Toad the Wet Sprocket

Magic

Woman of the World
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Posts
24,792
Reaction score
4,530
Location
Ohio, USA
Toad the Wet Sprocket formed in 1986 and released their first album in 1989 called "Bread & Circus". They are an alternative rock band and have crossed over into the more Pop radio friendly songs with "Walk on the Ocean" and "All I Want". I wouldn't hold that against them, though, because they are an excellent band and having a couple popular songs doesn't make them even close to the "Jonas Brothers" :rolleyes:

The Toadies didn't come into full bloom, IMHO, until their 3rd album, "Fear"

album-fear.jpg


And it just so happens this album contains "Walk on the Ocean" and "All I Want", plus a couple more good songs (oh heck, the whole album is good):

Is It For Me

Nightingale Song

Then they released "Dulcinea" in 1994 and this album is full of precious gems.

album-dulcinea.jpg


Fly From Heaven

Fall Down

Windmills (you may know this song from the show Scrubs)

The Toadies have some fantastic ballads but haven't released any new studio albums since 1997. They are still together, though, touring.

Does anyone else know this band? Comments!!
 

LG

Fade To Black
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Posts
36,862
Reaction score
71
I have both of those albums you recommended Magic, but I still haven't played them yet...lol. I will get to them before 2010 hopefully.
 

Craig in Indy

Your cool Uncle
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Posts
717
Reaction score
0
Location
Circle City
Toad has been one of my all time favorites for many years, despite the fact that some critics referred to them as REM-lite.

Don't forget Coil either - their last album of all-new material, it rocks like none of the others do. In fact, that album is where my current sig line comes from.
 

LG

Fade To Black
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Posts
36,862
Reaction score
71
I'll put Coil on my shopping list Craig,,,I still haven't made it to TTWS yet...one of these days.
 

Craig in Indy

Your cool Uncle
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Posts
717
Reaction score
0
Location
Circle City
When you do get Coil (and get a chance to listen to it, too ;)), remember I recommended these songs especially:

Come Down
Rings
Dam Would Break
Don't Fade
Throw It All Away
Amnesia
Crazy Life

The others are great, too, but those are my favorites. In all, the album has about the same feeling as Dulcinea (which is also a great album), but with just a little harder edge, IMO anyway.

Curiously enough, it was through TTWS that I found my current favorite band (for about 5 or 6 years running now). I was on a Toad listserve and people there were looking for a replacement band when Toad announced they were breaking up. Someone suggested Guster, and the rest, as they say, is history.
 

Craig in Indy

Your cool Uncle
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Posts
717
Reaction score
0
Location
Circle City
Windmills (you may know this song from the show Scrubs)

Also, "Fall Down" was featured on My So-Called Life, in an episode that focused on the main character's self-destructive best friend, so it was pretty appropriate - "she hates her life, she hates her skin, she even hates her friends."
 

Craig in Indy

Your cool Uncle
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Posts
717
Reaction score
0
Location
Circle City
I would be remiss if I posted in a Toad thread without mentioning Lapdog, the band that was left in their wake after disbanding. Originally with Todd Nichols and Dean Dinning of Toad, plus Rob Taylor and Erik Herzog, they self-released a fine album called Near Tonight. That was followed by a little shuffling of personnel, with Dinning, Taylor and Herzog going, and Eric Holden, Johnny Hawthorn and Randy Guss (Toad's drummer) joining. That lineup self-released one more album, Mayfly.

Near Tonight:
Lapdog-NearTonight912275_f.jpg

Mayfly:
Lapdog-Mayfly912180_f.jpg

Near Tonight is a great album, IMO. If you can imagine a Toad album without Glen Phillips songs, you've got a good idea of the sound. Not that I have anything against Phillips - I think he and Nichols (the two primary Toad songwriters) balanced one another very well. The Mayfly album I haven't warmed up to quite as much.

Unfortunately, the band is no more (maybe because of all the Toad reunion touring, who knows?), and both albums are now out of print. Even their website (lapdogmusic.com) has been taken over by other people having nothing to do with the band. I think that's the case anyway - it's all in some Asian characters I can't read.
 
Last edited:

LG

Fade To Black
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Posts
36,862
Reaction score
71
Having a hard time with Coil Craig, the only HQ copy the seed is driving a horse and buggy, I doubt that I'll be able to finish acquiring it before I retire...lol.
 

Magic

Woman of the World
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Posts
24,792
Reaction score
4,530
Location
Ohio, USA
Time to dust this thread off.

The debut album, Bread and Circus from 1989. This album was made when the band members were in High School and the total cost to record the album was $650. This album is one that you want to listen to after you have heard the more refined releases like "Fear", to appreciate how great this band was in the beginning. TTWS was launching its career right smack in the middle of the explosion of Alice in Chains and Nirvana, and they managed to touch a large audience even with such stiff competition.

Bread_%26_Circus_cover.jpg



 

Find member

Forum statistics

Threads
30,657
Posts
1,064,838
Members
6,353
Latest member
edmerka

Staff online

Members online

Top