) and I was blown away by the crispy drums sounds!

[@PompousPicard1]

@@joshkohl852 cool, yeah I got it in high school, from Columbia House for a penny, haha. Best deal ever. 😂

[@joshkohl852]

@@PompousPicard1 the good ol days!

[@atlas4497]

@@joshkohl852 Andy was also in charge of Jeff Buckley's Grace. actually, that's how I got to know about the band, jeff plays Trackstar( in a radio station,not literally) and says that the album is great but Trackstar is his favorite. They also collaborated a song together " I want someone badly"

[@johnbidochka2795]

I'm still impressed with this record - it was great to see such innovative use of dissonance - something I came to appreciate since I first found Zappa and King Crimson.

[@harderthanhardcore3451]

King Crimson is the first thing I thought of when I started hearing tritones in the middle of this song.

[@395PRS]

I love this album, yes I bought the CD when it came out. They are definitely underrated.

[@Concept-Film]

I saw these guys live in Houston. They opened up for Soul Coghing. Very creative.

[@bobasquid3339]

Happy Birthday 30 years young! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 A great album was born on this day!

[@NWforager]

this was the last song one late night on MTV 120 minutes and it blew me away . forget it, remembered the band , played this and Kicked my Butt like no time passed 💥

[@prunepurple]

This band and this record were so amazing. it gives me goosebumps every time I play it

[@ZiggyTheAdventurer]

ahead of it's time, great writing, amazing musicians, tight players.

[@george9822]

Sounds like the 90s to me. Not ahead of its time.

[@ZiggyTheAdventurer]

@@george9822 a couple other people here said the same thing. I guess everyone's entitled to an opinion and you're free to shit on it. it's all good

[@vlady8me]

Shudder To Think what the '90s would've been without that glorious portisehead asspony Jon Funking Stewart.

[@bennyshambles]

I always loved how homoerotic this video (and this band in general) was during their major label era. Glam Mathrock.

[@SunshineClementine]

Love this~! x

[@econogate]

I remember when this came out, I thought , pretty freaking weird, either totally gay or some new Frank Zappa gods had landed. Of course no one could tell if you were being ironic in the 90s so this was taken as a joke on the major labels, they were previously on Dischord records, the almost anti-corporate label, so yes the music was well done and thought, but the videos almost seemed like a middle finger to the executives bankrolling the band. Not only ahead of it's time but out of time in a strange way....a product of Nirvana era fishing expeditions. The part where Nathan smokes the cig(something you don't see anymore in a video) my mind runs back to that movie where they yell "squeal like a pig boy!" and than Craig says "wanna watch"....they were total pranksters, it was good art, funny and unpredictable, covering subjects that most male bands would be scared shitless to do on a major label debut.

[@395PRS]

great analysis there.... I have no complaints.

[@deepfocus888]

@@395PRS agreed. Well put

[@joedent3323]

I third this sentiment.

[@econogate]

@@395PRS Thanks, I think in hindsight the only thing i left out was the question of What's for dinner on the lost at sea and starving ship? Merging that with the other themes seems pretty over the top but they did it. There's an excellent book about the subject... Bread of Dreams by Piero Camporesi.

[@SirRHGentry]

This band is SO GOOD!

[@matthewbrown7748]

Ugh. I still love this band so much.

[@tomturek9682]

Not that it matters but were any of them gay?Song is awesome and video is definitely cool.

[@matthewbrown7748]

@@tomturek9682 I don’t think so. At least not openly. Craig and Nathan both do soundtrack stuff now.

[@djguidosauce]

yes

[@larrylarrivee5521]

Underrated piece of art....

[@NoDozBukowski]

Shudder To Think circa Pony Express Record was the best band in the world.

[@counthans]

@cdelmasto Verse: 6/4 for seven bars; on the eighth, 11/8 transition to second part. Second part: three bars of 5+8/4 (13/4) and one bar of 5+4/4. Repeat verse and first three bars of second. On fourth bar of second part, long rest with a fermata until "watch," or possibly ~19/4 (if they counted). Probably an uncounted section of guitar noise. Guitar solo on 8 bars of 6/4, 4 bars of 4/4. Bridge: 16 bars of 4/4, 1 bar of 10/4. End: 6 bars of 11/8. I think. Jesus Christ.

[@mcbillygoat]

That’s one gnarly fermata.

[@StormWatcher313]

I think i saw them open for Fugazi. I could be mistaken. I know Branch Manager was opening. Smoked a cig with the dude. Memories.

[@TheRealPuppyMachine]

One of the best albums of the mid 90s - creepiest videos of all time.

[@olbluelips]

Interesting i like it

[@Billo1281]

Speed this up some, and you have a dillinger escape plan song.

[@creekandseminole]

lolz yeah awesome

[@kolbykauffman4180]

Holy shit. You're right.

[@KayleighStarkey12]

So true

[@jojo-zv1sz]

ahahaha

[@michaelshulskie8367]

My friend said this right after I showed him shudder to think.

[@PompousPicard1]

Cool, now I know what rock music from the year 3300 will (hopefully) sound like.

[@scottmasson3039]

I used to love this music when I was younger, but now it sounds so chaotic to me. 😆

[@rvdsm]

The funny thing about this for me is that if you think about the person you were 20 years ago and look back 20 years prior to that, would you find the music from that era as compelling as you still find Shudder to Think to be to this day?

[@deepfocus888]

wait what?

[@billy2896]

Holy. Shit. This is amazing...

[@MadMattH]

I inadvertently saw these guys live. I didn't know who they were. It was awesome.

[@michaelsweller470]

madmatth Yes! I had the same experience at Lollapalooza '94 - they were on the second stage, and I was 17. Had no idea who they were. They played "Kissi Penny," Craig hit some high notes, the crowd cheered as though they had been waiting for this. I didn't quite understand any of it, but I knew I loved it.

[@panicBoydotcom]

Yup. Still pretty fuckin’ incredible.

[@ppombbear7638]

Wondeeeeeeeeeeerrrrreerrerrrrree I'm from thailand คนไทยนะจ๊ะ

[@Sirscorps]

It took me quite a while to get into this "Math-rock" group. Plain weird. Very good stuff.

[@theidolnessofmods]

If at first you don’t get it, keep listening. It will draw you in...fucking brilliant!!!

[@shaftpunk84]

Shout out to the homies Beavis and Butthead for reacting to this video back in the day and exposing me to its brilliance.

[@hachimitsu_boya]

This song reminds me of Primus

[@darrinpollard7448]

So double plus 😎

[@The3Peaches]

Wow.....I was a huge fan back in high school in the '90s, and I never knew Craig Wedren was such a beautiful man.

[@marcustillman8962]

This band was so much more awesome than the grunge band era they were drowned out by. Nonetheless created timeless tracks. This and Call of the Playground my faves.

[@michaelbrinkers3765]

Lookit how he handles the "knobs" of that ship's steering wheel!

[@dreambrother80]

If that ain't a Tim Buckley influence on the vocals at @1:00 , i dont know what is. The irony..

[@myguitardidyermom212]

This record was put out by a major label. The 90s were weird.

[@javyjavyjavyjavy]

So glad it was, if not for X-French's video being on rotation on M2 I would have never heard them, or been able to buy the album (you know, when most of that was done locally!)

[@vixapphire]

...and glorious.

[@395PRS]

The 90s weren't just weird, they were right!

[@nonplussed7181]

We got lamer and less adventurous as time moved on

[@creekandseminole]

Grunge broke and everyone was being signed up for a major label release. Most got dropped after one or two albums lol

[@mouthmw]

Brilliant! HELL YEA!

[@Salineddi]

Ahead of their time. Waaaaaaaaaay ahead of their time.

[@jakefromstatefarm4431]

this is what metal sounds like who aren't into metal and its perfect

[@eeyorehaferbock7870]

This is way better than most metal being released these days, and metal was my go-to genre for a number of years.

[@gregorykrug8034]

Underrated song!!!

[@gregorykrug8034]

Great singing. Great guitar. (Intentionally) creepy video.

[@teselations]

@counthans Good job on the signature counting. However, I am pretty sure the last measure is another 23/8. 12/3 also would be a 4/4 measure as it is 12 doted quarters. Splitting hairs either way.

[@5151-j8r]

still... 🌷💃😋

[@JUNIPER21126]

Every fucking band in the fucking world wishes they could .... This !! 😉

[@counthans]

@LokiClock I was wrong at least once: the last 6 measures = 5x of 23/8, 1x of 12/3. The basics are still right, and you do need to be able to count this song to play it. The internet being what it is, I don't know what level you're at. But to most ears, odd-times don't come naturally, and you need to be able to count them before you can feel them. You don't need to write it down, but in all genres I've played, you need to be able to find the beat and groove if you're going to keep it tight.

[@U3X6785]

Wow this is 20 years old? :(

[@albertorkenbjorken]

Wow this is 25 years old? :(

[@SnackerdJack]

"A bunch of rich kid, sissy boys prancing around on a boat." - Beavis

[@michaelsweller470]

"Whoa - this is horrible!" (I love Shudder but B & B's reaction was hilarious.)

[@joeporter4920]

Beavis & Butthead was genius because they were ostensibly making fun of things but really introduced everyone to great music, for the most part

[@michaelsweller470]

@@joeporter4920 Yeah, B & B was my introduction to Jawbox & Jesus Lizard, two of my all-time favorites. (I stumbled into Shudder on the second stage at Lollapalooza 94; otherwise I'd have had no idea who they were.)

[@seanrhyee2460]

I first saw them opening for My Bloody Valentine back in 1992 and have been a fan ever since. In the 90s there were a lot of underground bands doing dissonant, angular stuff (Unwound, Brainiac, Jesus Lizard), but few could match the rhythmic complexity of Shudder to Think. And, of course, no one had a singer like Craig.

[@ClintVimes]

He's totally saying Hip Liquor.

[@MrIbanos]

@counthans "If you count can't it, you can't play it." While that may be true for you, it's not always so for other people. Some people, get this, have natural rhythm.

[@blakemanke64]

2:49 favorite part

[@bethshair]

oh yes

[@JoeSmith-ug9hu]

Funny how google describes these guys as a "hardcore" band LoL.

[@bobasquid3339]

They were sort of a part of the "post" hardcore movement along with other bands like Fugazi, Jawbox, The Jesus Lizard and many more but it's a loose term. Most, if not all of these musicians came from hardcore bands. Hence, the era moniker "post" hardcore. But, whatever it's not an official thing either way.

[@PhoenixProdLLC]

They came out of the D.C. art rock scene

[@counthans]

@LokiClock Dude I was responding to asked for the time signatures. If you can't count it, you can't play it.

[@corpse-in-orbit]

@cdelmasto Debatable -- you could argue that the phrase lengths determine the barline and thus that it isn't really in a time signature, for the most part. You could also pretty easily rationalize the verse to 6/4.

[@ChrisBrowne]

Reunion necessary

[@nadiacalat]

I want to be baked on that boat.

[@teselations]

@counthans I meant to say the last cycle is 4 measures of 6/4.

[@kitcatcher]

Wow! is that Jackknife Lee with the curly hair??

[@MrIbanos]

@counthans While it is true that counting is a useful tool for translation in music just as writing is for language, there are certainly differing levels of natural skill, aptitude and originality. Many people don't need to have inane discussions about the structure of things in order to mutually appreciate music; you're obviously not one of them.

[@webkahmik]

King Crimson, from hell. Bless em.

[@chadrandazzo2305]

Who else found about this band because of Beavis and Butthead?

[@joshkirkwood8945]

This band blew the roof off of the entire 90's. the decade belonged to them

[@counthans]

@teselations Sorry, that was a typo. I meant 12/4 on the last one. If you count out the end in quarter notes, though, they cut the twelfth beat in half the first five times, so I don't think it can just be 6/4. As you say, though, we're splitting hairs.

[@bivvystridents3752]

Gay, but not gay. Not that it matters really... this song is EPIC!

[@charlesblerzbo1616]

'not gay'. Which part? I must've missed it

[@starsweet4]

no comments?! this song is the shit!

[@MalcomJuliaMorgan]

this is quite bizarre for a major label band.

[@jlouis4407]

That’s the 90s for you awesome times

[@andyprice]

I wonder if they meant for this to be so homoerotic. I mean, that can't be by accident!

[@davidadams2395]

I also doubt it was by accident. Hell, Craig is so ambiguously gay anyway, so might as well play it up with the other good-natured guys.

[@U3X6785]

This sings 94

[@therecoverymission]

@sucktastic Yes sir. Couldn't agree with you more.

[@bonmot7850]

This is more interesting than a lot of mid-90s alterna-crap, but I am stunned to see so many people here describing it in these hyperbolic terms. It's decent guitar rock, and they seem like good-humored guys, but for goodness sakes, 'the 90s belonged to them'? 'The best band in the world'? By what possible measure could anyone arrive at that conclusion? You would have to listen to nothing -but- mid-90s alterna-crap. (OK, now vote this into oblivion.)

[@larrylarrivee1979]

Where has this track been all my life?

[@pscriiv]

Not sure, pal, but I'm glad you're onboard.

[@yohppoy]

someone stole me this wonderful cd i bought in 1994...now i'm in prison...i killed him

[@celesteharmer2580]

Beavis and Butt-head brought me here.

[@Justanadmin]

Hmm hmm heh....SAME HERE......hmm hmm heh

[@LoneBong]

Beavis and Butt-Head!

[@JCKurtz]

probably the gayest video ever made ... love every minute of it.

[@Metaldjwill2]

Billy Squier...(Hold my Beer) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIOTm2qpgtSXeas

[@JCKurtz]

@@Metaldjwill2 OhmyGod, I had no idea this video existed... where the hell have I been? THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting it to me. How come nobody ever made a parody out of it?

[@Metaldjwill2]

@@JCKurtz Someone probably did...only in this case it ruined his career on the strength of all that prancing. Billy was crucified for years!

[@sleepyg7230]

@@Metaldjwill2 video killed the radio star

[@hamupinhere]

I was about to say 'November Spawned A Monster' by Morrissey but I see someone has already mentioned The King of All Gay Videos, Billy Squier. It is a throne that shan't go usurped.

[@rrbh]

0.51

[@Justanadmin]

“Beavis and Butt-head” brought me here

[@MeowthRocket]

thumbs up if Beavis and Butthead brought you here!

[@pscriiv]

But does anyone actually know what this video is about? Maybe Nathan Larson being the freaky chef that actually ends up feeling something for that bed-ridden body, and it decides to cook him? I don't know.

[@nicoladouglas3270]

Is it about anorexia cos it reminds me of someone I know?

[@lucyfur6193]

I think I read somewhere it was about Cannibalism

[@SneedyKetler]

I’d guess anorexia after thinking about it

[@drpibisback7680]

I feel like it's not going too far to suggest this song is pretty much gibberish and most interpretations are as correct as any other.

[@kix7711therealone]

i dont think thats nessecarily true. my bass player counts everything out and it gets so annoying. i probably do count it out in my head though just subconsciesly

[@museblood]

Who else wanted to see bikini-clad women when Craig looked through the scope?

[@thespyproductions]

I always loved this song, but this video is terrible in every way haha!

[@SushiJoe]

Yes, every member is gay as Christmas!

[@Admin-qy4zi]

Sting, yeah, he’s a wuss.

[@gortyburks]

ruim!

[@JoshWilliams-iq6pb]

Kinda not really good

[@bobasquid3339]

You're right, it's genius

[@JoshWilliams-iq6pb]

You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't bastardize my comment. 😂 Haha!

[@StormWatcher313]

Great fucking song

[@StormWatcher313]

Also kinda Jesus Lizardy.